Soapy Joe’s Car Wash is hosting its 8th annual Soapy Joe’s Day on Thursday, April 20.

Soapy Joe’s Day was proclaimed to take place yearly on the third Thursday of April, first by sitting mayor Kevin Faulkner in 2016 and then upheld in 2023 by County Supervisor Nora Vargas. To commemorate Soapy Joe’s Day, the company is offering everyone FREE car washes and observing community initiatives, including the winner reveal and donation presentation in Miramar of its Kids’ Coloring Contest in partnership with Rady Children’s Hospital and Alexa’s PLAYC. 

Among the local Soapy Joe’s locations are 5322 Jackson Drive in La Mesa and 6675 El Cajon Boulevard in the College Area.

Soapy Joe’s Day is open to the San Diego community and is completely free of charge. To receive a free $20 Magic Joe wash, attendees must register in advance on soapyjoescarwash.com/SJDay. Participants will receive a barcode valid at any of the 19 locations across San Diego County. Current members will receive free upgrades to the premium Magic Joe wash all day long.

The water-wise car wash will also be celebrating its eco-friendly practices, giving customers who visit any location free environmentally-conscious water bottles and hair scrunchies (while supplies last). Customers will also receive one of seven different custom air fresheners highlighting the company’s values at all Soapy Joe’s locations.

As is tradition, Soapy Joe’s will also be honoring notable local organizations, Rady Children’s Hospital and Alexa’s PLAYC, with a $5,000 donation which will be presented during a Soapy Joe’s Day celebration at its new Miramar location (9650 Miramar Road) at 9:30 a.m.

During the presentation, Soapy Joe’s will unveil the winners of its Kids’ Coloring Contest. Since February, children from Alexa’s PLAYC and across San Diego County submitted air freshener coloring pages using Soapy Joe’s templates, creating colorful worlds of the Soapy mascot and his dog, Mitters. The two designs with the most votes, one from Alexa’s PLAYC and one from the wider San Diego community, will be made into air fresheners that will be distributed in September for “back to school.” Each winner will also receive funds for their classrooms and annual car wash memberships for their caregivers.

Over the years, Soapy Joe’s has donated over $2 million to charities and nonprofits, both on Soapy Joe’s Day and beyond, including The San Diego Center for Children, the Emilio Nares Foundation, Helen Woodward Animal Center, STEP (Support the Enlisted Project) and more.