Practical jokers and prankers, prepare! April Fools’ Day 2026 is this week.
All jokes aside, some chain restaurants are running some very real, no joke deals for the prankster holiday this year. And Hooters, a Florida-based restaurant, is running an anniversary deal for the holiday, since it was founded on April Fools’ Day 1983.
Here’s what to know about the mystery-shrouded origins of April Fools’ Day and some food deals and discounts to score this April Fools’ Day.
When is April Fools’ Day 2026?
April Fools’ Day always falls on April 1, which is a Wednesday this year. April Fools’ Day 2026 will be this Wednesday, April 1.
How did April Fools’ Day start?
According to the Encyclopedia of American Folklore, the exact origins of April Fools’ Day are uncertain and the tradition most likely comes from multiple sources.
April Fools’ Day is most often attributed to France’s switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in the 1500s, according to The Library of Congress and the History Channel.
“In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1,” the History Channel says.
“People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called ‘April fools.’”
Another potential origin is a New Year’s tradition from the Middle Ages called the “Feast of Fools,” which predates France’s switch to the Gregorian Calendar.
In medieval churches, hierarchy was inverted every New Year’s Day, and lower members of the clergy would swap duties with the higher-ranking priests and bishops. Outside of the church doors, chaotic celebrations would carry on. You might recognize this idea from Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” animated movie.
“Officially banned in the 15th century, the Feast of Fools had its origins 300 years before, in the 1100s, and continued as a tradition well into the 16th century,” Atlas Obscura says.
“It was memorialized in church documents condemning its excesses and in paintings depicting streets full of merry chaos. It appears in Victor Hugo’s famous 19th century novel, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame,’ when Quasimodo is swept up in the festivities and crowned King of Fools.”
Another theory says that April Fools’ Day could have gotten its start in ancient Rome, with Hilaria, which was a day of joy marking the end of an annual festival that honored the goddess Cybele.
These aren’t the only April Fools’ Day origin stories and legends, but they’re among the most popular and well-known.
April Fools’ Day 2026 deals, discounts and pranks
April Fools’ Day might be about pranks, but there are a few restaurants running deals and discounts that are no joke this year.
One deal stands out, though. If you didn’t know, April Fools’ Day is actually Founders’ Day for the Florida-based restaurant chain Hooters.
“Hooters was appropriately incorporated on April Fool’s Day, 1983, when six businessmen with absolutely no previous restaurant experience got together and decided to open a place they couldn’t get kicked out of,” the Hooters website says.
“Soon after, on October 4th of that year, the doors to the first Hooters Restaurant opened in Clearwater, Florida.”
To celebrate 43 years since the Hooters concept was born and April Fools Day 2026, the chain is running a wing deal. The deal is a one-day, dine-in-only discount: 10 bone-in or boneless wings for $3.99, with the purchase of a drink.
Here are some other confirmed April Fools’ Day 2026 deals and discounts, according to The Freebie Guy blog:
Lianna Norman is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: How did April Fools’ Day start? See origins, 2026 deals and discounts
Reporting by Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
