Did you know Mario has his own holiday? It’s called MAR10 Day. Nintendo will be celebrating Mario with deals and events. Here’s what to expect — and how to celebrate.
What happens on MAR10 Day?
Mario first came out in 1985 on the NES in a game called Super Mario Bros. In the game, Mario learns about the fall of the Mushroom Kingdom and its people, who have been turned into objects, and the only way to turn them back to normal is by saving the Mushroom Princess (who, to no surprise, is being held captive by Bowser), according to the original Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet.
This storyline is familiar to all Mario fans, with 23 Mario games having been released by Nintendo. Nintendo released a YouTube video showing how Mario has changed throughout the years since his debut and have announced special events to celebrate him.
1. Play original Mario games
If you ever wanted to play some of the original Mario games but don’t have the old Nintendo game consoles, you’re in luck. Nintendo is offering a free 14-day trial to their Nintendo Switch Online program. The offer is valid until March 17.
The Nintendo Switch Online program allows users to play the old Mario games from the Game Boy and NES consoles on your personal Nintendo Switch. You’ll also have access to other original Nintendo games from these old consoles, such as Kirby’s Free Land and Donkey Kong Country.
2. Mario Kart tournament
If you live in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, you have the opportunity to join a Mario Kart tournament hosted by Nintendo. Being held only on March 10 between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. PDT, the tournament is open to participants who have a Nintendo Switch Online account and have the video game Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
To join the tournament, players just have to open the game in Online Play, then select “Tournaments” and finally choose “Search by Code,” where players must input the following tournament code from Nintendo: 3409-7365-4571.
The top 310 players in the tournament will receive 1,000 My Nintendo Gold Points, which can be used in Nintendo’s eShop to buy online games and digital accessories.
3. MAR10 sweepstakes
Nintendo is giving out prizes in two separate Mario-themed sweepstakes. The first sweepstake is partnered with LEGO, where you can sign up to win three Super Mario LEGO sets from Nintendo. The prizes include Bowser’s Muscle Car Expansion Set, Dorrie’s Sunken Shipwreck Adventure Expansion Set and Yoshis’ Egg-cellent Forest Expansion Set. This sweepstake ends on April 16.
The second sweepstake is with the clothing company BlackMilk, and the award is a complete Princess Peach exercise outfit. The outfit includes a Princess Peach bomber jacket, a Princess Peach active crop top and Princess Peach active pants, per Nintendo. This sweepstake ends on April 23.
In-store activities
Nintendo New York and GameStop will be offering special activities to celebrate MAR10 Day in collaboration with Nintendo. At the Nintendo New York store on March 10, guests can greet Mario and Luigi, participate in free giveaways and challenge official Nintendo ambassadors on the Nintendo Switch.
There will also be a screening of the new “The Super Mario Bros.” movie. Select GameStop stores will feature live demos of Mario games and will also have giveaways while supplies last on March 16.
Save on video games
Finally, Nintendo will be offering discounts on select digital Mario games between March 7 and March 17. You can also find deals on Mario games and Nintendo Switches at select retailers between March 10 and March 16.