Free Hugs Campaign

Juan Mann, who started the Free Hugs movement, seen at Pitt Street Mall, Sydney, Australia, 2006

The Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places.[1] The hugs are meant to be random acts of kindness—selfless acts performed just to make others feel better. International Free Hugs Month is celebrated on the first Saturday of July and continues until August first.

The campaign in its present form was started in 2004 by an Australian man known only by the pseudonym "Juan Mann".[2] The campaign became famous internationally in 2006 as the result of a music video on YouTube by the Australian band Sick Puppies, which has been viewed over 78 million times as of 25 September 2022.

  1. ^ Ellen Connolly Hugs and smiles, but not everyone embraces the trend Sydney Morning Herald, 1 December 2004
  2. ^ WHO Magazine Interview Spreading the Love: Juan Mann Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine 1 December 2004