I’m a big fan of urban gaming. Before the city of Oakland cracked down on Urban Capture the Flag matches, I used to put on war paint and run around Frank Ogawa Plaza. Gamers of all ages darted around City Hall trying to out-fox the other team into losing their flag. I remember one guy used to run for enemy territory yelling, “Jesus is my Savior!” and when he got thrown in jail, he’d climb the bench and blow on this bone horn, Braveheart-style. The characters came out, for sure.

This weekend, crowds will gather for another temporary take-over of public space. The Great San Francisco Pillow Fight will throw its annual free-for-all for Valentine’s Day, as a peaceful way to express one’s “lovey-rage.” It has attracted over a thousand gamers armed with goose down over the years. The plentiful online video footage reveals the hilarity in full.

pillowfight

Director Maya Gurantz, who has worked with the Shotgun Players, once told me that “the Bay Area’s biggest export is the party.” The pillow fight is one of these; at least, it’s the most popular. And it’s peaceful, as long as you follow the rules, stated in the above poster. If there’s rain, put your pillow in a plastic bag. Oh, and be sure that you bring only pillows filled with natural materials (like cotton, hemp, and down) and not synthetics which will wash into the Bay and harm marine life. And as the Urban Capture the Flaggers have done, leave no trace. So clean up those feathers.

On the Oakland side of things, I’m going to bust out my bonker ball skills with 4 Square East Bay on Thursday. They hold court in the Rockridge BART parking lot on Mondays now, too, even with in the cold season. It’s been awhile since I rolled a “high wire” at Joaquin Miller School (remember, A?). But I can’t miss an opportunity to show a random act of urban-ness.