What Is Roald Dahl Day? (& How To Celebrate)

One of history’s most famous authors comes with a huge dollop of fun. Here’s the history behind Roald Dahl Day, plus how best to celebrate.

What Is Roald Dahl Day?

Roald Dahl Day is an annual celebration of the famous children’s author on his birthday, 13 September. While Dahl passed away on 23 November 1990, the magic of his stories is still experienced by children across the world to this day – and that’s certainly something worth celebrating. Dahl’s most famous tales include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox, James and the Giant Peach and The Witches – just to name a few.

Who Was Roald Dahl?

Roald Dahl was – and still is – a celebrated children’s author, and the voice behind some of children’s literature’s most famous tales, from Matilda to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to The Twits. A prolific writer, he penned more than 30 novels and sold more than 250 million copies worldwide, 18 of which were illustrated by Dahl’s frequent collaborator, Quentin Blake. Dahl’s stories are known for featuring villainous adults and heroic children, all wrapped up in absurd and whimsical situations. With a loose attitude to the rules of language, the author is credited with inventing more than 500 new words and character names; Oxford University Press even published a special Roald Dahl Dictionary with almost 8,000 real and imaginary words, all favourites of Dahl.

However, Dahl’s personal life was almost as storied as his list of novels: he grew up in Cardiff to Norwegian parents, and after finishing school moved to Tanzania to work for Shell Petroleum. In 1939, he joined the RAF and narrowly survived a desert crash landing near Egypt, one so severe he was unconscious for a short while but blind for six weeks due to his brain swelling.

Later, he was appointed as assistant air attache to the British Embassy in Washington DC, and at some time he was also a spy for MI6, recruited by Canadian spymaster William Stephenson to supply intelligence from Washington to Winston Churchill in the final years of WWII. This is also when Dahl penned his first published work, a short story about his wartime adventures in The Saturday Evening Post on 1 August 1942.

Inspired, in 1943, he published his first children’s book, The Gremlins, inspired by his time in the RAF; when aircraft experienced problems, RAF pilots often blamed them on sneaky little gremlins. He wouldn’t publish his next children’s novel, James and the Giant Peach, until 1961, but after that, the floodgates were open, and some of the 20th century’s best-known novels were penned and published. Most recently, decisions to tweak Dahl’s writing by his publisher Puffin Books have been the subject of much controversy; Prime Minister at the time Rishi Sunak, author Salman Rushdie, Queen Camilla and many more public figures spoke out against the changes. In 2023, Puffin announced it would be releasing new, revised editions of Dahl’s novels alongside an unedited ‘Classic’ collection.

When he wasn’t writing his books – almost exclusively from his garden shed on yellow paper, just fyi – Dahl also worked with James Bond creator Ian Fleming, penning the film storyline for You Only Live Twice (1967) and adapting Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) for the big screen.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. Alisha Weir as Matilda Wormwood in Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. Cr. Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022

How To Celebrate

Roald Dahl Day is an opportunity for budding young readers to really celebrate the written word. Schools and libraries often get involved, but you can try these celebrations out at home just as easily.

Dress Up

Many schools host literary dress up challenges on World Book Day – so why not extend the fun to Roald Dahl Day. Ideas include: Mr Fox, Willy Wonka, the BFG, or keep it simple as Matilda Wormwood, simply donning a school uniform.

Charity Events

Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, which provides vital care for sick children, usually hosts special fundraising events on Roald Dahl Day. You can stay up to date with their plans here, or leave a donation at roalddahlcharity.org

Reading Sessions

The best way to celebrate Dahl is to read his work. Luckily for you, there’s plenty to choose from. Why not pick up your favourite of his works for some reminiscing? Or perhaps you could read one of his books you’ve never read before. For older readers, try Dahl’s short story collections Tales of the Unexpected and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.

Movie Night

If you don’t feel like reading, time to turn to the screen. Plenty of Dahl’s works have been translated to the screen – and the adaptations are far from over. Options include:

• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
• Wonka (2023)
• Matilda (1996)
• Matilda: The Musical (2022)
• The Witches (1990)
• The Witches (2020)
• The BFG (2016)
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
• James and the Giant Peach (1996)
• Esio Trot (2015)

Most recently, Wes Anderson adapted four of Dahl’s short stories into the feature length film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More. In 2025, get excited for an animated adaptation of The Twits.