Celebrate All Year Long

It’s always a good time to celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien and the magnificent worlds he created. But these key dates offer particularly good excuses:

March 25th is Tolkien Reading Day. This date marks the downfall of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings and is observed each year by readers all over the world to celebrate the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Download event kit materials for Tolkien Reading Day!

September 22nd is Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday, also known as Hobbit Day. Use #HobbitDay on social media to find and participate in birthday parties around the world.

Event Ideas

Host a viewing party and screen any of the three The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings films.

Invite guests to come dressed as their favorite hobbit, dwarf, wizard, elf, or orc! Reward the best costumes with the enclosed buttons.

Do you know what hobbits love even more than breakfast? Second breakfast! Bring in coffee, tea, and baked goods for a special treat. Download our menu ideas and recipes .

. Host a marathon reading of The Story of Kullervo, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, The Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth, The Fall of Arthur—there are so many to choose from!

Build a Tolkien display! See our full catalog of titles at hmhbooks.com/Tolkien.

Take photos of your display and on the day of the event. Post them on your website and on social media.

For music at the event, stream the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings film soundtracks on Spotify.

Throw Bilbo and Frodo a birthday party, complete with cake, balloons and games. For games, we’ve come up with a scavenger hunt to play in bookstores or libraries, and our version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Pin the Ring on Bilbo!

to play in bookstores or libraries, and our version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Have a Hobbit trivia night; download The Hobbit trivia questions

Whatever you plan, you’ll need nametags for your guests . Why not have them write their names in Dwarven runes?

. Why not have them write their names in Dwarven runes? Promote your event on your website and in your newsletter. Post it on your blog, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Tag us @hmhbooks and let us know what you’re doing.

Classroom and Book Club Resources

Here are more resources to use in your store, classroom, book group, or at home: