What is Mad Friday? When it is and why it's called Mad Friday - as well as its other names

Known as Mad Friday, the term refers to the last Friday before Christmas in the UK when revellers are out on the streets in force.

While 77% of people in Scotland don’t have a special name for the day, it is known to have an impact on those working in health and hospitality fields, as well as those serving on the police force, as many take to the streets for Christmas parties and more.

When is Mad Friday?

In 2025, Mad Friday is today, Friday, December 19.

READ MORE: Here are 43 amazing photos showing how Edinburgh celebrated the festive season in the 1950s and 1960s

What is Mad Friday?

Mad Friday is the most popular night of the year for festive parties, work nights out and more.

While many don’t have a name for the last Friday before December 25, for some Mad Friday marks a busy and chaotic night of drunken revelry which ensues as people around the UK begin the countdown to Christmas.

Why is it called Mad Friday?

As already mentioned, Mad Friday has several names in the UK including Black Friday – which started falling out of use around 2013 to avoid confusion with the American, shopping-centred Black Friday.

In Scotland, the most common name for the final Friday before Christmas is Mad Friday. It is a particularly common term in the Scottish Borders with 49% of people – the highest level in Britain – referring to the day as such, according to YouGov.

The same poll also found that Mad Friday is common in the Grampian region, as well as the Highlands, Islands and Argyll.

However, in regions such as Dumfries and Galloway and Fife, you’re more likely to hear it called Black Friday or Black Eye Friday; a name given due to the increase in fights which break out in pubs and clubs across the busy night.

Other nicknames which are less popular, but still in use in Scotland, also include Frantic Friday and Factory Friday.