What is World Dracula Day and how can you celebrate it?

May 26 is World Dracula Day. But why is Dracula celebrated and more importantly, how is this day celebrated? One town in the UK pulls out all the stops.

What is World Dracula Day and how can you celebrate it?
© Silver Screen Collection / Getty Images
What is World Dracula Day and how can you celebrate it?

Dracula may be one of the most well-known characters in literature. Count Dracula the vampire has been around for centuries now and he is so famous that he has a day dedicated to celebrating him. But why?

Discover our latest podcast

The tale of Count Dracula

The legend of vampires dates back thousands of years with tales from the ancient Greeks, Hebrews, Egyptians, and Babylonians, who all have their own depictions of this mythical creature.

Despite the long history, the vampire created by Bram Stoker is the most recognised. Stoker based Count Dracula on a real historical figure. Indeed Count Dracula was inspired by Prince Vlad III of Wallachia (Romania). Prince Vlad III was known as Vlad the Impaler, and you can guess how he got his nickname. According to history, his favourite method of execution was impaling.

thumbnail
Whitby Abbey Heritage Images / Getty Images

Bram Stoker created Count Dracula in 1897 and his character has been adapted in numerous films and TV shows and is an iconic part of pop culture. Stoker’s literary work tells the tale of Count Dracula travelling from Transilvania to England, where he finds himself in the small English town of Whitby.

How to celebrate Dracula Day?

If you are a big fan of Dracula or just vampires in general, you may want to celebrate this day. There are a few ways you can celebrate. You can simply binge-watch a bunch of Dracula inspired films with friends. If you want to make your binge-watching session more fun, why not turn it into a themed party with Gothic style decor and get everyone to dress up as vampires.

If you want a more chilled out way to celebrate Dracula Day, why not sit down with a copy of Dracula by Bram Stoker. If you have already read it and don’t fancy reading it again, why not try Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice or even Stephen King’s Salem Lost, or any book with vampires for that matter.

What's more, the English town of Whitby hosts a Goth Festival each year around November as it was the town where Bram Stoker found the inspiration for his infamous Count Dracula

Read more:

International Tiara Day celebrated with the best Royal tiaras

The way you organise your bookshelf says a lot about your personality

Russia celebrates Victory Day, what is it?

A big hole has been dug into one of the Seven Wonders of the World: Here’s what happened A big hole has been dug into one of the Seven Wonders of the World: Here’s what happened