Lebowski Fest Movie Party

About
Lebowski Fest is a celebration of all things related to the 1998 Coen brothers cult comedy, "The Big Lebowski." Fans of the film (aka "Achievers") come from far and wide to drink white Russians, throw some rocks and party with an array of Dudes, Walters and Maudes (not to mention a nihilist or two). It's a two-day party that typically opens with live performances and screening of the film the first night and concludes with a raucous bowling party the following night. The First Annual Lebowski Fest was in 2002 in Louisville, but subsequent fests have been held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Austin, Seattle, London and Edinburgh. While the Coen brothers continue to maintain a safe distance from the madness they created, the fest has earned the blessing of the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, who attended the fest in L.A. and even stuck around to sing a few songs. Check out photos from past fests, and click here find out when Lebowski Fest might be coming to a city near you.
History
The story of Lebowski Fest unfolds like many great endeavors, during a stupefying afternoon bereft of entertainment options but plenty of time to kill. In this case, it was a tattoo expo in Louisville, Kentucky, which had lured Scott and Will (aka "the Founding Dudes") under the mistaken belief that it would be a great place to sell T-shirts from Scott's shop (Mothership Connection, R.I.P.). As that hot July day in 2002 dragged on, they took to amusing themselves trading lines from "The Big Lebowski," which had not yet been recognized as the minor classic it is. It didn't matter how many times Scott or Will said a certain line, it was just as hilarious the 200th time as the first. The other vendors around them began to join in, creating a sense of bonding and camaraderie between complete strangers. Amidst this swirl of neck tattoos and piercing enthusiasts came a revelation: If they can have conventions for tattoos and God knows what else, why not a convention for people who love "The Big Lebowski"? As a famous dude once said "If you will it, it is no dream." A date was set, a bowling alley was rented and flyers were printed. And people flocked from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and Pismo to take part in the shenanigans. The First Annual Lebowski Fest went so well that Scott and Will decided to host another one, and another one, and another one. Because sometimes there's a...there's a ... Well, I lost my train of thought here. But ...aw, hell. I've done introduced it enough.