This Saturday (April 4th) marks the 8th International Pillow Fight Day – a mass explosion of fighting, feathers and fun taking place in city centres around the world! First officially celebrated in 2008, the day sees spontaneous gatherings of hundreds of people in public places, who proceed to duke it out for an hour or two in the most non-lethal way imaginable.
In the UK alone, pillow fights are due to break out in London, Leeds, Aberystwyth, Bournemouth and Oxford – although there could be many more that haven’t had an official listing. Whether you’re getting involved, organising one yourself or just intrigued, here are our tips for getting the most out of this special day!
1. Get Creative
At its heart, International Pillow Fight Day is a very silly celebration indeed, so embrace this side of it wholeheartedly. Some people go in wearing a full body-suit of pillows; others wear pyjamas or fancy dress. Why not spend a bit of time decorating your pillow so you stand out from the crowd?
2. Know Some Moves
The standard swipe is all well and good, but seasoned pillow fighters will probably be wise to it. Mix it up a bit with some of these alternatives:
Tornado: Spin around with a pillow in each hand to double your fun.
Flying Feathers: Cut a small hole in a feather pillow before the event. Feathers for all!
Sneak Attack: Take a leaf out of this guy’s book and get an unsuspecting stranger in on the action. It’s common courtesy to provide them with a pillow to defend themselves.
3. Pace Yourself
Don’t wear yourself out in the first ten minutes – spontaneous pillow fights can go on for more than two hours! According to the official website, things really start to get good around the 20-minute mark: apparently, this is when people begin to form ad hoc alliances and small armies begin to develop. We recommend doing as the Romans did and forming an unstoppable “tortoise” formation with your group.
4. Be Considerate
Use soft pillows and don’t attack people who are holding cameras, or who clearly don’t want to take part – where’s the fun in that anyway? (It’s also a good idea to remove your glasses beforehand if you wear them!)
After the fight has reached its natural conclusion, there’s likely to be a fair few feathers to clear up. Don’t be afraid to pitch in and help, it’s all part of the community spirit of International Pillow Fight Day.
5. Get Into the Spirit
Again according to the official website, these events are where people “make new friends, re-unite with old ones, meet future lovers, and revel in the blissful one-ness of a free, fun, social gathering”. We can’t promise you all these things will happen, but there’s no doubt you’ll get more out of the day by embracing the silly and spontaneous nature of it – check out last year’s event in London for some inspiration!
If you’re in need of a new pillow (for sleeping on, rather than fighting with) check out our range of luxurious UK-made pillows. From supportive to squidgy and everything inbetween, we’ve got the pillow you’ve been looking for.
Shop a memory foam pillow here.