There are many days of the year that are centered around shopping. Singles’ Day, Black Friday, and Mother’s Day are just a few examples. However, a Canadian artist, Ted Dave, decided to challenge this idea by doing the opposite. In 1992, he started Buy Nothing Day as a way to point out the problems of overconsumption.
The first Buy Nothing Day was celebrated in September 1992. In 1997, it was changed to the Friday following Thanksgiving in November. Soon after, it gained the support of Adbusters, a Canadian media company questioning the importance that cultures give to advertising and shopping. When the group tried to place commercials on television, the only major TV network that accepted them was CNN. Despite these attempts to silence the movement, it spread to the US, Germany, Japan, and several other countries worldwide.
