National Pizza Party Day 2024 (US): A Celebration of Pizza's Activities and Importance

National Pizza Party Day 2024: Having a blast on National Pizza Party Day is no pie-in-the-sky idea. Pizza’s the very definition of a good time and your May 17 options are plentiful. Whip up something at home or head out to a wild pizza place for food and fun on the third Friday in May.

Although mainly thought of as an Italian dish, pizza has seemingly existed forever. The ancient Greeks used to flavor their flatbread with oils, herbs, and cheese, while Persian soldiers used to bake their pizzas on the hot surfaces of their shields. Traditional pizza is also known as Neapolitan pizza, and it originates—as the name suggests—from Naples, around the middle of the 16th century.

Italian immigrants later introduced the dish to their new American compatriots, and eventually, pizza became the savory crowd-pleaser we know it to be today.

National Pizza Party Day 2024: Activities

Throw your pizza party

What better way to bond with your friends and meet new people than by inviting them to your place and feeding them pizza? You can decorate your place with pizza-themed decorations — after all, you’re celebrating a national holiday — and put together pizza-themed party games. If you’d like to serve other food in addition to pizza, that’s entirely up to you.

Make your pizza

Haven’t you ever wanted to make your own pizza crust? To knead the dough into a circle and toss it into the air, just like the pros do? You can either buy ready-made pizza dough or you can mix your own—there are plenty of recipe books to help you. Don’t stress if you don’t get the spin right the first time. All the best things in life are “knead” practices.

Do a “pizza crawl.”

If you’ve ever wondered where to find the best pizza in town, today is the perfect day to do it. Gather up a group of friends or go solo. Find out where you can get pizza in your area, and go out on the town. You can carry a notebook or you can freewheel it, but the most important thing is to have a good time and eat some great pizza.

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National Pizza Party Day 2024: Importance

Pizza is delicious

There is something about the combination of standard flavors—sauce, cheese, spices and herbs—that is fundamentally appealing to us. At the same time, the recipe is so basic that it allows for endless experimentation and innovation. (Whatever your stance on whether pineapple should belong on pizza or not, you have to give folks points for creativity).

Pizza complements a party perfectly

Pizza is a finger food by default, which has the effect of making any atmosphere feel more easy and comfortable. People tend to have the most fun when they feel comfortable around others, so pizza can help create the perfect atmosphere for any party. And if that party happens to be a pizza party, well, that’s just a bonus.

It’s the ultimate multicultural food

John Green once said that “for almost all of human history, pizza was impossible.” Pizza, as we know it today, requires ingredients from very disparate corners of the world. As we mentioned before, tomato sauce wasn’t used on pizza until trade routes were established between Europe and the Americas. Modern pizza requires creativity and collaboration between people of very different backgrounds, and the result is delicious.