5 Favorite Celebrations on The CW: Planksgiving, Unity Day, and More!

Happy New Year, gentle readers! This is the time of year when, no matter what your beliefs are, parties have been in full swing for well over a month.

December was packed with every kind of office party and Secret Santa get together you could imagine, New Year’s Eve arrived with it’s own set of high expectations and drunken disappointments, and as we slide into January there is still Valentine’s Day to contend with. Love them or hate them, the merry-making is inescapable.

There is, however, one thing we can all agree on: parties are better on TV. The outfits are sexier, the stakes are raised, and the chances for an actual salacious encounter (with no bummer HR lawsuit attached) are astronomically higher. Almost every show has dabbled in one type of party episode or another, but no network does it better than The CW, where they don’t even need the holidays as an excuse to dress up and get down.  

The shows on this network may vary wildly from the supernatural to the telenovelas, the but they all have two things in common: beautiful people and completely made up celebrations. Below is a ranking of the best fictional holidays on a CW show, and all of the drama that came with them.

5. The Festival of the Casket Girls, The Originals

This spin-off of The Vampire Diaries quickly established itself as a more adult version of its predecessor, but it is equally inclined to throw some bananas parties. Swapping out high school events for parades in the French Quarter, Season 1 saw The Mikaelson’s preparing to celebrate The Festival of the Casket Girls.

This was all about celebrating the girls who came from Europe to marry men in New Orleans and start a new life (or death). It was one of the first big parades that saw plenty of sexual tension and murder, perfect for life in the Big Easy.  

4. The Flash Day Celebration, The Flash

While Season 1 had Barry Allen saving the city in (relative) anonymity, Season 2 picked up with a giant party as everyone prepared to celebrate the man who saved Central City.

This celebration was certainly a lot more sober than everything else on this list (seriously couldn’t spring for some champagne, Mayor Bellows?) but showed off a brightly lit town packed with heroes and villains vying for power, basically the show in a nutshell.

3. The 150th Founder’s Day Celebration, The Vampire Diaries

Mystic Falls has been throwing parties and masqueraders for so many decades, they’ve basically perfected it — especially since the same cast of characters keeps partying through decade after decade.

This particular anniversary captures everything good about The Vampire Diaries: Caroline is queen (obviously), Elena and Damon rock some seriously sizzling chemistry and The Big Bad enacts a plan to kill everyone. Just another day in the life, am I right?

2. Planksgiving, Hart of Dixie

A spiritual successor to Stars Hollow, Bluebell was filled with history and steeped in Southern traditions. This Season 1 quasi-Thanksgiving episode really set the stage for what Hart of Dixie would become over the next four season: a quirky love fest centered around community and support.

No murder or backstabbing here folks, only an incredibly enthusiastic town dressed as pirates rallying to help one of their own. Plus, a little romance, this is still the Hart of Dixie, after all.

1. Unity Day, The 100

Celebrations are few and far between on this post apocalyptic drama. In fact, this is the only real party we’ve seen in two season, for good reason. One of the many things that makes this show so compelling is its refusal to back down, and their commitment to following through on the “no one is safe” threat.

Here there are no take-backs, and life has to be fought for at every turn. This actually makes Unity Day that much more special in its rarity. For the first time, we see everyone cut loose with Monty and Jasper’s Unity Moonshine (I am ready for that special edition booze line) and drinking games.

The ultra-responsible Clarke actually cut loose for a moment…until reality and politics cut back in. It was a tough call, but Unity Day gets top spot for breathing a small bit of fun into the tension, while masterfully spinning new mythology and character development. Raise a glass to October 1st!

Special MVP Award: Gilmore Girls

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without special recognition for the pioneer of made up events and grand champion of magical festivals: Gilmore Girls. This one-time CW mainstay was basically a series of holidays and theme parties strung together.

Each one is its own special snowflake, and none could possibly be better than the rest, except for the The Festival of Living Art, which was the most epic Stars Hollow event of all time (sorry, Rory’s graduation day).

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Which of these celebrations is your favorite? Share with us in the comments below!