March 23 2008: Flashmob: Melbourne Pillowfight, March 2008
Filed under Life
Flashmobs are one of those weird concepts that really only came into being with the advent of widespread use of social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. I really can’t think of a precedent for it prior to the birth of the Internet.
In any case, I participated in my second flashmob-esque (though not officially affiliated with Melbourne Flashmob) event last night, right in the heart of Melbourne. Designed as part of World Pillowfight Day, the basic premise was simple: Show up at Federation Square at 6.45pm and start a pillow fight with other people holding pillows. The rules were pretty simple too: Don’t hit anyone without a pillow.
The thought that some people put into their preparations for the event was astounding. One person came dressed as a pirate. Another as a ninja. Others were in coordinated teams, with the same outfits and a designated plan of attack. I myself went in as a fairy, complete with golden fairy halo and blue and purple fairy tutu skirt. Admittedly, I did have an excuse for dressing like that as I had a Mardi Gras themed 21st birthday party to attend immediately afterwards, but it did work remarkably well for the flashmob event as well.
The fight itself wasn’t as discreet and “flashmobby” as I’d hoped it’d be. For those in the know, the very purpose of a flashmob is for it to be sudden, to come as a total surprise to those around the designated site who have no idea what’s going on. For that reason, I’d hidden my pillow in a large bag and other than my fairy regalia, looked totally normal as I went to the site. Imagine my dismay when I saw that everyone else had come with their pillows in full sight…it was obvious enough to signal to bystanders that something strange was going to happen, which is exactly what you don’t want.
With all hopes of secrecy gone, the event actually ended up migrating away from Federation Square to Swanston Street, one of the main roads in Melbourne (by virtue of roadworks which had closed the street to vehicles). With about ten minutes of milling around before the event, it became pretty obvious that something was going to happen – and we actually began to accumulate a crowd of bystanders waiting to see what we would do.
With all that whinging said and done however, MY GOD WHAT A BLAST! You get this huge adrenaline rush from an event like that – there’s something to be said for bashing total strangers with pillows. The fighting really hit a peak when the first pillow exploded, sending a flurry of feathers over the crowd.
Courtesy of the Facebook group for the event
Though everyone was coughing up feathers for the next twenty minutes, it really sent a jolt of energy through the crowd, and everyone doubled their efforts, trying in vain to get that second exploded feather pillow. It got to the point that some people started ripping their own pillows apart and throwing the contents over the crowd. One person in particular started screaming “FEEL THE WRATH OF MY LATEX FOAM PILLOW!” while he was doing that…it was good for a laugh!
I was surprised by how (relatively) unscathed I came out of the event. I was expecting a few bruises at the very least, but other than a destroyed pair of sunglasses (these wonderful ones that Xuan took a photo of) and becoming somewhat dishevelled and sweaty, I came out pretty well considering the physicality of the event!
You can see a video of the event below, and more if you search “Melbourne pillow fight 2008″ on Youtube. If you manage to spy an Asian girl with messy hair, in a blue and purple fairy skirt with a yellow pillow…that’s me!
And with just one closing note on the Mardi Gras party: one guy came dressed as Borat in a mankini. He’s my new hero.
11 Responses to “Flashmob: Melbourne Pillowfight, March 2008”
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Holy crap, that sounds awesome. Makes me want to go out and start a random pillowfight… except it doesn’t have that mob appeal. Sigh.
Meli on March 23 2008 #
haha that is hilarious!
marilyn on March 23 2008 #
I’m so jealous. NEXT YEAR I AM GOING TO THE ONE IN ENGLAND! :P
Amber on March 23 2008 #
Haha awesome! One guy here shouted “THIS IS SPAAAAARTAAAAAAAA” and went crazy spinning around with his pillow. Did you get people sitting on other people’s shoulders? When someone did that here, everyone targeted them until they fell haha.
Maren on March 23 2008 #
That looks so awesome! I can’t believe I missed it O_O
The picture of the pillow exploding is really cool :P
Alexandra on March 23 2008 #
Oh, flashmobing sounds like so much fun, especially the total random crazyness of pillow-fights. :D I wonder if we have anything like that around here…
“This is Spaaartaaa” – am picturing that. *laughs*
Mari on March 24 2008 #
It was not yesterday in Montreal on account of “What idiot wants to go pillow fighting in the cold?”.
Julie on March 24 2008 #
That sounds awesome! I’m jealous, too. I love pillow fights :P
Kaylee on March 24 2008 #
Ooo this is like Improv Everywhere (go Google it, the Central Station one is hilarious). I wish I was in something as huge as this!
Crystal on March 24 2008 #
That is absolutely brilliant, I wish they did something here in The Netherlands too, that sounds (and looks) like such a blast (literally I guess..)
Chans on March 24 2008 #
OMG I love flashmobs! Someone needs to arrange one in Vegas. XD
Aravis on March 24 2008 #