On a beautiful, sunny November afternoon you’d normally expect a park to be full of singles walking their dogs, couples pushing strollers and Austin’s ubiquitous joggers doing their thing. However, if you show up at Adams-Hemphill Park around 11 a.m. on November 4th, you’re at risk of walking straight into the middle of a bloody balloon battle.
Over 5,000 balloons filled with top quality fake blood will fly across a grassy battlefield in an epic fight destined to last up to five whole minutes - and if you’re quick, you can join in.
“Last year, it was over in less than two minutes,” said Jason Vines, founder.
The idea for the bloody balloon battle came from a post-apocalyptic sense of efficiency. Vines is a freelance special effects designer. “I was doing effects for a local film and had to make a lot of blood. When we were done, I had a couple of gallons left over. It’s a shame to waste it. Instead of pouring it down a drain, I thought wouldn’t it be fun to pour it into balloons and throw it at one another?”
He invited five Facebook friends to a private little showdown. Thirty five people RSVP’d. Suddenly, instead of using up a couple gallons of leftover blood, he found himself in his living room mixing up enough fresh blood to fill 1,000 balloons.
“It was such a blast. My friends all wanted to do it again, so here we are,” said Vines.
This year, the battle will be even bloodier. Vines and his team of volunteers are making 5,000 balloons for an estimated 100 combatants. “It’s open to anyone who wants to get bloody and have a little fun,” said Vines. “I’m a little bit concerned we might get too many people and won’t have enough balloons.” 50 per person may sound like a lot, but in the midst of battle, the ammo runs out surprisingly fast.
The Vulcan, and The Hitchcock
While most of the balloons are full of fake blood, Vines is sneaking in two special weapons. “The Vulcan” will be full of green blood while “The Hitchcock” will be full of chocolate syrup in honor of the blood used in old black and white films. Anyone hit by the special blood bombs gets a secret prize.
In the spirit of making it look as much like an afternoon massacre as possible, anyone who joins in is encouraged to wear as much disposable white clothing as possible so the blood will really show.
“Be prepared. Everything you’re wearing will be stained and ruined. Either wear something white that’s more or less disposable or a costume. Last year we had someone in a chicken suit. We might have some ghosts or something else cheap and white. I’m doing it after Halloween because then all the costumes will be heavily discounted,” said Vines. He also recommended people leave their cellphones in their car so they don’t end up with moisture damage; wear grubby yardwork shoes; and leave a couple towels in in their cars to protect the seats on the drive home.
Vines also recommended people wear swim goggles for eye protection. “There’s nothing toxic or anything it the blood, but it will stain contact lenses temporarily around the iris. It does go away after a couple days, but you will look funny for a little while. Lab goggles won’t get enough of a seal on there.”
He described the event as a symbolic purging of all the leftover gore from Halloween. “It’s also a way to say hey, you’ve spent all this money on a halloween costume which you can never use again because you don’t want to re-wear it next year. Come out and, get it covered in blood, and now you have a story.”
To get involved, simply join the Bloody Balloon Battle Facebook Event. You can spend quality time in the blood balloon-filling assembly line, help in the cleanup so it looks like a bunch of zombies are hunting in the park for brain scraps, or donate to help Vines defray the $1,500 cost of blood, most of which is coming out of his own pocket.
If a blood soaked flash mob sounds like fun, but you’re not in the mood to get too squishy yourself, Vines also welcomes voyeuristic photographers and videographers.
“It’s over before you know it,” said Vines. “I’d love to see the whole thing in slow-mo.”
