Every April, Austin locals gather to celebrate Eeyore’s birthday. Yes, that Eeyore. The sad little donkey from the Winnie the Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The tradition was started in 1963 by a group of english students from the University of Texas and the party’s gotten bigger every year. Much, much bigger.
There’s food, beer, live music, drum circles, and plenty of activities to keep you busy throughout the day. And despite the fact that there are thousands of people wandering around Pease Park during the event, it is surprisingly peaceful. Since I started attending in 1995, I have never seen a fight break out during Eeyore’s Birthday Party. Literally never.
First time visitors to Eeyore’s Birthday Party might be a bit culture-shocked. You may find yourself wondering “where did all these weirdos come from, and why doesn’t someone tell them the ’70s are over?”. But you see, there are a lot of real live hippies in Austin, and I can assure you it’s not an act. Many of these fine folks actually dress and live this way all the time. “Keep Austin Weird” as the saying goes.
Fair warning: Even though Eeyore’s Birthday Party is billed as a “family friendly” event, you’ll likely smell some dope here and there. You’ll also see more than a few topless women, men in skirts (it’s a kilt dammit!), and did I mention hippies? If you’re not accustomed to that, I recommend renting a copy of Dazed and Confused and watching it repeatedly until your totally, ya know, “cool”.
Happy birthday Eeyore!
