Global Pillow Fights: Apocalypse Down (a BB big photo gallery)

(REUTERS/Susana Vera)
Revelers take part in a pillow fight outside Madrid’s Royal Palace February 14, 2011. The pillow fight was a flash mob event organised by “MadridMobs” with the only rules being to have fun and clean up after yourself. By the way, if you want to invite someone to a “pillow fight” in Madrid, the phrase is “guerra de almohadas.” Here’s more about pillow fight flash mobs, and apparently there is a very large global smackdown planned for April, 2011. Oh, and here is a splendid flickr set of yesterday’s pillow fight in San Francisco, plus video, by Boing Boing reader Bhautik Joshi.

More photos from around the world, this year and in pillow fight fests of years past, below.

People fight with pillows during the second International Pillow Fighting Day in the center of Budapest, on March 22, 2008. (REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh)

Revelers enjoy a massive pillow fight during the second International Pillow Fighting Day in Union Square, New York March 22, 2008. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

Around 400 people fight with pillows during a world record attempt in pillow fighting in Stuttgart April 8, 2006. The participants failed to make a new world record for the most people taking part simultaneously in a pillow fight. (REUTERS/Michaela Rehle)

Revelers take part in an outdoor urban pillow fight in Toronto, in 2008.
(Mark Blinch / Reuters)

Pillow fighters battle in Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome April 27, 2008. Hundreds of people turned up to join the massive pillow fight. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)

People fight with pillows during the second International Pillow Fighting Day in the centre of Budapest March 22, 2008. (REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh)

Participants take part in a pillow fight event during water festival at Port Dickson, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur April 16, 2006. (REUTERS/Zainal Abd Halim)

Students from South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand attempt to break the world record for the biggest pillow fight. Students from South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand attempt to break the world record for the biggest pillow fight at the University grounds in Johannesburg September 28,2004. They fell well short of the current record of 2500, with only 806 showing up for the event. (REUTERS/ Juda Ngwenya)

Pillow fighters battle in Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome April 27, 2008. Hundreds of people turned up to join the massive pillow fight. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)

Revelers enjoy a massive pillow fight during the second International Pillow Fighting Day in Union Square, New York March 22, 2008. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)