I stood on a bench in Washington Square Park watching pillows fly through the air on Saturday afternoon. The scene stretched out below me was equal parts awesome, hilarious, and icky. It made me think of the Bertie Bott’s jelly beans in Harry Potter. Imagine eating a feather-flavored jelly bean and having an owl smash into your face. That’s pretty much the experience of a giant, outdoor pillow fight!

Pillow Fight NYC

From 3pm to 6pm on Saturday April 2, the battle raged. Quite the opposite of the battle at Hogwarts, this fight was surprisingly non-violent. Strangers bashed strangers with large stuffed rectangles, but everyone involved had a smile on their face. This sort of New York event is amazing to behold as it defies the cliché.

“A pillow fight?” you think, “That’s a recipe for disaster.” You easily image pillows as the gateway to fists, soon a brawl breaks out in Washington Square Park, red blood spattering all the white cotton.

Nope. That’s not how this went down at all! Everyone was respectful, no one was drunk or overly aggressive. There were loads of little kids running around but I didn’t see or hear a single one cry.

There were super heroes in attendance at this pillow fight NYC, maybe that explains the playful atmosphere.

Many the police officer roamed around looking bored “I can’t believe I got assigned to baby sit a slumber party.”

No pillows allowed in the Washington Square fountain.

This might sound like one of those Only in New York events. Nope. Saturday was in fact International Pillow Fight Day. New York was one of nearly 60 cities all around the world- among the likes of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Tallinn, Estonia- to participate. You can find the full list of participants at pillowfightday.com/

NYC certainly knows how to represent with an iconic backdrop. No mistaking this pillow battle ground for any where else in the world.

As an actor, I’ve thought a lot about the importance of play. Not just for kids, for everyone. You frequently see articles about this, especially with the current adult coloring book trend.

It doesn’t get more playful than a pillow fight.

Well, unless you’re at Harry Potter World. Or a Renaissance Festival dressed up as a pirate and it’s your job to challenge people to turkey leg duels (that’s legit how I used to spend my summers!)

If you’re sad you missed International Pillow Fight Day, the good news is you can recreate the event in your very own home!

Grab some pillows, invite some friends over, and wacky each other until you collapse from giggles or all the feathers have exploded from your pillows.

At first glance I mistook the white covering the grown for flower petals. Looking closer, perhaps sneezing, and I saw the ground of Washington Square was blanketed in pillow carnage. Like the floor of the Owlery but minus the poop! White feathers below, white flowers above.

Pillows below, Empire State above. No mistaking these fallen soldiers who will happily rest in peace. At the end of the day, all intact pillows added to this pile were donated to charity.

Follow Newmindspace on Facebook so you don’t miss next year’s pillow fight NYC. If you want more pictures and videos, check out Instagram! If you participate here or in any other city, I’d love to hear your experience! And as always, thanks for reading!