It might help to check out the Only registered users can see links on this board! Get registered or login! page. Root beer was popular in the US before Coca-Cola and most other soft drink flavors. There are no special holidays involving root beer, although it has been popular at Halloween parties with dry ice.

Some traditions, if you will, involving root beer:

In the early days (circa 1900), pre-packaged beverage distribution was extremely limited and many people made their own root beer at home with root beer extract, yeast and water.

Root beer was also popular in soda fountains, where it was often served in a frosted mug with a scoop (or 2) of ice cream as a snack or dessert.

Since many soda fountains were in pharmacies, pharmacists saw an opportunity to flavor medicines with root beer to encourage kids to take it. That had the unfortunate effect of causing many to think root beer "tastes like medicine" when, in fact, it was intended to be the other way around!

Drive-in restaurants (I believe A&W was the first drive-in restaurant) often serve root beer. Many are known more for their root beer than for their food (e.g. A & W, Dog N Suds, Stewarts, Triple XXX, ...).
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Bottoms up!
Kevin Guske

So heres a tribute toast with root beer in hand to you and the many mugs of suds along your happy trails. --Charles Wysocki, artist and root beer fan, 1928-2002

Any day with root beer is a holiday. I like the way root beer tastes, but it may be an acquired taste. Most non-Americans I have introduced to the drink do not like it. That leaves more for me.
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"It is better to have drunk and tossed
than never to have drunk at all."

I agree, articpenguin!