This Sunday before sundown, around 300 people will be milling about Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park, pillows in hand, ready to strike.
Frank Halling has been staging The Giant Pillow Fight for the last seven summers as a grassroots event and it has steadily grown more popular every year.
At the beginning of each season, Frank picks what he thinks is the best movie from Citiparks’ Cinema in the Park on Flagstaff Hill and schedules the pillow fight on the same evening. The event officially starts when a secret signal is given around 8:30–this unleashes gleeful mayhem that lasts for about 10-15 minutes.
Frank Halling took on the Giant Pillow Fight from a friend who organized it for a couple of years and continued to do so because its “just good to be silly.” And judging by the number of attending, many want to share in that simple, nostalgic fun. The BYOP (Bring Your Own Pillow) event is adult and kid-friendly.
More information can be found on the Giant Pillow Fight Facebook page.
The Great American Water Balloon Fight
On Saturday, September 6, The Great American Water Balloon Fight returns to Pittsburgh for its third year. The highly anticipated event will be at Schenley Plaza and over 3000 people slinging 100,000 water balloons are expected.
The Great American Water Balloon Fight benefits Team Tassy, an organization founded by Ian Rosenberger to fight poverty in Haiti by “preparing and placing the poor into jobs.” Ian also founded Thread, an organization that recycles plastic bottles into fabric and in the process, provides jobs for people in Haiti.
Why a water balloon fight? “At Team Tassy, we believe at our core that giving should be a joy,” says Ian. “What’s more fun than throwing nearly 100,000 water balloons in the name of ending global poverty? The fight is now in two cities (Denver was last week) and we’ll grow to at least 25 cities. We want this to be our March of Dimes, our Breast Cancer Walk, and we want Pittsburgh to know that it started here, and will stay here. Everybody has the power to do something to end poverty, even if it’s just coming out on Sept 6 to get soaked and have a great time.”
The event starts at 11 am and kicks off with yoga at 11:15, and bands and games that start at 11:45. The official water balloon fight begins at 1. The event is open to everyone 14 and up. Tickets to fight are $25 and tickets to watch (but why?) are $10. More information on the Great American Water Balloon Fight website or purchase tickets here. All proceeds benefit Team Tassy.
