Nothing Says Romance Like (Pillow) Violence

It’s Valentine’s Day. Imagine holding hands with your sweetheart, following the cobblestone street and wrought-iron streetlamps. It’s dusk and you’re strolling past Madrid’s immense Baroque palace, the largest in Western Europe. Together you walk into the manicured gardens of the Plaza de Oriente, past statues of Spain’s royalty, and gaze up at the fountain and equestrian statue of King Phillip IV in the shadow of the Opera House: Such a romantic and historic square!

But you two are not alone. An expectant crowd starts to form two lines, and you and your valentine follow their cue. You look down at your watch (blinking 6:08 p.m.), and the people spring into action. They take out pillows from backpacks, shopping bags, and bulky coats. They laugh, yell, rush forward, and brandish their pillows. It’s a massive pillow fight!

You swing your own pillow left and right at the cheerful crowd, and in turn you take some feathered blows, but suddenly you feel a pillow land squarely on your behind! You turn around, and your sweetheart has a mischievous grin…

Here’s how you, too, can join in.

What: Pillow Fight Club, annual Valentine’s Day edition
When: February 14, 2011 at 6:08 p.m.
Where: In Madrid, near the statue of Phillip IV at the Plaza de Oriente (Metro stop: Opera or Plaza de España)

[Photo: Alfonso Romero]