Not your fifth-grade pillow fight
One SAISer relaxes over spring break by fighting strangers
By Lauren Witlin

Feathers were everywhere. Passers-by paused, both confused and concerned by the scene that stretched before them. Had there been some horrible pigeon massacre? Was there a giant chicken loose in Dupont Circle? If only these citizens had come by sooner, they would have learned the truth. Many a pillow had perished only moments earlier in the noble cause that was the World Pillow Fight Day.

Urban Playgrounds – an organization with the sole purpose of creating non-commercial social activities – had designated March 22 as the day of the great pillow massacre. Pillow fights were scheduled by local coordinators in cities from New York to Los Angeles, and abroad in places like Copenhagen, Beijing, and Sydney (for a full listing, visit www.pillowfightday.com). Much of the coordination was conducted through Facebook (as any good Facebook junkie would know), and participants were asked merely to bring themselves, a pillow, and a garbage bag for clean up. The motivation for the fight was to get more people out of their apartments, away from their TVs and into a setting that forced social interaction. Did it work?

Yes and no. The Facebook event page for the DC pillow fight boasted nearly 1,000 affirmative RSVPs; however the actual turnout was significantly smaller. But those who did show up did not disappoint, coming armed with pillows designed for battle, determined to send feathers flying. Gruesome faces were painted on some of the weapons, while one was fashioned to look like a shark. Other combatants brought oversized pillows for greater reach. Regardless of an individual’s pillow-styling the result was the same – lots of laughter and even more feathers.

A truce was called after nearly twenty minutes of plush-pummeling, and many of the brave warriors collapsed into the mounds of feathers to make feather angels. Many pitched in for the clean-up efforts, though some took the opportunity to whack unsuspecting participants in the back.

Even though the event was not as large as advertised, participants left all feathers and smiles. As the pillow-fighters slowly drifted away, an a-capella group arrived and burst into song, seeming to draw out the unusual atmosphere around Dupont for little while longer as feathers drifted in the air.

Urban Playgrounds plans to organize the event again next year, but it is considering setting the date for warmer months to allow for greater global coordination (some cities like Toronto opted to postpone due to the cold). Perhaps next year more SAIS students will be brave enough to join in the fray, as this year student attendance was higher in the library than in Dupont despite it being spring break.

After all, what better way to relax during the semester than walloping complete strangers with a pillow?

Lauren Witlin is a 1st year MA candidate in American Foreign Policy