Eeyore's Birthday Party
Eeyore's Birthday Party is a day-long
costumes, and very large drum circles. The event is frequented by children and families, with specific events presented for them by the event organizers. The festival is named in honor of Eeyore, a character in A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories.[2]
History
Eeyore's Birthday Party began in 1963 as a spring party and picnic before the beginning of ‘
may pole (in keeping with the event's proximity to May Day).[5] For many years the party was a UT tradition, but subsequently the annual Birthday Party became a tradition in Austin's hippie subculture.[2]
drum circles
at this annual event.When the festival moved from Eastwoods Park to Pease District Park in 1974, Austin-area non-profit
hippies. Consumption of psychedelics is widespread among all demographic groups. It now boasts an annual attendance in the thousands.[2]
The 2020 festival was held online, as officials scrapped the in-person party due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contemporary
Pease District Park; a rain date is scheduled for the following weekend. Bright and diverse costumes are common. In keeping with the original traditions of the event, a live donkey and a may pole are always present. The event begins in the late morning and continues until dusk. Food and drinks are sold onsite by local Austin 501c-3 non-profit groups. Purified water is available onsite for participants to fill their own containers. Due to the lack of parking in the area and the high attendance, the Friends of the Forest Foundation provides festive shuttle buses between state parking lots just north of the capitol building and Pease Park. Singing of folk and road trip songs is encouraged on the short bus ride.[1][2]
Eeyore's Birthday Party is attended by people from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages, some of whom may have been attending for decades. Austin's hippie community still puts in a major appearance at the event, which they celebrate by forming large
drum circles which can sometimes contain hundreds of drummers and dancers in the large areas of the park not occupied by other events. Members of the Deaf community like the drum circles because they can feel the vibrations.[6]
As of 2008, the event has also spread to Seattle's Cal Anderson Park as an annual celebration.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b Sexton, Scott. Eeyore's Birthday Party Archived 2006-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 4, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e Rossi, Victoria. "Celebrating Eeyore: Young and old gather for traditional tribute to fictional character Archived May 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine". (May 2, 2005). The Daily Texan. Retrieved January 18, 2006.
- ISBN 0-525-44443-2.
- ^ Topher. Winnie-the-Pooh FAQ Archived 2006-03-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 18, 2006.
- ^ Ramirez, Elena. Eeyore's Birthday Archived 2005-08-27 at the Wayback Machine. Austin Now. Retrieved January 18, 2006.
- ^ a b
Richey, Howie (2014). Party Weird: Festivals and Fringe Gatherings of Austin. Charleston, SC: The History Press. p. 84. OCLC 1150150548.
- ^ "KLRU: Austin Now > Eeyore's Birthday". Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Eeyore's Birthday, Seattle, WA". Yelp. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- ^ "Eeyore's Birthday on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eeyore's Birthday Party.
