Free Hugs Campaign, Baltimore, MD, US

Please visit http://www.ourtripvideos.com/index.html?idx=62 for more free videos. Juan Mann, who started the Free Hugs movement, seen at Pitt Street Mall, Sydney, Australia, 2006.

The Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places.

The campaign became famous internationally in 2006 as the result of a music video on YouTube by the Australian band Sick Puppies.

The hugs are meant to be random acts of kindness - purportedly selfless acts performed by a person for the sole reason of making others feel better.

This year(2009) Free Hug Day will take place Internationally at 00:01 on Friday February 13 until 00:00 (midnight) on Saturday February 14, at each countrys respective times.

The Free Hugs campaign in its present form was started by Juan Mann on June 30, 2004, when he commenced giving out hugs in the Pitt St Mall in central Sydney.

In the months prior to this Mann had been feeling depressed and lonely as a result of numerous personal difficulties.

However a random hug from a stranger made an enormous difference, with Mann stating that "...I went out to a party one night and a completely random person came up to me and gave me a hug. I felt like a king! It was greatest thing that ever happened."

Mann carried the now iconic "FREE HUGS" sign from the outset.

However on his first attempt in his hometown, where he returned to find that he was the only person he knew, as his friends and family had moved away, so he had to wait 15 minutes before an elderly lady came up to him and gave him a hug

Initial distrust of Juan Manns motives eventually gave way to a gradual increase of people willing to be hugged, with other huggers (male and female) helping distribute them.

In October 2004 police told them they must stop, as Mann had not obtained public liability insurance worth $25 million for his actions.

Mann and his companions used a petition to attempt to convince authorities that his campaign should be allowed to continue without the insurance.

His petition reached 10,000 signatures. He submitted it and was allowed to continue giving free hugs


Mann befriended Shimon Moore, lead singer for the Sick Puppies, shortly after commencing his campaign.

over a 2-month period in late 2004 Moore recorded video footage of Mann and his fellow huggers.

Moore and his band moved to Los Angeles in March 2005 and nothing was immediately done with the footage.

Meanwhile Mann continued his campaign throughout 2005 and 2006 by appearing in Pitt St Mall in Sydney most Thursday afternoons.

In mid 2006 Manns grandmother died, and in consolation Moore made the music video using the footage he had shot in 2004 to send to Mann as a gift.

The video was later uploaded onto YouTube where it became a popular video on the site.

On October 30, 2006, Mann was invited by Oprah Winfrey to appear on her show Oprah after her producers doctor saw the Free Hugs video on YouTube.

On November 22, 2008, at YouTube Live Sick Puppies did a performance of "All the Same" while Juan Mann gave hugs to crowd members.

A website that is generally recognized as the official site of the free hugs campaign, The Official Home of the Free Hugs Campaign, was launched in mid 2007.

On April 14, 2007, Portuguese waitress Sara Viera living in Newcastle Upon-Tyne, England was reported on both BBC News and local press to be giving Free Hugs in the streets of Newcastle City Centre

In 2008, Oscar award winner and Golden Globe winner from India, A. R. Rahman, along with percussionist Sivamani created a song titled Jiya Se Jiya (Heart to Heart) - which was inspired by the Free Hugs Campaign and promoted it through a video shot in various cities in India

In Dec 2008, Quentin Mosimann, a talented French-Swiss writer-composer-singer, took this "Free hugs" movement up in his video clip "Il y a je taime et je taime", a song about the different meanings of "I love you".

February 2009 - Free hug offer startles downtown Toronto shoppers.

FREE HUGS - making others feel better Feel like a king and give same feeling to others.

Heart to Heart - Feel the real joy and confidence.

Show kindness like a Brother or Sister or Daughter or Son or Mom or Dad at least for that moment.

We all are children of the God, No stranger to us in this World.

No need to share our Wealth or Power, share at least heart kindness/love.

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[gotthkid2]

@spitfireblind06 shes a poser emo

and theirs NOT emos in those small little redneck towns down south if you know what i meen.......the backwoods ones that have jugdemental people and takes 2 minutes just to drive to the other side of town........or less

[spitfireblind06]

who ever does free hugs is emo... i have a free hug shirt but on the back it says world champion slut hugger

[spitfireblind06]

@gotthkid2 theres emos everywhere man

[gotthkid2]

@spitfireblind06 theirs emos in baltimore?

[spitfireblind06]

LOL its mostly them damn emo people who hang out at marley station mall on friday nights lol

[spitfireblind06]

GO BMORE YO

[TheLifeOfJoJo]

thats kool i wana start my own campaign in denver anyone interested in helping