Here at Jaunted, we love us some flash mobs and all of the fun and city exploration that come with them. But this upcoming Monday, November 9 in Berlin, a flash mob will take on a somber note as up to 33,000 people gather to recreate the Berlin Wall on the 20th anniversary of the night it came down.

The "Mauer Mob"—know that "mauer" means "wall" in German— will happen at approximately 8:15pm on Monday, lasting for about 15 minutes so that visitors, Berliners, and even those who were there for the original tearing down of the wall can commemorate the date and capture photos of the scene. Already almost 6,000 people have registered to participate on the event's official site, and if you're in the vicinity, you should not miss this opportunity.

For tips on what to see and what to skip while you're not becoming part of a human Berlin wall in the city, be sure to check out our Berlin Field Trip series.

Related Stories:
· Temporarily Recreating The Berlin Wall [Kottke]
· Mauer Mob [Official Site]
· Walk The Path Of The Berlin Wall And Crash Into A Starbucks [Jaunted]
· Berlin coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Jaunted]]]> JetSetCD 2009-11-05T14:49:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/15/93559/9536

Dave Chappelle in Portland

Our favorite comedian before he abruptly left the public eye, Dave Chappelle, is apparently still crazy but this time, his crazy actions benefited thousands of folks who crowded Pioneer Square in Portland, Oregon to see him do a sort of flash mob stand-up routine after rumors lit up Facebook and the Twitterwaves.

The comedian, who suddenly dropped out of a lucrative $50 million contract for his Comedy Central sketch show and the comedy scene altogether, stepped on stage just after midnight and performed for nearly 90 minutes.

From the Oregonian:

Chappelle seemed surprised by the scene.

"This has never happened in my entire career," he said, to a huge cheer. "I'm grateful everybody came out."

Chappelle did squeeze in some comedy. He compared one guy working on the sound system to Scotty from Star Trek, and took an OPB reporter's microphone and said, "Support Oregon Public Broadcasting." At one point, a woman and two men atop Starbucks began stripping as Chappelle gaped and the crowd cheered and jeered.

By 2 a.m., it was clear the sound system wouldn't go, and Chappelle wound things down. He thanked the crowd and shared a few things he learned, including: "Don't tell a secret in Portland."

]]> juliana 2009-07-15T09:47:39-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/3/132737/4943

· New York City and almost everywhere else: Set your jammies aside and warm up your biceps for some serious public pillow whomping as the world celebrates International Pillow Fight Day on Saturday. We already let you in on the fact that New York City will host their massive stress-relieving event at 3pm on Wall Street, but be sure to check out the official site for details on how to get in on the fun in your city, whether that be Cardiff or Seattle. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-04-03T14:41:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/2/112011/0225

What are you waiting for? It's time to head your local dollar store and invest in some bandannas and a good, sturdy fightin' pillow, what with Annual Pillow Fight Day on Saturday! For those who haven't yet had the pleasure of being publicly pummeled by pillows wielded by happy-go-lucky strangers, it's a must-do.

Now beloved in more cities around the world than just New York, Saturday will see flash mob pillow fights in the usual hot spots like Chicago, Budapest and Amsterdam, but also appearing in some truly random locales; think Miyazaki City in Japan, Caracas, Venezuela and Parma, Italy. For the full schedule around the world, check out PillowFightDay.com.

For the New York City slickers, this year's feather-free event hosted by Newmindspace will allow you to release financial frustrations by appropriately taking place at Wall Street and Broad Street at 3pm. Sadly, since it's a Saturday, there will be no wandering bankers or financial types to get mixed up in the good-natured violence. Aw, shucks.

Related Stories:
· Pillow Fight Day [Official Site]
· World Pillow Fight Day is Saturday [Urban Prankster]
· Say Sayonara to Stress on International Pillow Fight Day [Jaunted]
· Flash Mobs Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Urban Prankster]]]> JetSetCD 2009-04-02T12:21:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/15/22219/3021

There’s a lot to be stressed out over lately. The media, including us, can’t stop mentioning that the world’s economy is in the toilet. Pilots are smoking wacky tobaccy while you’re stuck in coach, and the long cold winter can’t end soon enough. If you’re like us, you'll need to relieve all that pent up frustration one way or another, and to do that, there's nothing better than pretending that you're six years old. So forget the adult worries and grab your favorite pillow—ninja turtle pajamas are optional.

On April 4 people from all over the globe will convene in town squares to celebrate International Pillow Fight Day. From Sydney to Stockholm everyone will get a chance to relieve their stress and anxiety by attacking friends and complete strangers. ]]> kjb 2009-03-16T10:13:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/19/224242/960

The new British T-Mobile "Life's For Sharing" ad features a crowd that magically breaks into song and dance in the middle of a train station. It's like a cross between Improv Everywhere's "Look Up More", the Filipino prison "Thriller" and [spoiler] the end credits of "Slumdog Millionaire." Not surprisingly, we totally like it.

The spot is the brainchild of ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, for which 350 dancers were hired. Its immediacy is unique: Shot January 15 with ten hidden cameras, the spot first aired in the U.K. on the 17th two days later.

T-Mobile worked behind the scenes with Network Rail, the company that owns British train infrastructure, and with the Liverpool Street Station in London to get clearance for the flash mob style dance, modeled after spontaneous gatherings like a 2007 silent rave at Victoria Station, in which over 4,000 commuters gathered during rush hour to dance to the music of their iPods for two hours -- a stunt repeated in New York's Union Square in April.

Liverpool Street is an old pro at appearing onscreen; it was the set for two BBC fictional movies about terrorist attacks on London and makes a cameo in the 1996 movie "Mission: Impossible."

Related Stories:
· Life's For Sharing campaign channel [YouTube]
· 2007: 4,000 Flash Mob Dancers Startle Commuters At Victoria [This Is London]
· 2008: For 1,000 Solo Dancers, a Soundtrack of Silence [NY Times]

[Photo: Adrants]]]> egw 2009-01-20T10:16:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/15/85518/671

This Saturday, October 18, Central Park will play host to the NYC Big Wheel Race. Tossed together by the pranksters at Newmindspace, racers can enter with big wheels, tricycles, skateboards or even a roller skate screwed to a 2x4--just as long as the vehicle's seat is no more than a foot off the ground.

Superhero attire--as well as protective gear--is suggested, and you'll probably need it: The race takes place down the Great Hill, the highest point in the park.

You'll need to email Newmindspace to register if you're racing, but spectators can just show up at 103rd Street and Central Park West by 2 pm to catch the start of the action.

Related Stories:
· Newmindspace [Official Site]
· The Big Wheel Rally [Zoomdoggle]
· Flash Mobs coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a Big Wheel rally in San Francisco: Jef Poskanzer]]]> Dan Gould 2008-10-15T11:15:45-05:00 40.7826810 -73.964770 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/