The International Pillow Fight Day at Teurastamo in Helsinki gathered hundreds of fighters on April 2 2016. PIcture: Tony Öhberg for Finland Today

Thump! Thump! Thump! I get several hits on my head, which is protected only by a thin fedora. Luckily, the weapon of assault is a soft pillow. Even though the rules and regulations of the International Pillow Fight Day disallow the hitting of photographers, one can’t remain untouched in the middle of swinging pillows and flying feathers, which try to penetrate every orifice of the human body.

They are in my nose, ears and mouth. My jacket is covered in small feathers and my neck feels like I have just visited a bad barber’s shop.

The yard of Teurastamo (The Abattoir) is crowded with hundreds of people on Saturday afternoon, some swinging the pillows, some waiting for their turn.

It’s a mass of kids, parents, teenagers and young adults – some wearing pajamas, some regular clothes.

The event is an international phenomenon that has been practiced over the years by thousands of people in over a 100 cities around the world. This is the 7th annual International Pillow Fight Day, and this year Helsinki joined in for the first time.

The free event was organised by Inside Job Agency and Keep on Moving in cooperation with Teurastamo. Just for fun.

The fight gets heated. Picture: Tony Öhberg for Finland Today

Children of all ages participated in the event. Picture: Tony Öhberg for Finland Today

Protect your private parts! Picture: Tony Öhberg for Finland Today

Laura Halonen, 24, from Turku and Eero Laaksonen, 28, from Helsinki joined the pillow fight day with their team. “We exchanged hundreds of blows but our pillow remained in one piece. We chose premium quality.” Picture: Tony Öhberg for Finland Today

Helmi Patjas, 25, from Helsinki and Anna Bajnai, 24, from Hungary but who just moved to Kallio, learned about the pillow fight day through Facebook. “When I saw the invitation, I thought that the event spoke to me directly because of my wild and crazy nature,” Bajnai said and laughed. Picture: Tony Öhberg for Finland Today