{"id":1103,"date":"2006-04-04T19:17:27","date_gmt":"2006-04-04T13:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T13:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T08:12:15","slug":"first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/","title":{"rendered":"CSS Naked Day: What It Is and How to Take Part (April 9)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)<\/strong> make websites look good, but what would your site look like with every bit of styling removed? That is the idea behind <strong>CSS Naked Day<\/strong>. The first one happened on April 5, 2006, when we wrote about it, and twenty years later web designers still strip their sites bare once a year. Here is what CSS Naked Day is, when it happens and how to take part.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-66764\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/css-naked-day-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"CSS Naked Day\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/css-naked-day-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/css-naked-day-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/css-naked-day-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/css-naked-day-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/css-naked-day.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> CSS Naked Day is an annual event, now held on <strong>April 9<\/strong>, when website owners remove all CSS from their sites for the day. It shows off clean, semantic HTML that still works without styling. To join, switch off your stylesheets on April 9 and optionally add a note linking to the official CSS Naked Day site.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae983baa6bb3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae983baa6bb3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#What_is_CSS_Naked_Day\" >What is CSS Naked Day?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#When_is_CSS_Naked_Day\" >When is CSS Naked Day?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#Why_take_part\" >Why take part?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#How_to_take_part_in_CSS_Naked_Day\" >How to take part in CSS Naked Day<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#Turning_off_CSS_on_a_WordPress_site\" >Turning off CSS on a WordPress site<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#Try_it_on_your_own_site_today\" >Try it on your own site today<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#What_date_is_CSS_Naked_Day\" >What date is CSS Naked Day?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#Who_started_CSS_Naked_Day\" >Who started CSS Naked Day?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#Is_there_a_WordPress_plugin_for_CSS_Naked_Day\" >Is there a WordPress plugin for CSS Naked Day?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#Will_CSS_Naked_Day_hurt_my_SEO\" >Will CSS Naked Day hurt my SEO?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/04\/first-annual-css-naked-day-on-april-5\/#Is_there_a_JavaScript_version\" >Is there a JavaScript version?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_CSS_Naked_Day\"><\/span>What is CSS Naked Day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Web developer Dustin Diaz started CSS Naked Day in 2006 to promote web standards: proper use of HTML, semantic markup and a good heading structure. If a site is built well, its content should still be readable and usable as a plain document when the CSS is gone. On the day, hundreds of designers remove their style sheets and display a short message explaining why their site suddenly looks like 1995.<\/p>\n<p>The event moved from its first April 5 date to April 9 and has run almost every year since. Dustin Diaz organized it until 2009, Taylor Satula hosted it from 2010 to 2014, and Fabien Basmaison and Jens Oliver Meiert have kept it going since 2015 at <a href=\"https:\/\/css-naked-day.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">css-naked-day.org<\/a>. We covered the second annual CSS Naked Day on April 5, 2007 too. That year WordPress bloggers could join with plugins: a &#8220;48 hour naked day&#8221; plugin stripped linked stylesheets, embedded styles and inline styles without touching the theme, and Guff&#8217;s WP: Naked Day plugin switched the stylesheet off automatically on the day. Those plugins are long gone, but the same automatic approach works with the snippet below.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_is_CSS_Naked_Day\"><\/span>When is CSS Naked Day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>CSS Naked Day is on <strong>April 9<\/strong> every year. To give every time zone a full April 9, the &#8220;day&#8221; lasts 50 hours: from midnight at the start of April 9 in the first time zone (UTC+14) until midnight at the end of April 9 in the last one (UTC-12).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_take_part\"><\/span>Why take part?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Test your HTML.<\/strong> Without CSS, you see whether your headings, lists, links and reading order make sense.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check accessibility.<\/strong> Screen readers and some text browsers ignore much of your styling, so a naked page is closer to what they experience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Find hidden problems.<\/strong> Content that only makes sense because of colors or positioning, or images without alt text, stand out at once.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have fun and get noticed.<\/strong> Visitors who land on a bare site and read your note often learn something about web standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_take_part_in_CSS_Naked_Day\"><\/span>How to take part in CSS Naked Day<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Plan it for April 9<\/strong>, ideally automatically so you don&#8217;t forget.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Remove all styling:<\/strong> linked stylesheets, &lt;style&gt; blocks and style attributes where you can.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add a short notice<\/strong> at the top of the page, such as &#8220;Where did the design go? It&#8217;s CSS Naked Day&#8221;, linking to css-naked-day.org.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get listed<\/strong> on the official site if you like, by following the instructions there (it is maintained as an open project).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bring the CSS back<\/strong> after the day ends, or let your automatic rule do it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Turning_off_CSS_on_a_WordPress_site\"><\/span>Turning off CSS on a WordPress site<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On WordPress, a small code snippet can stop the theme&#8217;s style sheets from loading on April 9 only. For example, added with a code snippets plugin:<\/p>\n<p><code>add_action( 'wp_print_styles', function () { if ( gmdate( 'm-d' ) === '04-09' ) { wp_styles()-&gt;queue = array(); } }, 100 );<\/code><\/p>\n<p>This uses the server&#8217;s UTC date, so it covers one 24-hour April 9 rather than the full 50 hours. Inline styles added by the theme or plugins may remain, so look at the result in a private window first, and clear any page cache afterwards, or visitors may keep seeing the naked version. Our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/12\/force-browser-css-refresh\/\">forcing a CSS refresh in WordPress<\/a> helps when browsers hold on to old styles.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_it_on_your_own_site_today\"><\/span>Try it on your own site today<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You don&#8217;t have to wait for April 9 to see your site naked. In Firefox, choose <strong>View &gt; Page Style &gt; No Style<\/strong>. In Chrome or Edge, open the developer tools and disable the style sheets, or use a web developer extension that turns CSS off. If the page is still clear and usable, your markup is in good shape. For more design basics, see these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/09\/essential-web-design-elements\/\">essential web design elements<\/a> and our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/web-design-tools\/\">free web design tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_date_is_CSS_Naked_Day\"><\/span>What date is CSS Naked Day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>April 9 every year, running for 50 hours so that every time zone gets the whole day.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_started_CSS_Naked_Day\"><\/span>Who started CSS Naked Day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Dustin Diaz started it in 2006. It is now maintained by Fabien Basmaison and Jens Oliver Meiert.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_a_WordPress_plugin_for_CSS_Naked_Day\"><\/span>Is there a WordPress plugin for CSS Naked Day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The original 2006-2007 plugins are no longer maintained. Use the short code snippet in this post, added with a code snippets plugin, to switch off your theme&#8217;s styles on April 9 automatically.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_CSS_Naked_Day_hurt_my_SEO\"><\/span>Will CSS Naked Day hurt my SEO?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Search engines read your HTML content, which doesn&#8217;t change. One day without styling won&#8217;t affect rankings.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_a_JavaScript_version\"><\/span>Is there a JavaScript version?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, some developers also hold a similar day for switching off JavaScript, in the same spirit of building pages that work without extras.<\/p>\n<p>Will your site go naked next April 9? Tell us in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) make websites look good, but what would your site look like with every bit of styling&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":66764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1103"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68514,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103\/revisions\/68514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}