New York It seems like so long since we've seen you, New York! We hope that will change very soon, so here is a tentative calendar of the events we have lined up in the New Year!
1. Pillow Fight NYC! March
2. Bubble Battle! June
3. Lightsabers! TBA
4. New Year's Eve parties
5. Other events in January
6. Fundraising for Newmindspace
7. The Urban Playground Movement
Pillow Fight NYC 2008 - March Of course we're having another pillow fight :D The general feedback last year was that February was a little too cold, so we were thinking of aiming for the first Saturday of spring. Some other cities are thinking the same thing, so it could turn into the first international Pillow Fight Day!
Bubble Battle 2008 - June We were reluctant to hold a bubble battle in 2007 because it seemed like somebody already did one, but we realized that we probably should have done one in June anyway. June is "bubble season," you see, the time of year when bubble toys are the easiest to find. If you have any spots you would really like to see bubbled, let us know. We will definitely be bringing the soap and crazy machines again this year :)
Lightsaber Battle NYC - Date TBA
The largest event we've ever had was a recent one in Toronto where over 4,000 people gathered to do battle with replica lightsabers and neon cardboard tubes. It was beautiful chaos, and we'd like to make it happen in New York. Check out this video:
We will be partnering with our friends at NYjedi.com and the people who brought you Lightsabers NYC to make this epic event happen. We will need a *LOT* of volunteers to transport, store and paint the tubes. If you are willing to keep thousands of yard-long cardboard tubes in your loft, drive a U-Haul truck or volunteer at the battle, let us know!
+ HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We echo the advice of Nonsense NYC for New Year's:
"Be with people you love, and try to not spend the night running around trying to find the right place to be; dancefloors are more fun than cabs and subways. And finally, take chances and share your kisses."
+ Other events you should totally check out in January:
Improv Everywhere's No Pants 2008 - JAN 12
Every year, those crazy pranksters at Improv Everywhere ride the subway with no pants in an annual celebration of pantlessness. This year's will be on January 12th, so stay tuned to their website for the exact details.
+ Misc. fundraising stuff People often wonder where we get the money to do some of the events we put on. The answer is, we put all our costs on credit, ask you guys for Paypal donations and hope it adds up. Sometimes it doesn't, which is why we are not able to put on as many events a year as we would like.That is why we are asking if anybody on this list has any experience fundraising for non-profit arts organizations and would be willing to volunteer some of their time and expertise toward the goal of seeing more Newmindspace events in New York. If this is you, please send us an e-mail!
+ THE URBAN PLAYGROUND MOVEMENT - a website for you All around the world, people organize pillow fights, subway parties and games of capture the flag. Just like we have our communities in New York and Toronto, there are communities like ours all over the world. All these people have never had a meeting place online until now. In conjunction with 30 cities around the globe, we are creating a website for people who attend and organize these events with the goal of unifying this diverse social movement. It's called The Urban Playground Movement, a subset of the Public Space Movement, and we can't wait to tell you more about it in the new year!
Toronto It's been a busy year, Toronto! We put on eight free events in Toronto this year and one epic streetcar party. We will continue to repeat our favourite events and try new ones, even if we're not sure they will work. If you have any ideas for us, send them our way!
Also, before we forget: if you want reduced admission for this Friday's RANDOMLAND with A-TRAK and Junior Sanchez: http://newmindspace.com/random :)
YEAR IN REVIEW
+ This year began with the disastrous Snow Day in February, a hilarious but ill-fated attempt to make snow in Trinity Bellwoods Park.
http://newmindspace.com/snowday.php
+ Next was our annual Easter Egg Hunt in March, the anniversary of the event that started it all. We will be turning three this year!
http://www.newmindspace.com/wiki/?q=node/8
+ Our Toronto pillow fight in May saw hundreds gather in front of City Hall to do battle of feathered proportions :) You can definitely expect to see another one of these in the New Year, perhaps at night!
http://newmindspace.com/pillowfighttoronto.php
+ Castles in the Sky in July, the sequel to Flight of Fancy, was a renegade street parade that went from the street to the subway to the beautiful waterfront. Definitely expect another one in 2008 with a brand new route.
http://newmindspace.com/castlesinthesky.php
+ We were pleased and honoured to participate in this year's Nuit Blanche, even though we faced some theft-related setbacks. Check out some beautiful photos here:
http://newmindspace.com/stringofdiamonds.php
+ Perhaps the largest Capture the Flag game in history, 1600 people gathered in Toronto's Financial District in October for a massive game in the streets. Our "last game ever" idea in 2006 obviously didn't last :-P
http://newmindspace.com/capturetheflag2007.php
+ Halloween was a good old-fashioned subway party, with costumed friends ghostriding the train :)
http://newmindspace.com/ghostride.php
+ Our largest event ever was our lightsaber battle in front of the ROM. It was beautifully chaotic, and we learned how to make the next one better, safer and more organized. This is probably our favourite video:
+ And just last weekend, we had our most fun streetcar party ever! And, almost as importantly, we made back just about all the money we spent on CTF and lightsabers, bringing us back to $0 :)
We look forward to more amazing, epic, wonderful adventures in the streets and below with you! Stay tuned to our website and this mailing list for the most up to date info!
* MISC fundraising stuff
If anybody out there is experienced with fundraising for non-profit arts organizations and would be interested in volunteering their time, or if anybody knows anything about becoming a registered non-profit, or about writing grant applications, please let us know :)
+ We look forward to a new year of our friendship with A.D/D., which is celebrating its third birthday! If you would like reduced admission to their birthday party this Friday, check out
+ Also, don't miss the Kensington Market Festival of Lights to celebrate the Solstice this Friday, which holds the distinction as being the longest night of the year :)
+ Stay tuned for a party we are putting together with our friends from The Rothko Institute and VelcroRocket at CiRCA on January 4th :) Featuring FLIM, ill gates (aka The Phat Conductor) and Dingokiller. Details TBA :)
+ Also, we will be teaming up with City of Toronto Special Events at the end of the month for Wild on Winter, part of WinterCity. Check out our interactive installation in Nathan Phillips Square!
~ FEBRUARY ~~~
*For Parents and Children* We are happy to be participating in Bunch's Family Dance Party on February 3rd :) "from 2-5 PM, Bunch, City of Toronto Special Events and CiRCA, invite kids and parents to relive the fabulousness of Andy Warhol’s Factory Parties at a special edition of an equally notorious gathering, Toronto’s own Bunch Family Dance Party."
We echo the advice of Nonsense NYC for New Year's:
"Be with people you love, and try to not spend the night running around trying to find the right place to be; dancefloors are more fun than cabs and subways. And finally, take chances and share your kisses."
hi just wondering if you had a mailing list i just moved to toronto and have participated in a few of these in London UK and would love to continue the tradition here. cheers
