Rule No. 1 about outdoor pillow fights: don’t hold them in the rain.
Rule No. 2: There are ways around Rule No. 1.
Despite the annoying showers, the planned Montreal event on World Pillow Fight Day took place as scheduled, with about 30 participants whacking each other over the head with bags of foam (feathered pillows were banned as they create a mess) for about half an hour.
Much of the success came from the quick-thinking of organizers Robin Friedman and Jody McIntyre (the same people behind metro parties, bubble battles and pretty much everything else fun in the city over the past couple of years). They brought along clear plastic bags for people to put their pillows in so they wouldn’t get wet.
Photographers also thought to use plastic bags to keep their equipment dry.
The event caught the attention of quite a few photographers (professional and otherwise) and plenty of bystanders who took a few moments to stay and watch. We’ll see how many photos end up in the papers tomorrow.
No TV cameras were present, so don’t look for it on the news tonight.
I’ve compiled a sample of the photos below. You can see the rest on my Flickr set.
Three latecomers sprint to the scene
Co-organizer Jody McIntyre stands at attention
No need to let a pillow fight get in the way of a smoke.
Yes, this guy actually fought a pillow fight on crutches. He was shown no mercy.
Woman on the left was wearing a Senators sweater. I gave her a few whacks for that, then stopped when I remembered how much the Senators suck already.
Blacks vs. colours prepare to do battle
At one point the group was separated in two (people wearing black on one side, those wearing colours on the other). This led only to win.
Blacks vs. colours: ATTACK!
Turns out you can run out of energy pretty quickly in a pillow fight. The group dispersed half an hour after the fight began. But they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
A similar fight took place in Toronto last month (pictures are online), and today in Vancouver and Quebec City.
A planned event in Calgary was officially cancelled when the city demanded insurance before an event could take place. The Calgary Sun skirts Godwin’s Law but makes a valid argument that it’s easier to hold a neo-Nazi gathering than a pillow fight.
did you fight !?
did you fight !?
crazy rain: there was more than 250 confirmations in the facebook event…
I did fight, a bit, when I wasn’t taking pictures.
Facebook confirmations are always highly inflated for various reasons. For large events, it’s usually about a tenth of the “confirmed” people who end up showing up, weather or no weather. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people decided not to go because of the rain. Their loss.
Damn, we missed the chance to wallop Fagstein
:P
I’m pretty sure you figured out that I was no match for you… and hence gave up. The Sens are having an off season; after 12 years of making it into play-offs, I think we deserve a sabbatical. Can’t say the same for the Habs.
great photos!
Thank you.