A Plaid Dressed Tradition - Plaidurday

What is Plaidurday?

Plaidurday Definition:

On the first Friday of October, small towns across Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the Lower Mitten gather to celebrate plaid. Yes, the red and black check pattern your mother dressed you in on Christmas morning for family photos. This whole strange holiday actually started because a man was being heckled by his coworkers for wearing plaid so much.

What is Plaid:

Let's bring this back to the beginning, in case you don’t know what “plaid” is or why it's so important. Plaid has been a traditional Scottish garment since the early 1800s, also known as tartan. It referred to the pattern on the material that kilts and other garments were made from.

The pattern was brought over to North America in the early 20th century. The “tartan pattern” was eventually adopted by the American public. But the pattern was not an instant hit in America.

Would you be surprised to know that the plaid shirt started as a piece of women's clothing and was so popular that it became a staple in men’s closets? But not until the popularization of an American folk tale, that’s right, Paul Bunyan and Babe his blue ox, are what made plaid popular in North America. The stories written by William B. Laughead started a fashion movement that has had its ups and downs, but never dies.

The First Plaidurdays:

Plaid has been around for centuries, and I have been told that Plaidurday is actually a worldwide celebration. But let's be honest with ourselves here, this is definitely a Michigan thing to do. The celebration only gained popularity recently when a Michigan local was being heckled for his mostly plaid wardrobe. Bugsy Sailor from Lansing, Michigan, knew others shared his love of the pattern and in 2010 started Plaidurday. 

One year later, Plaidurday was widely accepted and celebrated by Yoopers everywhere. People showed up in their best plaid outfits from head to toe, and ever since, it has grown to be a celebration to welcome fall to the community that will spend most of its time in a dark, snowy winter.

What is Plaidurday:

At its core, Plaidurday is the celebration of the Yooper-beloved pattern: plaid. Celebrating the cozy clothing that keeps the Yooper locals, miners, loggers, and so many others warm during their atrociously long and brutal winters. But from an outsider looking in, it’s an excuse to celebrate Fall, gather with friends and family, and share in a fashion Faux Pas. 

How do you celebrate:

You put on your best plaid and get involved! Small communities all over the Upper Peninsula gather in their town squares for live music, great food, and sometimes a small market. Some places go as far as having a city-wide scavenger hunt looking for different patterns of plaid around small businesses near the town square. To end each celebration, it is commemorated with a photo of everyone who came out to celebrate. And obviously, yes, wearing plaid is a prerequisite for the event.

Where is Plaidurday:

For anyone who really enjoys themselves a plaid-filled afternoon, they can find plenty of Plaidurday events in Michigan and across the U.P. And if you aren’t near Michigan, I can’t help you, because as far as I am concerned, this type of event should probably stay in the north where it belongs.
If you are lucky enough to live in the U.P. or Northern Minnesota or Northern Wisconsin, Ironwood, Michigan, in collaboration with Stormy Kromer (yes, the people who make the Yooper hats), put on an event that has something for the whole family. 

The afternoon starts in the town square, where people can shop the local market and grab a bite to eat while they listen to a band play. As the afternoon sun turns into evening warmth, attendees participated in a scavenger hunt and wandered around downtown Ironwood looking for different plaid patterns at local small businesses to fill up their cards and bring them back to their square in hopes of winning a cool prize or two. After wandering through small businesses, local first responders blocked Main Street off so everyone could stand in the middle of the street for the iconic city photo in plaid. While this year (2025) they barely missed their goal of 1,000 people by 48, this event continues to grow and participants cannot wait to be a part of another day celebrating something so simple.

As celebrating the simple things in life tends to be the best.