WQED combines events for a kindness trifecta on Cardigan Day

November’s Friday the 13th will be a lucky day, as World Kindness Day coincides with King Friday the XIII’s birthday, making it the ideal time for WQED to celebrate its third annual Cardigan Day.

“King Friday’s birthday is celebrated every Friday the 13th, no matter how many there are every year. Fred Rogers celebrated it as a birthday to help dispel its superstitious connotation,” said George Hazimanolis, WQED senior director of corporate communications. “Cardigan Day and World Kindness Day do not coincide each year. It just happened this way this year.”

Festivities are set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday at the WQED building at 4802 Fifth Ave. in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

WQED will bring the party to the street by rolling out the King Friday XIII castle from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” the iconic children’s television show starring Latrobe native Fred Rogers that was filmed in the WQED studio. King Friday and Queen Sara were puppets who made appearances during the show.

The castle also was used in the 2019 movie “A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood,” starring Tom Hanks as Rogers.

The traffic lane in front of the WQED building will be closed, allowing motorists with children to safely pull up to see the castle and receive a kid’s kindness bag filled with snacks, a crown-making activity and chocolates from Sarris Candies.

The castle will be available, weather permitting, for picture-taking from the car, and kindness bags will be offered while supplies last. Due to covid-19 safety guidelines, motorists must remain in their cars.

Happy birthday KING FRIDAY XIII! #FridayThe13th #RoyalDecree #ABeautifulDayInTheNeighborhood pic.twitter.com/fckpjD3nUX

— WQED Pittsburgh (@wqed) September 13, 2019

Following Cardigan Day tradition, WQED asks its “neighbors” to support kindness by donning their cardigans and using social media to post photos with the hashtag #cardiganday.

“Last year, Cardigan Day blew up social media, trending as number one, as cardigan-wearing babies, pets and entire classrooms of students overtook Facebook and Twitter,” according to a release.

The Oaklander Hotel in Oakland will give away a prize package to a lucky #cardiganday selfie social media poster, with the winner randomly selected from social media posts. The Oaklander Oakland Staycation includes a one-night stay for two people with deluxe accommodations, breakfast for two at Spirits & Tales and free parking, good through June 30.

“WQED began Cardigan Day three years ago as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.’ The response was so great that we brought it back again last year,” Hazimanolis said. “This year, we celebrate Cardigan Day, King Friday’s Birthday and World Kindness Day at the same time to help ease the stress of these difficult times.

“The celebration will include covid-19 safety measures, but they will not detract from the spirit of the celebration and the message that Fred Rogers always imparted: to be kind to others,” he said.

World Kindness Day is an international holiday formed in 1998 and observed annually on Nov. 13, to promote kindness as part of the global World Kindness Movement. The day is devoted to the positive, unifying potential of acts of kindness, large and small.

The 2020 Cardigan Day is sponsored by Thiel College, The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh, Dunkin’, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Sarris Candies, Koppers Inc., The Oaklander and Good Food Pittsburgh.

Details: wqed.org