Starting in 1978, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and his writings have celebrated his literary brilliance with a week of festivities. Tolkien Week is observed as the calendar week containing September 22, which is always observed as Hobbit Day. This year, Tolkien week starts on Sunday, September 16 and ends with a bang on Hobbit day, Saturday, September 22.
You can join fellow fans in an online celebration of The Professor with a massive online festival right here on The Middle-earth Network! The party begins on September 22, and will feature a lecture and celebration with Dr. Corey Olsen (author of Exploring the Hobbit ), Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith’s special new website launch party, Tolkien Society Today podcast launch, Hobbit readings by celebrities and personalities, live music and gaming events, and much more. Visit HobbitDay.com for the official schedule and more information.
And be sure to check Middle-earth News daily! The Middle-earth News staff has been hard at work gathering all kinds of Tolkien goodness to share with fans.
We’d absolutely love for you to join us online, but don’t forget that you can create your own fellowship with local fans. Below is a list of Tolkien Week and Hobbit Day events happening around the world.
The Netherlands
World famous fantasy artists and friends of Middle-earth Network Ruth Lacon and Joe Gilronan, as well as other artists, will be attending the Festival in the Shire in Leiden, Netherlands to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The event starts Thursday, September 20 at 12:00pm and runs until Saturday, September 22 at 5:00pm. Please RSVP on their Facebook page so event orgainzers can plan appropriately.
United Kingdom
Oxonmoot is held in Oxford in September every year, usually on the weekend closest to the 22nd of September, Frodo and Bilbo’s birthday. For many years, the event has been held at a picturesque Oxford college, some closely associated with Tolkien or other literary figures. There are usually around 100 to 200 people attending. The moot centres on talks and panels hosted by people researching Tolkien’s works and life, and there is usually a quiz, an art show, an evening get-together with a masquerade, a remembrance visit to Tolkien’s grave in north Oxford, and last, but not least, the chance to spend a weekend in the company of other people who love J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. Oxonmoot 2012 will take place at Lady Margaret Hall from 21st September 2012 to 23rd September 2012.
School children in the UK who celebrate Hobbit Day at their school with a Read-a-thon will be eligible to win a screening of the upcoming film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Fulham Palace, London, September 22 – Event Website
British Library, London, September 22 from 6:30pm-8:00pm – Event Website
United States (all times are local)
Los Angeles, California, September 22 from 12:00pm-7:00pm – Event Website Event Facebook Page
San Francisco, California, September 22 at 7:00pm – Event Website
Longmont, Colorado, September 22 from 3:00pm-6:00pm – Event Website Event Facebook Page
Naperville, Illinois, September 22 at 2:00pm – Event Website
Downers Grove, Illinois, September 22 at 2:00pm – Event Website
Holland, Michigan, September 22 at 12:00pm – Event Website
Saint Paul, Minnesota, September 22 from 3:00pm-5:00pm – Event Facebook Page
Springfield, Missouri, September 22 from 8:30am-6:00pm – Event Website
Concord New Hampshire, September 22 at 11:00am – Event Website
Albuquerque, New Mexico, September 22 at 10:30am – Event Website
Asheville, North Carolina, September 22 at 3:00pm – Event Website
Cincinnati, Ohio, September 22 at 10:00am – Event Website
Portland, Oregon, September 23 from 2:00pm-3:30pm – Event Website
Weslaco, Texas, September 22 from 3:00pm-4:00pm – Event Facebook Page
Essex, Vermont, September 22 at 7:00pm – Event Website
Reference sites include HobbitDay.info and ReadTheHobbit.com.
Did we miss your group’s event? Will you be attending one of these extravaganzas? Let us know in the comments below!
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