We hug
strangers.

In a culture that
scrolls past each other,
we open our arms.

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How it started

It started on September 26, 2015, at a music festival outside Atlanta called TomorrowWorld.

On Saturday night, I walked up to complete strangers (mostly guys) and asked for hugs. No sign. No plan.
Just an impulse.

Over the next eight hours, I hugged well over a hundred people. I thought I was doing it for others. I didn’t expect to be the one changed.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, someone handed me a little pass-it-on card with a message about being awesome. I passed it on, but something about that moment stayed with me.

For months after the festival, I wrestled with doubt. Was it a fluke? Was it naive? Would it even be appropriate in
the real world?

If that first night had been a flop, and most people had refused, I probably wouldn’t have tried it again.

Six months later, still unsure and full of nerves, I stood at an art fair in Atlanta holding a hand-written “Need Hugs” sign and said, “Hey brother, can I get a hug?”

Standing alone with a sign asking for hugs felt absurd. That was the first Spread the Hug event.

Openness and courage came first. The rest followed.

Early Spread the Hug event
(MLK Day Parade — Atlanta 2017)

It shouldn’t work. But it does.

Hugging strangers in public shouldn’t
be possible in a world this guarded and divided.

And yet, someone steps forward. Again
and again. It feels like a social miracle.

How it works

We show up in public spaces.

We ask for hugs.

We let people decide.

That’s it. No hidden agenda.

People are often more open than they look.
They’re just waiting for someone to go first.

So we go first.

Why we do this

People sometimes describe what we do as "nice" or "cute." From the outside, we get it. But this didn't begin as a feel-good idea. It began with a question:

What happens when you open your arms to someone you’d normally walk past? Someone you may even fear, judge, or avoid.

We’ve put that question into practice more than 10,000 times over the last ten years, in cities across the country, from Atlanta to Detroit to Boulder. On sidewalks. At rallies. Outside stadiums. On street corners.

We’ve opened our arms to people we've never met—and something cracks open. We’re not naϊve enough to think that hugging strangers will solve everything.

But when strangers embrace, even briefly, it is harder to reduce each other to a type, a tribe, or a threat.

The hug is an entry point, not the destination. Its power comes from being unusually acceptable across much of the world—even between strangers.

This isn’t magic. It’s repeatable. It just takes courage.

Not exactly “Free Hugs”

Our signs don’t say “Free Hugs.” They say things like “Hug?” and “Need Hugs” because we’re the ones asking. That small difference matters.

When someone walks over and hugs us, they’ve just done something kind for a stranger.When someone walks over, they’ve just done something kind for a stranger. We don’t take that for granted, and we think it deserves a thank you.

The hug
isn’t the end of it.

Circle Cards

Before they walk away, we hand them a Circle Card—something small, meant to be passed on.

Here's the thing most people don't notice: the stranger is doing something generous. They walked over. They hugged someone they’ve never met who asked for one. That takes something.

The card is how we say thank you, and we mean it.

What happens next is up to them. Some hold onto theirs. Some pass it forward. Some travel far.

When a card is passed on, everyone who’s been part of the journey can follow it as it travels.

Many leave notes along the way.

Circle Card

notes from the street

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Explore Circle Cards

Join us
on the street

If this speaks to you, you can be part of it.

We host small public hug events throughout the year, usually with seven or fewer people. All it takes to join is a willingness to show up and meet strangers with respect.

Participation is simple, but it’s not casual.

Before attending, we ask everyone to read the ‘Know Before You Go’ participant guide. It covers safety, consent, and what to expect.

Read the participant guide

Curious about attending a future event?

Reach out