What is the name of Alibaba's annual shopping festival on November 11?

Alibaba’s annual shopping festival on November 11 is called Singles’ Day. It is also widely branded as Double 11 or 11.11, using the date’s four numeral ones.

The date began as an unofficial celebration of single people in China. One commonly cited origin places its start in 1993 at Nanjing University, where students organized activities around the symbolism of four “ones.” The festival later spread beyond university culture.

Alibaba transformed the occasion into a major retail event in 2009, when it promoted deep online discounts through its Taobao and Tmall marketplaces. The idea quickly expanded into livestreams, entertainment, logistics promotions and participation by rival platforms such as JD.com.

A common mix-up is treating Singles’ Day as Alibaba’s exclusive trademark or as a Chinese version of Black Friday. Alibaba popularized the shopping event, but the broader holiday is celebrated by many retailers. It is also not an official public holiday in China, despite its enormous commercial importance.