What is Whamageddon and how do you play?
It's beginning to look a lot like the time of year to avoid a certain song
December 1 is here, which means the start of Advent and also the dawn of Whamageddon, a game that has taken hold in recent years.
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Players essentially need to get through the month to the end of Christmas Eve without hearing Last Christmas by Wham!
And while the rules are simple, the game has taken a hold with strategies forming and whole friendship groups betting on who will be the last player standing.
Whamageddon is thought to have started in 2010 and the fame spread on a pre-Elon Musk Twitter, although neither Andrew Ridgeley nor George Michael, before his 2016 death, have commented.
The game made national news in December 2023 when the stadium DJ for Northampton Town blasted the 1984 hit, instantly putting 7,000 out of the game.
"I never knew people took it so seriously," Matt Facey said, alongside his apology, after being booed by fans.
Here is all you need to know for 2025.
How to play Whamageddon?
To play Whamageddon, you need to avoid recognising that a song you can hear is the original 1984 version of Last Christmas by Wham!
Cover versions and live performances of the song are fine - and you are only out (or Whammed) once you recognise that the song you can hear is Last Christmas. If you were in the vicinity of Last Christmas being played but didn’t clock it, you are also fine.
How to avoid hearing Last Christmas
There is no magic formula for avoiding Last Christmas and chances are, if you do any shopping, TV watching or radio listening you will come across it.
You can protect yourself by only listening to your own music, and on noise cancelling headphones - but even so you might be in trouble at a Christmas party.
Good luck!