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Six years on, people are still celebrating Ed Balls Day

  • Published
    28 April 2017
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Never Forget picImage source, @HRH_Duke_of_Url/Twitter
Rozina Sini
BBC News

It's the social media fail that's celebrated every year. Ed Balls Day is a thing - on Twitter and Facebook anyway.

It started six years ago long before Ed Balls appeared on the BBC's dance show Strictly Come Dancing, when he was shadow chancellor.

He typed his name into Twitter to look for articles mentioning his name.

But instead of doing what should have just been a simple search, he actually tweeted his name in error.

And so Ed Balls Day was born.

On 28 April every year Twitter rejoices in the madness of the internet gaffe.

The hashtag #EdBallsDay started up again on Thursday evening in anticipation of the social media phenomenon and so far it's been used more than 13,000 times.

Photo of Ed BallsImage source, @reelofthe51st/Twitter
Happy Ed Balls Day everyone!Image source, @sarah_fender/Twitter
Image caption,

This gif of Ed Balls performance on Strictly Come Dancing is being widely shared

Barry Hutchinson, external tweeted: "Just been woken by my 7-year-old shouting, "He's been! Ed Balls has been!" Happy #EdBallsDay everyone."

Even big companies were keen to spread the Ed Balls love.

We've just taken delivery of our latest 7Ed7 #EdBallsdayImage source, Virgin Atlantic
However you're celebrating this year, we'd like to wish every single one of you a happy and healthy #EdBallsDayImage source, Andy Paradise

Others were keen to share alternative messages to mark the occasion.

Spare a thought for the people who are spending today alone, and the brave emergency services staff who have to work on #EdBallsDayImage source, @paulcoxon/Twitter
The irony of people complaining that rampant commercialism has ruined #EdBallsDay when it's actually a Roman pagan festival originallyImage source, @greg_jenner/Twitter

No word yet from the man himself. The last time Ed Balls tweeted, external was five days ago.

More on this story

  • Ed Balls on Strictly: His best moments. Video, 00:01:45Ed Balls on Strictly: His best moments

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