National Chicken Wing Day is observed each year on July 29. The date was officially proclaimed in 1977 by Buffalo mayor Stan Makowski to recognize the city’s role in the creation of Buffalo-style chicken wings.
The observance is largely shaped by restaurant and community participation. Major chains such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Wingstop, and Hooters often mark the day with promotions like buy-one-get-one offers or free wings with purchase. In Buffalo, the celebration expands through the annual National Buffalo Wing Festival, which draws large crowds to sample a wide range of wing styles and sauces.
As a result, July 29 has become one of the busiest days of the year for wing sales, with restaurants frequently reporting demand well above a typical summer day.
Many communities host smaller tastings at local bars, breweries, or sports venues, sometimes centered on sauce competitions or themed “wing crawls.” At home, people celebrate by ordering wings, trying new flavors, or comparing sauces.
You may also see the day referenced under these names:
- National Chicken Wing Day
- National Wing Day
- National Buffalo Wing Day
- National Hot Wing Day
🐓 There is also International Chicken Wing Day, observed on July 1. It is considered a separate observance and places a broader focus on wing styles and flavors from around the world rather than the Buffalo tradition.
When Is National Chicken Wing Day?
National Chicken Wing Day is always celebrated on July 29. This is a fixed-date observance tied to the origins of Buffalo-style wings and their important place in American food culture.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | July 29 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | July 29 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | July 29 | Thursday |
| 2028 | July 29 | Saturday |
| 2029 | July 29 | Sunday |
| 2030 | July 29 | Monday |
Facts About National Chicken Wing Day
- The day was officially proclaimed in 1977 by Buffalo mayor Stan Makowski, making it one of the earlier food-related civic proclamations in the United States.
- Although Anchor Bar is widely credited with popularizing Buffalo-style wings. Their creation in 1964 came at a time when chicken wings were considered low-value cuts and were often used only for soup stock or discarded.
- One commonly cited origin story describes Teressa Bellissimo preparing the wings as an unplanned late-night snack for her son and his friends. She used surplus wings that were available in the bar’s kitchen.
- The wings were served unbreaded and deep-fried, then coated in a sauce made from cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter. Celery sticks and blue cheese dressing were added as practical accompaniments already used in the bar’s antipasto dishes.
- An alternative account from Teressa’s husband, Frank Bellissimo, suggests the dish was created after the bar mistakenly received a large shipment of wings instead of the chicken parts normally used for sauce, prompting a quick solution.
- Some local accounts link the timing of the dish’s debut to Catholic customs, noting that the wings were served after midnight on a Friday so patrons could eat meat once Saturday began.
- While the Anchor Bar helped define the Buffalo-style wing, local historians also point to John Young, who opened Wings and Things in 1963. His wings were breaded and served with a spicy, tomato-based sauce, representing a parallel wing tradition in Buffalo.
