Leaplings: The Amazing Club that Celebrates a Birthday Every Four Years

2024 brings the rare occurrence of February 29, a date that arrives only once every four years.

For most of us, it’s just another day. For around 5 million people worldwide, it’s anything but ordinary: It’s their birthday, which they’ve been waiting four years to celebrate. These unusual people, known as leaplings, are a distinctive group.

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They share unique challenges, camaraderie and valuable wisdom about life and aging. Leaplings share an intense affinity, often as if they’ve known each other their whole lives.

“When we first meet another leapling, they are brothers and sisters. It’s like we already have a bond and have been waiting to find each other,” said Sherry Riddle of New Jersey, who described a celebratory vacation for leaplings.

On February 29, 2020, Riddle “went on a cruise with about 75 other leapers to celebrate our birthdays; it was the most magical birthday I’ve ever experienced. When I saw all my brothers and sisters that day, I couldn’t stop smiling. We were all filled with love and hugs. It’s unspoken, but we all just ‘get’ it.”

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The guests loved the experience so much that they immediately started planning another cruise for this birthday.

But having a birthday that doesn’t fall on the calendar can be a cause of frustration and disappointment. Leaplings worldwide share stories of 21st birthdays celebrated on February 28, only to be denied their first legal drink. Dropdown birthday windows on online forms are a common logistical headache.

And, oh, the confusion! When do you even celebrate your birthday during non-leap years?  And how old are you anyway?

Most leaplings do track their age by both leap years and non-leap years—as do society and biology (alas, there is no evidence leaplings live longer). But at any given moment, if you ask a leapling the otherwise simple question, “How old are you?” you are likely to get two answers (one of which is divisible by four).  

“Once, a friend threw me a '10th' birthday party when I turned 40, complete with a kiddie cake and games,” recalled Hannah Sanderson from Canada. Tammy Roberts from California remembers one of her favorite birthday parties when she turned four — or 16 — years old.

“My mom made me a full sheet cake,” she said. “One half said, ‘Happy 4th Birthday’ with clowns and balloons; the other half, ‘Sweet 16 and Never Been Kissed.’”