The minute I saw the sign, I knew I had to go. On Aug. 17 I was at the Seattle Center, throwing water balloons at strangers in an attempt to break the record for the largest ever water balloon fight.
The battle took place on a sunny day at the fountain. Kiddie pools filled with water balloons circled the lawn, labeled with signs that read “Don’t be THAT guy. DO NOT touch the water balloons before the world record attempt.” Thousands of people milled around the plaza waiting for the big moment – some were there for the festivities, others for the beer garden or simply to go crazy and get wet.
Why, you ask, does an event like this need to happen? Well, the battle was organized by Party Camp, a nonprofit organization that donated ticket proceeds to Camp Korey. And Seattle is no stranger to strange record-breaking events.
In 2008, residents attempted to break the record for the world’s largest naked swim, while the World’s Largest Snowball Fight was held at the Seattle Center just seven months ago. And this fall, Seahawks fans plan to set a record for crowd noise at the CenturyLink Field.
The water balloon fight itself was pretty anticlimactic. While there were hundreds of thousands of water balloons contained in the numerous kiddie pools, they were no match for us – the insane barrage and splashing only lasted about five minutes. The more memorable part of the festival was later, when someone had the bright idea of sliding down the walls around the fountain in an empty kiddie pool. I almost knocked someone out hurtling towards the fountain, and while we got away unscathed, ambulance sirens a few minutes later proved that not everyone was so lucky.
While I’m not sure if we broke the record, the fight was a nice reminder that most people will happily turn into five-year-olds again at the sight of a water balloon. Seattle’s a good place to be during the summer…but personally, when the Seahawks fans try to set a noise record, I’m out of here.
Fina Short, 14, is a sophomore at Eastside Preparatory School. She lives in Medina.
