Groundhog Day 2025

By Nick Singer, Staff Writer

2025 marked the 139th Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every year, thousands of eager fans gather at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to witness the iconic Punxsutawney Phil predict the next six weeks of weather. This annual celebration is known as Groundhog Day. 

The festivities of the modern Groundhog Day as we know it stems back to an old European tradition from the 1700s. Back in the day, Europeans would observe badgers or hedgehogs in hopes of being able to predict the weather. Then in the late 1800’s, German immigrants brought the tradition to the states and Groundhog Day was born. A groundhog was substituted for the previously used hedgehog or badger as the groundhog was more common in Pennsylvania than it was in Europe. 

If the groundhog sees its shadow on Groundhog Day, then it is said that there will be an additional six weeks of winter. If the groundhog sees no shadow, then it is said to expect an early spring season. Since then, it has become an annual tradition amongst Punxsutawney Phil fans to gather at Gobbler’s Knob and witness Phil in all his greatness predict the rest of the season. This all eventually led to a massive following of Phil, inspiring a movie, merchandise, and even its own dedicated committee known as the Groundhog Club.

The folklore claims Punxsutawney Phil has lived hundreds of years due to a magic elixir and has been predicting the season’s length for all these years. At the end of the day, it is all said in lighthearted fun. Every year, people have their predictions on whether Phil will see his shadow or not. It is anyone’s guess, but Punxsutawney Phil knows best.

 LIU class of 2024 broadcasting major alumni Brady Campbell predicted that Phil was going to see his shadow and give us six additional weeks of winter.

“I just had a feeling. Last year was early spring I believe and this year I had a feeling that we were going to get those extra six weeks.” Campbell added, “I’m not the biggest fan of winter, especially now with it being really cold out. It is what it is.” 

Junior political science and marketing major Amy Luis also felt that Phil was going to predict six more weeks of winter.

“I just love winter and was feeling optimistic, I was hopeful.” 

Many enthusiastic Punxsutawney Phil fans eagerly woke up early in the morning and stood in the frigid climate to experience the festivities of Groundhog Day. 

“It is absolutely worth it to get up early for Phil. Getting the prediction tight too was fun. They said that this year’s celebration [2025] was the biggest crowd yet and it was awesome to be a part of it,” Campbell said.

“I would say it was worth it. It was also my first time experiencing two days becoming one. I stayed awake from the night before to 2:00 a.m. when everyone else woke up to see Phil,” Luis said. 

Luis’s favorite parts of the Groundhog Day celebration was the community.

 “I liked the idea of everyone getting on a school bus to get to Gobbler’s Knob. Once you got there, everyone was so hyped up and people were in groundhog onesies, big fuzzy hats, people were hyping it up. It was a party,” she said. 

Campbell expressed how he loved getting the Samuel Adams Punxsutawney Phil hat.

“Samuel Adams was an official sponsor of Groundhog Day 2025 and was giving away these cool Punxsutawney Phil hats that everyone was going after. To get the hat you had to spin a wheel and initially, I was the only one in our group that didn’t get the hat. Thankfully I was able to get one later on,” Campbell said.

He later described how he found the heating tent, fireworks and live music all leading up to Phil’s grand entrance, some of his favorite parts of the event. 

“The heating tent was nice to stand in for 10 minutes because of how cold it was. Also the live music and fireworks really made the event memorable and those moments leading up to and when they made the reveal were great as well,” he said.  

These common experiences were shared by all who attended the Groundhog Day festivities and created a memorable time for all. The festivities ran all morning and there were local businesses, local news anchors on the scene and the whole town was excited for Phil’s annual appearance. There were inflatable Punxsutawney Phils on storefronts, and massive crowds making their way towards Gobbler’s Knob, where Phil would ultimately make his appearance at approximately 7:20 a.m. Shortly after Phil saw his shadow, the news was interpreted by the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle. They then spread the word to the public in real-time. This left attendees with an experience they will never forget. 

Punxsutawney Phil has become more than just a weather-predicting groundhog; he’s a symbol of tradition, hope, and a timeless icon of American folklore. Each year, he unites thousands of people to watch his annual appearance, chanting his name and eager to see if he will predict an early spring or six more weeks of winter. Phil has amassed a large following over the years, and with the help of the 1993 film titled Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil was launched into the mainstream, becoming a household name. Through his timeless ritual, Punxsutawney Phil continues to bring people together, reminding us that some traditions are meant to last, even as the world around us changes. The next Groundhog Day celebration will take place in Gobblers Knob on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.