Taco Tuesday is now officially a holiday.
National Taco Day is getting a new permanent spot on the calendar thanks to Taco Bell and the National Day Calendar.
The made-up foodie holiday has been celebrated on Oct. 4 of every year, but the California-based food chain got the stamp of approval to move the national day to its rightful place on the calendar: Tuesday.
“For years, we’ve celebrated National Taco Day on October 4th, but it’s always felt like there was a bigger opportunity to align it with something even more special—Taco Tuesday,” Marlo Anderson, founder of National Day Calendar, said in a statement.
Starting this year, National Taco Day will be celebrated on the first Tuesday of every October — forever.
That means in 2024, the holiday won’t fall on Friday, Oct. 4, and Tuesday, Oct. 1 will be the ultimate Taco Tuesday.
“Thanks to Taco Bell’s efforts, we’re excited to officially move National Taco Day to the first Tuesday in October, creating the Taco Tuesday of all Taco Tuesdays,” Anderson said. “It’s more than just moving a date—it’s about bringing taco lovers together in a bigger way, and we couldn’t be more excited!”
The change comes after Taco Bell fought to free the “Taco Tuesday” trademark so everyone — including the National Day Calendar — could use the phrase.
Taco John’s had a trademark on the phrase, and last year Taco Bell asked US regulators to force the Wyoming-based restaurant to abandon its longstanding claim to the trademark.
The company asserted in the filing that “Taco Tuesday” is too common a phrase for Taco John’s to be able to have exclusive rights.
Taco Bell won the dispute, “liberating” the phrase for all — now allowing for National Day Calendar to use it.
“When we liberated Taco Tuesday last year, we did it for all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos; but we couldn’t just stop there,” Taco Bell’s Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery said in a statement.
“With National Taco Day coming up, it felt unnatural for it to not fall on a Tuesday, and as some of the biggest advocates of Taco Tuesday out there, we knew we had to help shift the holiday permanently to give taco makers and lovers the opportunity to celebrate bigger and better every year.”