A while back, I had occasion to attend International Pillow Fight Day. What, you missed it? Fortunately, I had my camera in tow as dozens of down-wielding bandits converged by the river in Chicago for a feathery assault.
World Pillow Fight Day occurs in cities around the globe, from Amsterdam to Los Angeles, so if you missed this one, mark your calendars for next year.
What is International Pillow Fight Day?
International Pillow Fight Day was created by some folks who just wanted to start a fun event. There’s no pillow brand behind it or anything like that. It appears to have developed organically.
There’s no official website for Pillow Fight Day, either. Most events are just created on Facebook. That’s how they’ve been done for years.
Someone in a large city picks a time and a place, and people show up armed with clean pillows to beat each other with. Fun!
The “holiday” of International Pillow Fight Day typically occurs in the spring on the first Saturday in April. That’s a good time, because it means the snow has mostly melted in the northern cities and people are willing to come out and get outside.
In 2023, World Pillow Fight Day is April 1, which is perfect. April Fool’s Day! What better time to have fun with pillows?
World Pillow Fight Day does have some rules to ensure everyone’s safety. First, use only soft, feather-free pillows. You don’t want to actually injure someone!
Next, don’t swing at people who are pillow-less or who are holding cameras. Participants may choose to wear protective clothing such as helmets or goggles for safety.
And finally, pajamas are encouraged to get into the spirit of the event.
Among the many cities that held Pillow Fight events last year were Chicago, Seattle, Barcelona, Atlanta, Hong Kong, New York, Melbourne, Orlando, Vancouver, and Washington DC.
New cities are always welcomed, so if you live somewhere else and want to start your own pillow fight event, go for it!
Are you interested in joining a communal pillow fight with dozens of your fellow citizens?
Pics from Chicago World Pillow Fight Day
I attended the Chicago version of this event a few years back. It was held in the Mag Mile area, not far from the river. I decided to document rather than participate.
Participants were on their best behavior, relatively speaking, as they beat the crap out of each other for several minutes.
Any time feathers began flying, the battle was stopped so people could gather up the feathers and put them into a garbage can, rather than letting them drift into the river.
It’s cool that the participants were looking out for the environment during their battle!
It only took about 20 minutes for the energy to wane. Once folks got tired, it was time to relax. Nap time on public property!
The event started around 11 am, and the whole thing was over reasonably fast, but it was still a great time. By lunch time, everyone had moved on with their day with a bunch of feather-filled memories.
Would you participate in International Pillow Fight Day?
