The large majority of Britons don’t have a special name for the day – but in some areas ‘Mad Friday’ and ‘Black Eye Friday’ are relatively common
Key takeaways
- 8% of Britons use ‘Black Friday’ or ‘Black Eye Friday’ to refer to the last Friday before Christmas, and 7% call it ‘Mad Friday’
- 74% don’t have a term for the day
- Black/Black Eye Friday usage is most common in the North East of England, and the south of Wales
- Mad Friday is more common in central and Northern Wales, Yorkshire, and parts of Scotland
For most Britons, the last Friday before Christmas will go unremarked. They may be surprised, therefore, to find out that some of their fellow countrymen have been using a special name for the occasion.
The two most common terms are ‘Mad Friday’ and ‘Black Friday’ or ‘Black Eye Friday’, typically in reference to drunken revelry ahead of the Christmas break.
Neither term is especially common, however, with only 7% using the former and 8% the latter – indeed, 74% of Britons say they do not have a special name for the last Friday before Christmas.
However, the terms are much more prominent in some areas of the country than others.
Where do people use the term “Black Friday” or “Black Eye Friday” to refer to the last Friday before Christmas?
‘Black Friday’ or ‘Black Eye Friday’ is most commonly used in areas of the north of England – slipping over the border slightly to Dumfries and Galloway – as well as in south and west Wales. It is particularly widely used in Tyne and Wear, where 44% say they use the term, as well as in Cumbria (39%).
West Glamorgan is the area of Wales where Black or Black Eye Friday is most frequently found, with 41% saying they use the name, along with 33% in Gwent.
Where do people use the term “Mad Friday” to refer to the last Friday before Christmas?
‘Mad Friday’, by contrast, is more common in an arc encompassing west, north and central Wales through the counties around Manchester to the Yorkshire coast, as well as some areas of Scotland.
Those in the Scottish Borders are the most likely to say they use the term ‘Mad Friday’, with 49% saying so. The term is also relatively common in South, West and East Yorkshire (27-33%), while in Wales it is most used in Gwynedd (23%).
Other terms for the last Friday before Christmas
The Wikipedia entry for Black Friday lists an uncited claim that the term "Factory Friday" is used in some towns in Devon. While Devon does come top of the place that use the term, this amounts to a figure of just 5%, suggesting either that it is hyper-local in a way a survey of this sample size cannot quite pick up, or that perhaps the term is falling out of use – although references to the date have been made by local services and news reports in the county.
Additionally, Shropshire stands out for having the largest number of people who label the last Friday before Christmas "Builders’ Friday" (12%) and "Frantic Friday" (7%).
See the full data in the table below
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