Dads can celebrate and appreciate each others’ parenting work on the night of June 15, 2024 — Fathers Eve.

The annual event, now in its 13th year, is meant to allow dads to have a chance to show gratitude and support for one another. This differs from Father’s Day as that holiday is for families to honor dads.

Since 2012, groups of fathers have gathered formally or informally in public or private spaces to swap parenting stories, offer support to each other and help foster a positive fathering environment. John Francis, a co-organizer of our Twin Cities Dads Group in Minnesota, began the tradition by inviting several dad friends to his house for beers, billiards and swapping stories about fatherhood. Fathers Eve is now recognized as an official “national day” by the National Day Archives.

Over the years, scores of celebrations have been held annually in backyards and businesses across the United States and a few international locations. The organization has also helped raise thousands of dollars for parenting and children’s organizations.

Where to celebrate Fathers Eve 2024

Several City Dads chapters will be among those hosting Fathers Eve 2024 events (click city to find event listing and RSVP) :

• Charlotte, N.C.
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Columbus, Ohio
• Denver
• Fresno, Calif.
• Los Angeles
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. – Twin Cities
• New York City – Port Washington
• Phoenix

(DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group has been a longtime sponsor for Fathers Eve, donating money and helping organize events through our chapters. Fathering Together is also a sponsor.)

A complete listing of Fathers Eve 2024 events can be found on its website.

Virtual celebration available online

If you can’t attend a Fathers Eve 2024 event in person, don’t despair. A virtual online live-streaming of celebrations will again be held this year. A live stream replaced in-person events in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has supplemented organized celebrations since.

The online event starts at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on June 15. The countdowns to the annual celebratory toast start shortly before the start of 8 p.m. local time in each U.S. time zone. You can sign up for the live stream to share at your event or watch individually.

City Dads Group recently pitched in to bolster a campaign to add changing tables to public bathrooms in central Ohio.

Our Cincinnati and Columbus chapters held successful diaper drives this month in support of “Dadvocate for Change,” an effort by two Columbus area parenting podcasters and a local fatherhood community group.

The hosts of The Dadass Podcast and CBUS Dads announced the campaign earlier this year. Their goal: adding changing tables to men’s and general-neutral bathrooms in the Columbus area. These additions would give caregivers, especially male ones, a clean, safe and comfortable place to change a baby’s diaper.

Pluie, makers of a self-sanitizing changing table for public bathrooms, is a major partner in the campaign. They installed the first Dadvocate for Change table at the North High Brewing brewpub in Dublin, Ohio, this month.

Our groups’ contributions were among more than 3,200 diapers and 720 wipes collected to kickoff the campaign, according to the Dadass Podcast website. It estimated that more than 125 families would be helped by the donation made to a local diaper bank.

Podcasters Matt Lofy and Shaun Ditty contacted our Cincinnati and Columbus groups this spring seeking help with the Dadvocate for Change launch. In response, Cincinnati Dads co-organizer Brock Lusch hosted a meetup/drive for his dads at a local brewery on May 7; Columbus Dads co-organizer Aaron Sheldon hosted one at a local doughnut shop and nearby playground the next weekend. The two leaders represented City Dads the campaign’s main event on May 14.

A history of helping keep babies clean, dry

The battle for equal access to changing tables is a familiar one for City Dads Group.

NYC and City Dads Group garnered attention for the cause in 2016. An Upworthy video interview of co-founder Lance Somerfeld on the subject, showing him needing to change his daughter’s diaper on a park bench, went viral.

In 2019, City Dads assisted diaper maker Pampers meeting a commitment to install 5,000 changing tables in men’s restrooms throughout the United States and Canada. City Dads members and followers nominated businesses and public spaces in need of changing tables.

City Dads has also worked to raise awareness of U.S. families struggling to have enough diapers and baby wipes for their children. That 2017 campaign was in coordination with the National Diaper Bank Network and its founding sponsor, Huggies diapers.

Staying home all day, every day, with the kids is new for many fathers during the COVID-19 crisis. To help them navigate the new realities of fatherhood in a pandemic, City Dads Group is working with longtime partner Dove Men+Care to create a series of “how to” videos for the grooming products company’s new “Dads Care” campaign.

The short videos started appearing the week of April 26 at DM+C’s YouTube channel. Created by fathers for fathers, the Dads Care videos cover topics relevant to the times under general categories such as hygiene, helping kids and helping communities. Initial video titles include “How to Wash Your Hands,” “How to Give a Kid a Haircut (and Not Mess It Up),” and “How to Help Kids Overcome Fear.”

“To all the dads out there teaching, innovating, holding down the home front and frontlines, we want to thank you for showing us what it means to Dad On. We are proud to support families … with at-home parenting resources,” the men’s grooming products company announced April 30 on its Facebook page.

The company had been planning a video campaign about fathers teaching fathers before much of the United States went under varying degrees of lockdown this spring over the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus. The theme — many modern dads feel overwhelmed these days, but other dads can help better equip them by sharing their expertise and knowledge — really only needed a little tweaking in light of the pandemic leaving many homebound for long stretches of time.

Several City Dads Group fathers are creating content for the series in which Dove Men+Care expects to introduce new #DadsCare how-to videos weekly through July. Some of these include:

• Aaron Sheldon of our Columbus Dads Group explains how to help kids with autism cope with a new routine.
• Andrew Bennett of the Boston/Providence Dads Group talks about keeping kids physically active.
• James Lopez of the NYC Dads Group reviews how to teach preschoolers to count.
• Marlon Gutierrez of our Orlando Dads Group discusses how to keep your children occupied while working from home.

Dad 2.0, the conference for fathers wanting to participate in a conversation about the changing voice and perception of modern fatherhood, will bring its usual strong lineup of speakers and panelists for professional and personal development to Washington, D.C., next month.

Organizers of the event, dubbed Dad 2.020 for its ninth year, recently announced many of the topics to be discussed at the summit, slated for Feb. 27-29, 2020, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Featured Dad 2.020 speakers will include:

• Dan Kois, author of How to Be a Family, a book about how taking his family with him on assignments around the world helped them grow closer.
• Donte Palmer, whose viral photo of him changing his child’s diaper while squatting on a bathroom floor started a national campaign for changing tables in men’s restrooms.
• Taylor Calmus, the creative force behind the popular Dude Dad YouTube channel.

Other topics to be discussed will include:

• Improving one’s work-life balance to feed both our souls and our kids
• Working remotely: Is it a workable solution for increasing family time
• Editing our lives by purging things that obscure our focus
• Coping with substance abuse, either with or as a recovering addict
• Pursuing a career in professional writing
• Trends in influencer marketing
• Creating a blockbuster Instagram feed
• Cutting-edge metrics to analyze your followers
• How to launch your passion project

Dad 2.020 will also feature in-depth information on the campaign for more state and federal paid family leave laws and the D.C. area’s #FlipTheScript campaign to combat negative imagery of men of color and highlight the important role of fathers in early childhood development.

Complete programming is expected to be announced Jan. 23.

The annual Dad 2.0 summit is a national three-day meeting where marketers, social media leaders, blogging parents and regular dads gather to discuss modern fatherhood. Dad 2.020 tickets are on sale now for $279.

++ Purchase your Dad 2.020 tickets here ++

City Dads Group will once again be a media partner for Dad 2.0, a role it has played since 2014. It uses the conference as a national meetup opportunity for its leadership and members.

“Dad 2.0 has been the place we have found the guys who organize our groups, write for our blogs, and help with our influencer campaigns with national brands,” City Dads Group co-founder Matt Schneider has previously said. “Our groups have very similar goals in helping further the importance and positive perception of being an active, involved father, and collaborations like this benefit everybody for the good of all parenting.”

City Dads Group members play an active role in the conference every year. Some of our members scheduled to speak or be on panels include:

• Creed Anthony, Indy Dads Group: My Captain’s Log
• Jeff Bogle, Philly Dads Group: Out With The Kids
• Mitch Chaitin, NYC Dads Group: Gay NYC Dad
• Jim Joseph, NYC Dads Group: Out And About Dad
• Mike Julianelle, NYC Dads Group: Dad and Buried
• Marlon Gutierrez, Orlando Dads Group: Being Papa
• James Lopez, NYC Dads Group: Fatherhood Is Lit
• Aaron Sheldon, Columbus (Ohio) Dads Group: Small Steps Are Giant Leaps

Photo: NYC Dads Group member Jason Greene was a featured speaker at the 2019 Dad 2.0 summit. Courtesy: Dad 2.0

Dads and their little dudes and darlings will once again have a chance to enter the holiday season with stylish hair, thanks to our longtime partner Dove Men+Care and Bishops Cuts/Color.

On Saturday, Dec. 14, all fathers and their offspring can receive a “Holiday Shear” — free haircuts, washes and styling with Dove Men+Care grooming products at 18 Bishops locations across the United States. And, as with last year’s similar promotion between the two businesses, our dads have been asked to be special guests in participating cities where we have City Dads Group chapters.

Holiday Shear is a nationwide initiative designed to give families the gift of quality time during the holiday season.  The events start at 10 a.m. local time and run until closing or the DM+C products run out.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5tnpH7ngOF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
City Dads Group chapters in 11 metropolitan areas have arranged Meetup events at their participating Bishops — click the link then check out the group’s schedule on Dec. 14 location and time details:

• Charlotte, N.C. (note: two locations)
• Cincinnati
• Columbus, Ohio
• Denver
• Houston
• Minneapolis (Twin Cities Dads Group)
• New York City
• Phoenix
• Portland, Ore.
• Seattle (Puget Sound Dads Group)
• Sacramento, Calif.

Bishops Cuts/Color is a national chain, founded in Portland, Ore, with more than 100 locations. The predominately minority owned operation offers affordable haircuts and gives back to each of its communities, according to its website.

If you’re unable to attend one of these events, you can check out photos on our Twitter and Instagram social media feeds or by searching #HolidayShear.

DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group chapters have been compensated by Dove Men+Care to participate and promote Holiday Shear. Gratuities are not included, and any other services obtained that day will be charged at regular prices.  No substitutions allowed, and walk-ins (no appointments) only. You must be present to reserve a spot in line.  No rain checks for any services unable to be completed by the end of the event.

Photo: ©Svitlana / Adobe Stock.

Dads and their children have a chance to take a little off the top for free this weekend.

Our longtime partner Dove Men+Care is partnering with 22 Bishops Cuts/Color barber shops across the country on Saturday, Dec. 8, to offer complimentary haircuts, washes and styling using Dove Men+Care products to guys and their offspring as part of a promotion. Our City Dads Group members and their children have been asked be special guests at the “Holiday Shear” events being held in 13 cities.

“To help families spend more time together while preparing for the holiday season, Dove Men+Care is giving the gift of free washes and haircuts to men and the children in their lives by spreading #HolidayShear,” the men’s grooming products company wrote in a news release.

City Dads Group chapters have been asked by DM+C to be special guests at these events. Meetups have been arranged by our organizers in the following cities (click the link then check out the group’s scheduled meetups for location and time details):

• Atlanta
• Charlotte
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Columbus, Ohio
• Denver
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• Phoenix
• Portland, Ore.
• Sacramento
• San Diego
• San Francisco 

In addition to the free haircuts, Dove Men+Care will have activity cards to encourage some father-child bonding through drawing, playing and conversation. Photo opportunities will also be held so the dads and kids can show off their new holiday haircuts.

Bishops Cuts/Color is a national chain, founded in Portland, Ore, that is predominately minority owned, that offers affordable haircuts and gives back to each of its communities, according to its website.

For a list of all the participating Bishops Cuts/Colors locations, visit bishops.co.

If you’re unable to attend one of these events, you can check out photos on our Twitter and Instagram social media feeds or by searching #HolidayShear.

Over the years, City Dads Group and its many chapters have partnered with Dove Men+Care for many events and promotions such as March Madness parties and tickets.

DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group chapters have been compensated by Dove Men+Care to participate and promote this free event. The event will begin at 9 a.m., local time, for City Dads Group members and run until 9 p.m., or until Dove Men+Care supplies are depleted, whichever occurs first.  Gratuities are not included, and any other services obtained that day will be charged at regular prices.  No substitutions allowed, and walk-ins (no appointments) only.  You must be present to reserve a spot in line.  No rain checks for any services unable to be completed by the end of the event.

Photo: Andi Whiskey on Unsplash

City Dads Group members strapped their babies to their chests and visited the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, toured a professional football stadium in San Francisco, and climbed the famous “Rocky” steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art among the many activities our fathers participated in as part of last week’s celebration of International Babywearing Week.

All 13 City Dads Groups across the United States did something with babies on board their new baby carriers, courtesy of Britax — a longtime supporter of our organization. Our dads and their kids visited places as family-friendly as the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, as unexpected as Fremont Street in the historic Las Vegas downtown, and as potentially exhausting as hiking through Mariposa Basin Park in Albuquerque – all to promote the many advantages and benefits of wearing your baby.

Our teams’ efforts received praise around the world with articles and photo spreads in sources usual (The Good Men Project, Indy Star) and unusual (China Daily’s website).

Here’s some highlights from last week:

The Hollywood sign can be spotted behind these members of our L.A. Dads Group standing just outside the Griffith Observatory.

Yo! Adrian! Our Philly Dads Group climbed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art just like a certain fictional boxer did.

The World of Coca-Cola received a tour from baby-wearing members of our babywearing Atlanta Dads Group.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was toured by our babywearing Columbus Dads Group.

Our babywearing NYC Dads Group stands tall with their babies along the city’s High Line park, a converted elevated subway track.

*Disclosure: City Dads Group received free Brtiax baby carriers as well as compensation for this babywearing week sponsored event.  We only work with brands that create products or services that we believe in and use ourselves.  The opinions expressed in this blog entry are authentic and our own.

Editor’s Note: Play ball with us in Ohio as we head to the Midwest and back to our week-long celebration of “Summer in Our City Dads Group Cities,” as Columbus Dad Ryan Gross takes us to see the Columbus Clippers.

Watching a Columbus Clippers baseball game at Huntington Park in the Arena District of Columbus, Ohio, is fun for the entire family and can also be really inexpensive. The Clippers, the Triple A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, were for many years the top minor league club of the New York Yankees and the breeding ground of stars like Derek Jeter.

Huntington Park, opened in 2009, is a 200,000 square foot facility that features a capacity of of 10,100 with specialty seating in two full bars, a roof top terrace, right field terraces, and lawn and picnic areas. With the downtown Columbus skyline in the background, Huntington Park is one of the few ballparks that actually faces southeast. In 2009, it  was named the “Ballpark of the Year” by Baseballparks.com, beating out all other new or significantly renovated baseball stadiums in the country, including the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in New York. The award is given to the new stadium with the “best combination of superior design, attractive site selection and fan amenities.”

The lawn seats in the outfield are a blast for family outings and are as little as $5 per ticket. If you don’t mind a short walk to the ballpark, then you can find free street parking in nearby Victorian Village.

Keep an eye out for promotional days to save a few more dollars! Our kids love Roosters on the Roof fifty-cent boneless wing day or Sugardale Dime a Dog Night when, yes, they sell hot dogs for only 10 cents!