Plunderathon
Encyclopedia
Plunderathon is an annual pirate
-themed festival in Portland, Oregon
, United States
that usually coincides with Fleet Week
or the Rose Festival
. Plunderathon is run by a group calling itself "the Infernal Order of Pirates, Buccaneers, Scallywags, Privateers and Grocery Store Clerks" that prides itself on a heavy disinformation campaign leading up to the event, often issuing press statements that flatly contradict previous ones and making "historical" claims of Plunderathons from over a century ago. Throughout the event, the designated historian will often be called upon to recite the history of the Order in exchange for rum, which he or she does by making it up on the spot and claiming authenticity.
Plunderathon is not tied to any venue or location, but is a mobile combination of a parade, bar crawl and public art spectacle very similar to the Cacophony
Society's SantaCon
.
Participants dress up as pirates, make "ships" out of shopping carts and parade through town for around 10 hours, mostly in the Old Town/Chinatown
, Downtown
and Vaseline Alley
areas. Costumes range from cheap party store items to high-quality theatrical costumes. The 2006 Plunderathon had over 120 pirates and featured a treasure chest-shaped piñata
that was full of condom
s and a beanbag fight (called "cannonball fight") in the North Park Blocks. They also visited the Shanghai tunnels
, walked completely through Powell's Books
, the Pearl District, pushed the ship/cart through the US Bancorp Tower and blocked traffic on several downtown streets while moving from one place to another in long single-file lines.
The new Plunderathon logo, released on their website in January 2008, states the elements of the logo are: A skull with mugs tilted away from the center, handles upward, in the place of eyesockets. Rum bottles tilted together take the place of nasal passages, crossed unadorned bones lie behind the skull. In a circle around the skull and crossed bones, from the lower left end of the cross to the lower right, is the text "the Infernal Order of Pirates, Buccaneers, Scallywags, Privateers and Grocery Store Clerks." Under the cross is the text "Est. 1843" for the year of the first Plunderathon. As long as these elements exist and nothing is added to it, the logo is used to identify those who have participated in Plunderathon. Pirates who have split from Plunderathon and gone out on their own omit the text "the Infernal Order of Pirates, Buccaneers, Scallywags, Privateers and Grocery Store Clerks" but retain "Est. 1843" out of respect for their roots.
The 2007 Plunderathon was a record-setting 250 Pirates in size overall (though at any one point numbers topped out at 180) and featured a compressed-air cannon that shot sex toys, chocolate coin and small toys at passers by, as well as a large rubber band war and an invasion of the Pride Festival. The Portland pirate rock band Sunken Chest played a rock'n set at the Ash Street Saloon. The flagship for 2007 was the H.M.S. Venture (named after the Adult Swim
cartoon The Venture Bros.
, which replaced the 2006 flagship, the H.M.S. Birdman). The Venture was the first flagship to survive a Plunderathon intact. Another ship, the Flaming Molly, was shanghaied before the end of the event and its wreckage was found in Old Town a week later, next to a chocolate shop.
Plunderathon has been featured in The Oregonian
's Culturepulp comic as well as local newspapers such as The Portland Mercury
, The Daily Oregonian, and the Willamette Week
.
The 2010 Plunderathon will occur on July 31 starting at noon at Skidmore Fountain
. The event is adults-only and event organizers have threatened on their blog to call child protective services on any parent who brings kids to the event.
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
-themed festival in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that usually coincides with Fleet Week
Fleet Week
Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, the crews can enter the city and visit its tourist...
or the Rose Festival
Portland Rose Festival
The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region...
. Plunderathon is run by a group calling itself "the Infernal Order of Pirates, Buccaneers, Scallywags, Privateers and Grocery Store Clerks" that prides itself on a heavy disinformation campaign leading up to the event, often issuing press statements that flatly contradict previous ones and making "historical" claims of Plunderathons from over a century ago. Throughout the event, the designated historian will often be called upon to recite the history of the Order in exchange for rum, which he or she does by making it up on the spot and claiming authenticity.
Plunderathon is not tied to any venue or location, but is a mobile combination of a parade, bar crawl and public art spectacle very similar to the Cacophony
Cacophony Society
The Cacophony Society is “a randomly gathered network of free spirits united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society.” It was started in 1986 by surviving members of the now defunct Suicide Club of San Francisco....
Society's SantaCon
SantaCon
SantaCon is a mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill....
.
Participants dress up as pirates, make "ships" out of shopping carts and parade through town for around 10 hours, mostly in the Old Town/Chinatown
Old Town Chinatown, Portland, Oregon
Old Town Chinatown is a neighborhood in the Northwest section of Portland, Oregon. The Willamette River forms its eastern boundary, separating it from the Lloyd District and the Kerns and Buckman neighborhoods...
, Downtown
Downtown Portland
Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....
and Vaseline Alley
Burnside Triangle
The Burnside Triangle is an area in Downtown Portland, Oregon. It is centered around SW Stark St. and comprises a triangular set of city blocks. It is arguably Portland’s most visible gay neighborhood and Greek thoroughfare...
areas. Costumes range from cheap party store items to high-quality theatrical costumes. The 2006 Plunderathon had over 120 pirates and featured a treasure chest-shaped piñata
Piñata
A piñata is a papier-mâché or other type of container that is decorated, filled with toys and or candy and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. Piñatas are most commonly associated with Mexico, but its origins are considered to be in China...
that was full of condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s and a beanbag fight (called "cannonball fight") in the North Park Blocks. They also visited the Shanghai tunnels
Shanghai tunnels
The Shanghai Tunnels, less commonly known as the Portland Underground, are a group of passages running underneath Old Town/Chinatown down to the central downtown section of Portland, Oregon, United States. The tunnels connected the basements of many downtown hotels and bars, to the waterfront of...
, walked completely through Powell's Books
Powell's Books
Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores in Oregon's Portland metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Powell's City of Books is located in the Pearl District on the edge of downtown and...
, the Pearl District, pushed the ship/cart through the US Bancorp Tower and blocked traffic on several downtown streets while moving from one place to another in long single-file lines.
The new Plunderathon logo, released on their website in January 2008, states the elements of the logo are: A skull with mugs tilted away from the center, handles upward, in the place of eyesockets. Rum bottles tilted together take the place of nasal passages, crossed unadorned bones lie behind the skull. In a circle around the skull and crossed bones, from the lower left end of the cross to the lower right, is the text "the Infernal Order of Pirates, Buccaneers, Scallywags, Privateers and Grocery Store Clerks." Under the cross is the text "Est. 1843" for the year of the first Plunderathon. As long as these elements exist and nothing is added to it, the logo is used to identify those who have participated in Plunderathon. Pirates who have split from Plunderathon and gone out on their own omit the text "the Infernal Order of Pirates, Buccaneers, Scallywags, Privateers and Grocery Store Clerks" but retain "Est. 1843" out of respect for their roots.
The 2007 Plunderathon was a record-setting 250 Pirates in size overall (though at any one point numbers topped out at 180) and featured a compressed-air cannon that shot sex toys, chocolate coin and small toys at passers by, as well as a large rubber band war and an invasion of the Pride Festival. The Portland pirate rock band Sunken Chest played a rock'n set at the Ash Street Saloon. The flagship for 2007 was the H.M.S. Venture (named after the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
cartoon The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their...
, which replaced the 2006 flagship, the H.M.S. Birdman). The Venture was the first flagship to survive a Plunderathon intact. Another ship, the Flaming Molly, was shanghaied before the end of the event and its wreckage was found in Old Town a week later, next to a chocolate shop.
Plunderathon has been featured in The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
's Culturepulp comic as well as local newspapers such as The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates...
, The Daily Oregonian, and the Willamette Week
Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
.
The 2010 Plunderathon will occur on July 31 starting at noon at Skidmore Fountain
Skidmore Fountain
The Skidmore Fountain is a historic fountain in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was dedicated September 22, 1888, in memory of Stephen G. Skidmore and partly financed by his will. It was designed by sculptor Olin Levi Warner for $18,000, all of which was donated...
. The event is adults-only and event organizers have threatened on their blog to call child protective services on any parent who brings kids to the event.