Come Out & Play Festival

Come Out & Play Festival

New York City and San Francisco

2006 to present

Transforming cities from concrete jungles into jungle gyms, the Come Out & Play Festival reclaims space through free, public street games. Annual weekend-long events in New York and San Francisco provide forums for new types of play and unusual interaction with fellow urbanites. As game designer and festival co-founder Greg Trefry lamented the “loss of a sense that we can play in public space,” he said the festival can also open up places that might otherwise feel regulated. Games range from dodgeball and large-scale Battleship to “psychogeographic experiments,” and largely attract an under-40, media-savvy crowd. In future, Trefry hopes to host games that encourage more spontaneous drop-in participation, and as always, he wants to bring playfulness back to the public realm.

Community, Information, Pleasure
5,000 - 15,000
6 months organization + 3 days festival
5 organizers
Problem - forbidding, antisocial public realm
Solution - turn city into giant playground