Bicycle Day (psychedelic holiday)

Not to be confused with the United Nations designated World Bicycle Day.
Bicycle Day
Denver Bicycle Day Parade in 2019. A psychedelic enthusiast wears a lab coat honoring Dr. Hofmann.
TypeSecular & Spiritual
CelebrationsConsumption of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or other psychedelics, riding a bike, organizing a bicycle parade, microdosing, psychedelic-themed festivities
ObservancesHonors the anniversary of the first ever intentional acid trip, undergone by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann on April 19, 1943, in Basel, Switzerland, and the impact of the psychedelic revolution for science, medicine and human evolution
DateApril 19
Next time19 April 2025 (2025-04-19)
FrequencyAnnual

Bicycle Day is an unofficial celebration on April 19th of the psychedelic revolution[1] and the first psychedelic trip on LSD by Dr. Albert Hofmann in 1943, in tandem with his famous bicycle ride home from Sandoz Labs.[2][3] It is commonly celebrated by ingesting psychedelics and riding a bike, sometimes in a parade,[4] and often with psychedelic-themed festivities.[5] The holiday was first named and declared in 1985 by Thomas Roberts, a psychology professor at Northern Illinois University,[6][7] but has likely been celebrated by psychedelic enthusiasts since the beginning of the psychedelic era, and celebrated in popular culture since at least 2004.[8]

  1. ^ Coffey, Rebecca. "Bicycle Day And the 1962 Harvard Experiment That Showed Psilocybin Can Create Lasting, Positive Spiritual Change". Forbes. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ "On This Infamous, Trippy Ride on April 19, 1943, Albert Hofmann Became the Godfather of Psychedelics". Bicycling. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ Smith, Darren “HarpDaddy” (17 April 2019). "April 19 is Bicycle Day: Still breaking the stigma of LSD, 76 years from Dr. Hofmann's magical ride". The Anchorage Press. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  4. ^ "4th Annual Bicycle Day Bicycle Parade". Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies - MAPS. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  5. ^ "April 19 Bicycle Day Celebrates First LSD Trip". Green Market Report. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  6. ^ Schwarcz, Joe (13 May 2023). "Bicycle Day Commemorates Historic Acid Trip". The Gazette. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Bicycle Day". Catalyst Magazine. 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Google Trends". Google Trends. Retrieved 19 April 2024.