Friday Theme

Friday Theme is a free Bootstrap 5 portfolio and blog theme for Jekyll that builds directly to GitHub Pages, giving static-site users a single repo that serves as a live demo and deployable site.

What is Friday Theme?

Friday Theme is a Jekyll theme for portfolio and blog websites, styled with Bootstrap 5 and written in SCSS. It takes Jekyll content—Markdown posts, project pages, and site configuration—and outputs a static HTML site that can be served from GitHub Pages or any Jekyll-compatible host. The theme is authored by Simon Freytag (simon@freytag.org.uk) and is free to use; as of November 2025 it is not actively maintained but remains functional.

Key Features

• Bootstrap 5 upgrade — Upgraded in May 2025 to Bootstrap 5.2.3 SCSS files and Bootstrap 5.3 compiled JavaScript; older installations must update utility classes like ml- to ms- and data-toggle to data-bs-toggle.
• Portfolio and blog combined — Includes layouts for portfolio/projects and blog posts, both driven by Jekyll's content directories.
• GitHub Pages compatibility — Uses {{site.baseurl}} throughout so the site renders correctly when served from a subfolder, such as https://sfreytag.github.io/friday-theme/.
• Jekyll 3 and 4 support — Works with Jekyll 4.* when served from the domain root, and with Jekyll 3.9/3.10 for GitHub Pages folder deployments; a known limitation is that Jekyll 4.* cannot be used with a folder baseurl.
• Free with attribution request — No license fee; the author asks users to email him if they adopt the theme.
• Live demo — The repository builds directly to GitHub Pages, so you can view the working demo and inspect the source at the same URL.
• Install notes — A dedicated installation page at https://sfreytag.github.io/friday-theme/projects/install.html documents configuration and setup.

Who is it for?

• Freelancers and creative professionals — Set up a portfolio to display projects, case studies, and contact information without building a site from scratch.
• Bloggers using GitHub Pages — Publish a static blog for free on GitHub Pages, with Jekyll managing posts and the theme handling layout.
• Jekyll theme tinkerers — Learn from or modify a compact Bootstrap 5 theme that separates portfolio and blog content and exposes configuration through _config.yml.

What can you do with Friday Theme?

• Publish a portfolio: Add project pages to a dedicated portfolio section, linking to external case studies or in-page write-ups.
• Run a blog: Write Markdown posts in Jekyll and have them rendered with Bootstrap 5 typography, without managing a database or server.
• Deploy instantly: Push the repo to GitHub Pages and get a live site, using the same codebase as the demo.

How does Friday Theme work?

To run locally, clone the repository, edit _config.yml and set baseurl to an empty string, then run bundle install and bundle exec jekyll serve. For GitHub Pages, the theme's use of {{site.baseurl}} handles folder-based serving automatically for Jekyll 3.9/3.10.

Pricing

Friday Theme is free to use. There is no paid tier or license fee; the only requirement from the author is an optional courtesy email when you start using it.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free, Bootstrap 5 based, portfolio and blog in one, works on GitHub Pages, includes a live demo.
• Cons: No longer actively maintained as of November 2025, Jekyll 4.* cannot be used with a folder-based baseurl, and upgrading from Bootstrap 4 requires manual class and JS attribute changes.

FAQ

Is Friday Theme free?

Yes, Friday Theme is completely free to use. The author only asks that you send an email to simon@freytag.org.uk if you use it, so he knows the theme is being adopted. There is no license fee or paid tier.

Does Friday Theme work with Jekyll 4?

Friday Theme works with Jekyll 4.*, but only when the site is served from the root of the domain. If you try to serve it from a subfolder using Jekyll 4, the base URL gets repeated in links. GitHub Pages uses Jekyll 3.9/3.10, where folder serving works correctly.

How do I upgrade Friday Theme to Bootstrap 5?

The README lists nine steps: add Bootstrap 5.2.3 SCSS files, update site.scss to load Bootstrap 5, replace old utility classes with their Bootstrap 5 equivalents, swap in Bootstrap 5.3 compiled JavaScript, change sr-only to visually-hidden, update JS component attributes like data-toggle to data-bs-toggle, remove the Masonry card-columns layout, add a link-underline removal rule, and delete old Bootstrap SCSS files.

Is Friday Theme still maintained?

As of November 2025, Friday Theme is not being actively maintained or extended. The project still works, but the repository does not indicate that new features or updates are planned. Users should evaluate whether they need active support before adopting it.