Hundreds defy heat to join International Pillow Fight Day

The pillow fighters, including both local residents and expats, eagerly participated in the fourth annual event in the District 1-based 23/9 Park.

The event, where participation was free, was held by Wake Up Saigon, to response to the International Pillow Fight Day, which is organized in more than 120 worldwide cities every April.

The event organizer, Julian Ajello, said he hoped to bring the funs of the pillow-fighting day he used to enjoy in his hometown in the U.S. to where he has now been living for over five years.

“I found that there was a language and cultural barrier and I want to bring a little fun stuff idea from home, so I got together some friends to organize this International Pillow Fight Day which is an actual event that is going on around the world every year,” Ajello told Tuoi Tre News at the event.

“The idea is basically to integrate westerners with the Vietnamese people. I mean when you start hitting people with pillows no one is shy about talking or about their English or their Vietnamese anymore and they get along very well,” he added.

Lasting in half an hour from 1:15pm, the event was filled with sweat and laughter from participants, many of whom said they would come back next year.

Participants of all ages were requested to bring soft pillows without zippers, tassels, or metal.

Fighters must remove their glasses and get rid of their cameras, before the fight. They were also required to swing lightly and avoid hitting people without pillows.

Some even donned pajamas to enjoy their “bed time” or wore superman mask to give them “superpower,” as George Berczely, one of the pillow fighters, explained.

“I and my son came here to have fun with some other people on weekend,” Berczely added. “It’s great to make the city a fun place to be. Next year I will be here with a bigger pillow.”

“It’s really fun,” George’s little son added.

Ajello admitted that this year saw a smaller number of participants than last year, apparently due to the burning heat and because many foreigners have left the country.

But he is mulling a bigger event in 2016, and wants to bring it to other big Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi and Danang.