Take a Monkey to Lunch Day (July 21st)

Quick facts
When is it?	Every July 21st
Tagged as:	Animals Government & Legal Lawyers Science & Technology
What's the hashtag?	#TakeaMonkeytoLunchDay
We first published this page on:	Jun 20th, 2025
We last updated this page:	Jul 2nd, 2025

Contents

Take a Monkey to Lunch Day serves as a reminder that what is happening behind the scenes (or even in forefront!) isn’t always what it seems. Based on a weird criminal court case that occurred in Tennessee in the 1920s, this day brings up some controversial themes of evolution, religion, and honesty in the court system. No big deal, right?!

This day isn’t just silly fun—it carries a deeper message: truth and justice are not always necessarily what they appear to be on the surface.

How to Celebrate Take a Monkey to Lunch Day

Here are some interesting, creative ways to celebrate Take a Monkey to Lunch Day:

Lunch with a Monkey

Head to a local zoo with primates on exhibit. Engage with keepers to hear care updates and learn more about these cute little creatures.

Sure, you probably can’t actually enjoy eating lunch with a monkey directly– and they probably wouldn’t engage with the best table manners anyway. But if you brought a sandwich with you, who is going to stop you from eating it while hanging out in the monkey house?

Make Monkey-Themed Meals

In honor of this day, try serving banana smoothies or muffins inspired by primate favorites. Add fruit slices shaped like little faces. Invite friends to share silly lunch bites. It turns a simple meal into a bonding moment, and might allow you to bring up some interesting thoughts about the deeper meaning of the history of this day (see below).

Host a Craft Session

Set up paper, glue, and markers. Invite friends or kids to create monkey masks or puppets. Share laughter, building your troop of craft primates and also sparking some conversations about the origins of the world!

Raise Funds or Donations

Set up a small fundraiser or donate to a monkey sanctuary or reserve. Ask guests to give snacks or toys to rescue groups. Or get educated about the need for more care for these primates who happen to share some very close DNA markers with human beings.

Share Your Story Online

Have a story about getting sidelined for teaching something controversial or telling the truth? Or maybe you just got a chance to actually eat lunch with a monkey. That would be cool!

Based on its background, Take a Monkey to Lunch Day might be just the perfect time to let the facts of these stories be told.

Plan a Chat with a Zookeeper

Contact a local zoo or sanctuary to invite a keeper into a virtual or in‑person chat. Ask them to describe daily primate care or habitat needs. Or even find out more about what they might like to eat for lunch! Maybe if you can’t take a monkey to lunch, you could take a zookeeper to lunch to build a deeper connection and respect.

History of Take a Monkey to Lunch Day

Take a Monkey to Lunch Day, not to be confused with Monkey Day, has some interesting origins. The story we came by through our research doesn’t actually have much to do with monkeys at all. In fact, it seems that this day was founded as a commemoration of an event that took place all the way back 100 years ago!

In 1925, the legal case took place called State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, or more commonly known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. The event was momentous as a high school teacher, John T. Scopes, was accused of teaching evolution in the public school — violating the laws of the state of Tennessee.

This debate between religion and science is representative of tensions and conflict that have been going on for more than a century. But what made this particular criminal trial famous is that it was all an act — it was deliberately staged to attract publicity to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. In fact, the teacher in question wasn’t even sure if he had ever taught evolution but he chose to incirimate himself just so that case could have a defendant.

Scopes was found guilty but the verdict was later overturned. A symbol of the larger anxieties happening in the social setting of the time, the trial started on July 10, 1925 and ended on July 21, 1925. Now, a century on, this last day of the trial is celebrated as Take a Monkey to Lunch Day.