International Sweater Vestival or Vestival is a wear a sweater vest to work holiday

Holiday

A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...

 that is a parody

Parody

A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 of other celebrations. It takes place on the second Friday after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...

. In 2010, International Sweater Vestival will fall on Friday, December 3, 2010. There are celebrations planned in 65 cities around the world, including Boston, New York, London and Auckland.

Knoxville, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

's unrelated version of Vestival is in its eighth year as a festival and occurs in May, rendering sweater vest wearing impractical unless it is cool out.

History

The "vestival" holiday was coined in 2007 by Carolyn Johnson, a reporter for the Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 daily newspaper The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...

.

Sources

• Celebrate Repeal Day by Devra First December 4, 2008 Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/dishing/
• A Holiday of Sweater Vests by Avishay Artsy December 4, 2008 New Hampshire Public Radio http://www.nhpr.org/node/19552
• Vestival by Carolyn Johnson Nov. 30, 2008 The Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/11/30/vestival/