Seinfeld was often called "the show about nothing," but it has become a whole lot of something to its numerous fans. Though the show debuted in 1989 and ran until 1998, it has garnered a slew of fans with its hilarious and wacky observations about seemingly mundane things through the viewpoint of its four central characters: Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), George (Jason Alexander) and Kramer (Michael Richards).
With numerous classic episodes (we've picked some of our favorite Seinfeld episodes) and the chance to spot countless number of guest stars before they were big names (Bryan Cranston, Bob Odenkirk, Courtney Cox, Teri Hatcher and more), there's no bad place to start with Seinfeld. Though, considering it is the holiday season, we do have to pay special attention to one episode in particular — Festivus.
The classic Festivus episode from Seinfeld season 9 has become a holiday tradition for many, whether that is just watching the episode or people pulling out their own pole from the crawl space and having the traditional airing of grievances (believe it or not, there's an actual Change.org petition to make Festivus, December 23, a national holiday).
So where can you watch the classic Seinfeld Festivus episode (and the rest of the TV series for that matter)? Here's what you need to know.
How to watch Seinfeld Festivus episode
After a highly publicized streaming move in 2021, Seinfeld is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix in the US and the UK. All nine seasons of the show are available on the streaming service, so the easiest way to watch Festivus or any other episode of the sitcom is to be a Netflix subscriber. If you're looking specifically for the Festivus episode, it is season 9 episode 10 and is actually titled "The Strike."
There are alternative ways to watch Seinfeld and the Festivus episode specifically if you don't want to pony up a monthly Netflix subscription. You can buy specific episodes on digital on-demand through Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube and more. You can also purchase full seasons of the show through these many of these platforms.
Of course, if you want to make Seinfeld a permanent part of your viewing collection and not have to worry if it is going to chance streaming services again, you can also purchase Seinfeld: the complete series on DVD.
What is Festivus?
In case you're new to Seinfeld or are just wondering why people are wishing each other a happy Festivus this year, we can explain.
In the show, Festivus was a holiday invented by George's father, Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller), after he became disillusioned by the commercial aspects of Christmas, specifically an incident with a doll. He envisioned it as "a Festivus for the rest of us."
Some of the key aspects of Festivus include a pole replacing the traditional Christmas tree (Frank finds tinsel distracting); the airing of grievances, where you tell your family all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year; and finally, Festivus concludes with the feats of strength, a wrestling match.
However you choose to celebrate — whether just watching the episode or enacting your own version of its time-honored traditions — wishing everyone a happy Festivus!
