Photo by Kristin Wardian

A historical reenactment in New York of questionable accuracy. With marshmallows. Many years ago, widespread unrest in the region and a perplexing overabundance of marshmallows led to a soft armed conflict between opposing sides. More moderate citizens flew the flag of Yellow, while the more radical aligned themselves with Red.

Marshmallow pistols, jet-puffed assault rifles, bow-and-mallows and Peep grenades decimated each army until no soldier was left alive. This is a reenactment of that epic battle.

Sides will be chosen, marshmallow weapons will be loaded, and chaos will ensue.

Where and When

The battle shall commence at 3:00 PM Eastern Time on Saturday October 24th, 2009 at Brooklyn Banks, a park in Manhattan under the Brooklyn Bridge, east side. It’s protected from rain! Take the 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge or the J,M,Z to Chambers St. Walk to the pedestrian stairs for the Brooklyn Bridge and take the path to the left instead of going up the stairs. Read these detailed directions before you go! Keep updated on the Facebook page.

How to Participate

All participants should bring one bag of marshmallows (mini or jumbo), a weapon, and a uniform of any kind. Safety goggles are strongly recommended. Teams will be divided at the meeting point with provided Yellow or Red tape around their arms. Teams will be further subdivided into battalions if they have arranged them in advance.

Generals will meet in the middle and attempt to negotiate a truce. If no agreement can be reached, each faction will go to war. The battle will continue until there is nobody left standing. If you would like to get more involved, please email love (at) newmindspace.com.

Weapon Guide

There are three options for a weapon with which to launch your marshmallows: make one, buy one, or use the ghetto extra ones we provide. The rule of thumb is: anything goes, as long as you are only shooting standard mini- or jumbo marshmallows. You may be wondering, “Couldn’t somebody get hurt?” Definitely! Let’s move on, shall we?

Making a marshmallow shooter is an inexpensive and rewarding experience. The standard issue marshmallow shooter plus construction diagram are shown below.

You can also build a pneumatic air cannon to use the power of compressed air to launch your gelatinous ammunition. Instructions can be found on Instructables.

Teams are encouraged to be creative in their DIY artillery, from catapults and trebuchets to cannons and slingshots. Just don’t make anything that looks like a real gun, please.

Photos and Video

Kristin Wardian’s Flickr / Metromix’s photos / TimeOut NY’s coverage