National Popcorn Poppin' Month

Popcorn lovers rejoice: October is National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, a seasonal celebration of one of America’s most beloved snack foods.

As farmers head into the fields to harvest crops, families and friends gather to honor this ever-popular treat. Whether stovetop, microwave or ready-to-eat, we consume some 14 billion* quarts each year of this wholesome, whole grain.

Having been long regarded as a sign of good times, popcorn has found a new appreciation by today’s lean and green consumer. Celebrated for its seed-to-snack simplicity, popcorn is also non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, and naturally low in fat and calories, which makes it an easy fit for dietary preferences—and it’s budget-friendly. A quart of popped popcorn costs as little as 15 cents. 

Add in popcorn’s irresistible smell, taste, and versatility and it’s easy to understand its popularity. With so many different ways to eat it—plain, buttery, or loaded with goodies—popcorn always fits the mood or occasion.

Pop up a bowl and join the Popcorn Poppin’ Month celebration. For a special seasonal snack, try the following recipe: Hot Honey Butter Popcorn!

* Average based on 2016-2020 sales

National Popcorn Day

January 19th is National Popcorn Day, a day bursting with goodness and good taste. National Popcorn Day celebrates one of nature’s most extraordinary foods: popcorn! Popcorn has the unique ability to literally turn itself inside out, providing whole-grain goodness in a tasty snack. 

If you’re looking for ways to celebrate, why not try some of the recipes you’ll find on our website?  We have hundreds to choose from⁠—savory, sweet, and just about every flavor in between. You’re sure to satisfy your craving for something delicious (and you might even discover new taste sensations).  

Share your celebration ideas or a favorite recipe on our social media pages or get inspired with some of the activities below.

Thank you to Leslie F., a teacher from Concord, Illinois, who sent the following suggestions for Popcorn Day Activities:

1. Stringing Popcorn: This can be hung outside for birds to eat. Need: sewing needles, string, popcorn.
2. Guess the Amount: Fill container with kernels and have students guess. Need: popcorn kernels, container.
3. Popcorn Air Hockey: Can you “volley” the kernel back and forth 20 times without letting it fall? Need: flat surface (table), straw (to blow), coffee stirrers (as paddles) or hands (as paddles).
4. Popcorn Relay Race. Need: popcorn, spoons.
5. Popcorn Basketball: Can you flick a piece of popcorn into the basket? Need: popcorn, baskets (i.e. muffin tins, small cups), backboards (wall, cardboard).
6. Popcorn word search (puzzle maker). Use these words: popcorn, pop, kernel, explode, heat, moisture, grain, snack, crunchy, butter, oil, salt, fiber, bag, hull.
7. Write a Popcorn Haiku (5, 7, 5 syllable pattern poem): Like this!​
   Oil, kernels, heat, time
   Many loud explosions heard
   Pop, crunch, snack time. Yum!
8. How many words can you make from this phrase? "Fresh hot popcorn”, “Popcorn tastes good”, “I like popcorn”, “Hot buttered popcorn.”
9. Popcorn coloring pages.
10. Read facts about popcorn and write about the history of popcorn.

 

Popcorn Festivals around the U.S.

Here’s a list of some of the fabulous popcorn festivals that are taking place around the U.S. in 2023. 

Aug. 30-Sept. 2: Casey Popcorn Festival, Casey, IL

Aug. 30-Sept. 1: Manito Popcorn Festival, Manito, IL

Sept. 5-7: Marion Popcorn Festival, Marion, OH

TBD: Hamburg's Popcorn Day, Hamburg, IA

Sept. 7: Valparaiso Popcorn Festival, Valparaiso, IN

Sept. 7-8: Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, Beavercreek, OH

Sept. 8: Ridgway Popcorn Days, Ridgway, IL

Got a popcorn festival event that you’d like us to know about?  Drop us a note at edu@popcorn.org!