Pancake Day is one of Liberal’s longest-standing traditions and our biggest event of the year. It’s a time when our community comes together to celebrate our unique heritage. This year, we would like to build on that tradition by getting the entire community more involved in the weeks leading up to Pancake Day.
How We Can Collaborate
The goal of this proposal is to create a series of engaging, pancake-themed activities throughout the city, building anticipation and excitement while driving traffic and business to our local establishments. By working together, we can make this year’s celebration the most memorable yet.
To help create a consistent and unified experience for everyone, we ask that you use the hashtag #pancakeday2026 on all social media posts related to each event. This will help people easily find all the amazing things happening for Pancake Day!
We encourage all participating businesses to help promote their chosen events on their social media channels and in the storefronts to maximize the event’s reach.
Snowball Drop
An exciting, high-visibility event designed to draw a large crowd and create buzz around participating local businesses. This unique promotional activity, held at the conclusion of a parade, will leverage the community spirit of a public event to directly connect businesses with potential customers in a fun and memorable way. By participating, you’ll be putting your business directly into the hands of new customers.
At the end of the parade route, a fire truck will be positioned with its ladder extended high into the air. A designated person, such as a firefighter, will be in the ladder’s bucket. They will then “drop” hundreds of white Ping-Pong balls—the “snowballs”—onto the crowd below.
Each Ping-Pong ball will have a special offer from a local business printed on it, such as:
- A specific discount (15% off your next purchase)
- A “buy one, get one” deal (BOGO on all coffee drinks)
- A free item (Free appetizer with a meal purchase)
Provide us with the specific discount or deal you’d like to feature on the Ping-Pong balls. We can help you brainstorm an offer that will be most effective.
Parade attendees will be encouraged to collect as many Ping-Pong balls as they can. The “snowballs” they retrieve are their keys to unlocking exclusive deals at your participating businesses.
The Pancake Day Window Display/Painting Contest
We propose a community-wide Pancake Day Window Display Contest for all local businesses. Participants would create a festive, pancake-themed window display/painting to celebrate the tradition. This contest would increase Social media and foot traffic, encourage people to explore our downtown and shopping areas, and give businesses a creative way to show their community spirit.
- Participation: Businesses would simply need to register online to participate. We would arrange for judges to vote on the best display, with a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and peoples choice winner ribbons and bragging rights for the winners.
Pancake Day Specials
All local food and drink establishments are invited to create a unique Pancake Day special—a dish or drink—to feature on their menu in the weeks before the event
- Ideas: This could be a new breakfast item, a dessert, or a signature drink like a “Pancake Day latte.” This will give the community a delicious way to participate and support local dining establishments.
- Pancake Cocktail/Mocktail Pairing: Partner with a local mixologist to create a special drink menu that pairs with your pancakes. You could have a sweet cocktail to go with a chocolate pancake or a refreshing mocktail to complement a fruit-topped one. This is a great way to attract a different crowd and create a unique, upscale offering.
- Family Pancake Feast: Create a special family-sized platter with a variety of pancakes and toppings for a set price.
- “Pancake of the Day”: Feature a new, unique pancake flavor each day of the week leading up to Pancake Day.
- All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes: Offer an all-you-can-eat special for a fixed price. This is a classic and highly effective way to draw in a crowd.
- The “Dessert for Breakfast” Menu: Get creative with flavors like hot chocolate pancakes, gingerbread pancakes, or a lemon ricotta pancake with raspberry syrup.
Fun Pancake Day themed Activities
We would love for our local attractions, and businesses to create a fun, pancake-themed activity for the public. This could be a one-time event or a special offering for a limited time.
- Pancake-themed Workshop” Offer a workshop or pancake-themed craft station. Participants could learn to make felt pancakes, paint pancake art, or create a pancake garland.
- Pancake-Stacking Contest: A fun and silly competition that’s great for social media. Challenge customers to see who can stack the most pancakes in a set amount of time. You can use real pancakes (even frozen ones for stability!) or props. This is a great visual and is sure to get a lot of laughs.
- “Pancakes for a Purpose” Social Media Campaign: For every pancake-themed photo or video people share on social media with your hashtag, you could pledge to donate a small amount to a local charity. This engages people online and helps a good cause.
- Pancake-Themed Photo Booth: Set up a fun photo booth with pancake-themed props. Think giant pancake cutouts, “syrup” and “butter” props, and hats shaped like chefs’ toques. Encourage customers to post their photos on social media with a specific hashtag for your business.
- Pancake Potluck (Attraction or Library Maybe): For a business with a kitchen or a shared space, a pancake potluck is a fantastic community-building idea. Invite people to bring their own unique pancake creations (or just their favorite toppings) to share with others. This encourages a sense of togetherness and can lead to new recipe discoveries.
- Pancake Recipe Exchange: Encourage customers to share their favorite pancake recipes. You can create a “Pancake Recipe Wall” in your business, where people can write down their recipes on cards and pin them up. This could be a fun way to find new recipe ideas and get people talking about their family traditions.
- Social Media Contest: Encourage your customers to get involved on social media. Ask people to share a photo or video of their best pancake flip, a creative pancake topping, or even a pancake “fail” using a specific hashtag for your business. You can give a prize to the person with the most creative post.
- Pancake-Themed Story Time: Partner with a local library or bookstore to host a pancake-themed story time for kids. You can read books like Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle and then have a simple pancake decorating activity afterward. This is a great way to attract families and support other local businesses.
- Pancake Relay Race: A classic for a reason! Set up a course where participants have to run while carrying a frying pan with a pancake and flipping it a set number of times. You can add obstacles to make it more challenging. This is a great activity for a community center, a park, or even a large store parking lot.
- Pancake Drop: This is a simple but fun game. Set up a frying pan on the floor and have participants stand on a chair or a ladder (with proper safety measures) and try to drop a pancake into the pan. You can award prizes for those who get the most pancakes in the pan.
- Blindfold Pancake Flipping: Pair up participants and have one person blindfolded while the other gives them instructions on how to flip a pancake. The team that successfully flips the pancake the most times without it falling wins. This is a great team-building exercise.
- Pancake Balance Race: This is a fun variation of the relay race. Instead of flipping a pancake, participants have to balance it on their head, a spoon, or another body part while navigating a short course. The first one to cross the finish line with their pancake still in place wins.
Social Media Campaign, Contest or Challenge:
- “Pancake Creation” Contest: Invite followers to share photos of their most creative pancake creations. This could be anything from elaborate pancake art to a stack with unusual or delicious toppings. Encourage them to use a specific hashtag for your town or business (e.g., #OurTownPancakeChallenge) and tag your business. Offer a prize for the winner, such as a gift card, a product from a local shop, or a pancake breakfast for their family.
- “Pancake Flip” Challenge: This is a classic and fun idea. Ask people to record and post a video of their best or most entertaining pancake flip. The sillier, the better! You could have a prize for the “highest flip” or the “funniest pancake fail.” This is perfect for platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
- “Show Us Your Stack” Campaign: Encourage customers to post a photo of their pancake stack from a local restaurant or from a kit they bought from a local business. The goal is to get people to showcase and tag the participating businesses, creating a wave of user-generated content that serves as free advertising.
- “Where in Town is the Pancake?” Photo Hunt: This is a scavenger hunt for social media. A business could post a photo of a pancake in a recognizable but slightly hidden spot in town (e.g., on a bench, in a local park, or in front of a landmark). The first person to go to that spot, take a selfie with the pancake, and post it with the correct hashtag wins a prize. This encourages people to explore the community and engages them in a fun, interactive way.
- Local Business Pancake Showcase: Have a social media campaign where each participating local business posts a photo of their special Pancake Day offering. For example, a cafe might show off its unique menu item, while a bookstore might post a picture of a pancake-themed book display. You can create a master post that links to all the participants, encouraging followers to visit and support each one.
- Pancake Recipe Videos: Businesses can create short, simple video tutorials on how to make a great pancake. This could be a basic recipe or a more unique one featuring ingredients they sell. These videos are highly shareable and provide value to your audience.
- “Behind the Scenes” Pancake Fun: Show the human side of your business. Post a short video of your staff having a pancake flipping competition or a group photo of them all with their pancake creations. This adds personality and makes your business more relatable.
The possibilities are endless and a great way to bring new visitors to our local businesses.
The Benefits
- For Businesses & Attractions: Increased visibility, media attention, and a boost in customer traffic during the Pancake Day season.
- For the Community: A stronger sense of tradition and togetherness, with new and exciting ways for everyone to celebrate our city’s history.
- Increased Brand Visibility: Your business name and offers will be seen by thousands of people.
- Direct Customer Engagement: The event creates a direct, tangible link between your business and potential customers.
- Boosted Foot Traffic & Sales: The unique offers on the Ping-Pong balls will drive people directly to your business to redeem their discounts, encouraging immediate sales.
- Positive Community Image: By participating, your business will be seen as a fun, active supporter of local events and community spirit.
- Cost-Effective Promotion: This is a highly impactful marketing campaign that is far more affordable than traditional advertising methods.
We believe that by coming together, we can create an unforgettable Pancake Day season for everyone. We look forward to your partnership and feedback on this proposal.