Most of us probably had the odd playful pillow fight when growing up, usually with our siblings and occasionally a bit of venom would sneak into the fun. But now battering each other around the head and body with a feather-filled weapon is just one of the many games played by adults participating in the worldwide craze known as Street Wars.
Although there are other games such as an extremely elaborate hide and seek and human Pacman, one of the highlights of the Street Wars craze is undoubtedly the Pillow Fight Club which originated in San Francisco. However, unlike the Fight Club movie that inspired it, the first rule of Pillow Fight Club is that you tell absolutely everyone about the Pillow Fight Club! The second rule is that you don’t hit anyone who doesn’t possess a pillow, unless they expressly invite you to clobber them.
The only other rules are designed to ensure safety, including not loading your pillow with anything other than feathers and not striking anyone with a pillow who is in possession of a camera and taking a picture. Like Fight Club the significantly safer Pillow Fight Club is designed to release pent up anger in a regulated environment, but unlike the violence of the movie no blood is spilled as the aggressive pillow whacking soon transcends into laughter and mirth.
One of the finest examples of the Pillow Fight Club in action happened in San Francisco on 14th February 2007. After receiving meeting instructions by text and over the internet over one thousand people gathered outside a major
hotel in San Francisco close to the Ferry Building - all carrying over-stuffed pillows and itching to participate in the pillow fight to end all pillow fights.
Within seconds of the official start time of ‘6.00 p.m. prompt’ the participants launched into their mass battle and the air was immediately filled with feathers and raucous laughter. Officious-looking Pillow Fight Club ‘regulators’, wearing yellow hard hats and carrying clipboards ensured that participants kept to the simple rules, but happily no-one needed a reprimand.
The fluffy ‘St. Valentine’s Day massacre’ in San Francisco involved the total annihilation of one thousand pillows, but unlike its infamous Chicago namesake there were no deaths or even minor injuries! Everyone who participated had fun, whacked and got whacked and then slipped off into the night leaving behind a scene of utter feather devastation. One happy participant totally summed up the event when she said: “No injuries, no cops and lots of fun and feathers!”
