Bedding bash is a smash: Flash mob pillow fight draws 200 downtown
By Joshunda Sanders AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, April 07, 2006
At 8 p.m. Thursday, about 200 people pulled fluffy pillows from their backpacks and squealed as they whirled around in a haze of feathers and polyester stuffing at Auditorium Shores.
The first-ever "Pillow Fight Club" in Austin was similar to San Francisco's flash mob pillow fight in February, an event that drew 1,000 people. Like the one in San Francisco, Thursday's fight was organized on the Internet and by word of mouth. It was posted on Craigslist, MySpace and other Web sites. It started out as a big white blur and faces flushed from laughter. Some people wore pajamas and bathrobes while their friends took pictures.
Emma Mayer, 26, took a spin through the massive fight but gave up after 15 minutes. She'd worked all day, she explained, and went to a happy hour before stuffing a pillow in her purse for this fight.
"My friend told me to prepare for carnage," she said, catching her breath. "Just keep your head down and swing. Keep your game face on."
Mayer's friend Molly Harrison, 26, was afraid of getting hurt, so she just watched. "There's nothing better than hitting a bunch of strangers with pillows," Harrison said.
They watched the action slow down just as more people showed up with pillows and the fight started all over again.
"Good," Harrison said. "Fresh ammo." |