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Batman Day 2023: When is it and what is happening this year?

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Batman Day 2023 takes place on Saturday, 16 September. (Alamy Live News)
Batman Day 2023 takes place on Saturday, 16 September. (Alamy Live News)

Dust off your grappling hook and squeeze into the darkest pair of tights you own because Batman Day 2023 is fast approaching.

If you’ve been locked away in Arkham Asylum for a while and not paying attention to the constantly evolving world of comic fandom, then odds are you might be a little confused about what the moodiest day of the year actually entails.

Read more: Every upcoming DC movie and TV series

Luckily, that’s where we come in. Noticing your head scratching like a bat signal in the sky, we’ve rounded up all the key details about Batman Day 2023, including what it actually is and how you can celebrate with this year’s events.

Let’s dive in.

What is Batman Day?

The first ever Batman Day was celebrated in July 2014. (Alamy Live News)
The first ever Batman Day was celebrated in July 2014. (Alamy Live News)

Batman Day is an annual event that celebrates all things Bruce Wayne and his cowled alter ego, the Dark Knight. The day was created by DC Entertainment as a way to celebrate the world’s greatest detective and one of the most popular heroes in their wide pantheon of comic book characters.

Batman Day was first celebrated back in July 2014 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Caped Crusader’s first appearance in Detective Comics #1 which was originally released in 1939. Since then, the event has been held every year but pushed to a bit later in the year, typically celebrated on the third Saturday of September.

As such, Batman Day 2023 is due to take place on Saturday, 16 September and, like every year, it will feature a range of events that take place globally, both online and locally in the real world.

Not to be outdone by his brooding buddy in Gotham, Metropolis’s Last Son of Krypton also has his own dedicated moment in the spotlight, with Superman Day taking place each year on 12 June.

What is happening on Batman Day 2023?

The Dark Knight will be returning to select cinemas for Batman Day 2023. (Warner Bros.)
The Dark Knight will be returning to select cinemas for Batman Day 2023. (Warner Bros.)

Batman Day 2023 celebrations will be taking place all over the globe, with many specific to your local area so be sure to do a quick search for screenings and other special events happening near you.

Likewise, you can visit DC's official Batman Day page for full event listings.

Speaking of DC Entertainment, they'll be marking the moment with a range of exclusive comic book debuts and movie re-releases, with comic stores around the world selling limited-release Batman titles.

Fans should be on the look-out for The Gotham War: Prelude Batman Day Special Edition #1 which cues up a future battle between Batman and Catwoman, a free Batman Day exclusive release of Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1 Batman Day Special Edition, and Batman #608: Batman Day Special Edition, complete with a super-exclusive commemorative foil cover.

Read more: What we know about Batman spin-off The Penguin

New releases debuting on the day include the Batman ’89 Hardcover Collection with foil dustcover and an exclusive Batman 1989 movie poster, and Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #1 which features a whole new rogues gallery.

Switching to digital, Bat-fans can enjoy the launch of DC Universe Infinite, a new DC subscription service that features a specially-curated collection of Batman stories. Some of these are available to view for free and others are only accessible via a paywall.

How can I celebrate Batman Day 2023?

Batman Unmasked is a new immersive event coming to London for Batman Day 2023. (Alamy Live News)
Batman Unmasked is a new immersive event coming to London for Batman Day 2023. (Alamy Live News)

Movie fans in the UK can expect to find Batman back on the big screen, with popular cinema chains like Cineworld, Odeon and Vue showing the likes of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Tim Burton’s Batman, Robert Pattinson’s The Batman and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker back to the big screen for a limited time. Full details on the Bat-movies that'll be returning to cinemas can be found here.

Meanwhile, an immersive Batman pop-up experience will be coming to London from Friday 15 until Sunday 17 September.

The first of its kind, Batman Unmasked will invite attendees deep into the Batcave for a new look at the character’s extensive history featuring actual Batcycles from The Dark Knight, movie props, costumes, photo-ops and more. There’s even a Joker Zone dedicated to Batman’s twisted alter-ego and long-running villain.

London, UK.  14 September 2023. A staff member views the Batpod, as used by Christian Bale, at the preview of Batman Unmasked at 180 Piccadilly.  Marking global Batman Day, The Caped Crusader’s legendary history is celebrated through rare comics from Batman’s beginnings, to his appearance in TV, movies, videogames and more.  The show is open to the public 15 to 17 September.  Credit: Stephen Chung / Alamy Live News
The Batpod on display at Batman Unmasked in London. (Stephen Chung/Alamy Live News)

Batman Day takes place on Saturday, 16 September 2023.

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