Swain encouraged participants of the chat to meet at a set of coordinates one year hence and fight for the right to use the name "Josh." The event, though initially intended as a joke, drew a crowd of nearly a thousand on the day of the event. The gathering was lighthearted and there was no actual violence involved. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the event became a "global news phenomenon,"[1] while a technology writer for The Guardian called it "perhaps the ultimate response to an online Doppelgänger."[2]
Background
On April 24, 2020, several Facebook Messenger users named Josh Swain were added to a group chat that read,
– You're probably wondering why I've gathered you all here today
Swain explained the idea for the event was conceived out of boredom from the COVID-19 lockdowns. Swain had often experienced the frustration of being unable to receive an exclusive handle on social media because of other Josh Swains.[4][5] He posted a screenshot of the conversation on Twitter the same day. The tweet received over 64,000 likes and 21,000 retweets within two weeks, surprising Swain.[4][5][3]
Although Swain said the tweet was "entirely a joke," the conversation became a meme on social media.[6][7] Days before the event, Swain took to Reddit in order to announce a fundraiser for the event to benefit the Children's Hospital & Medical Center (CH&MC) Foundation in Omaha, along with a request for non-perishables to start a food drive for the Food Bank of Lincoln.[4][6][8] In the same post, Swain encouraged attendees to bring pool noodles as mock weapons for the planned fight.[9]
Swain had selected Lincoln, Nebraska as a site for the event due to its central location within the United States; the original randomly picked coordinates were located in a field on private property. The field's owner, however, did not agree to host "such a ridiculous event,"[10] and as such the fight was relocated to Air Park, approximately 2.6 miles (4.2 km) away.[11][12]
Event
On the chosen day, nearly a thousand people, including at least 50 named Josh, congregated at Air Park.[4][13][14] Attendees came from as far as New York, Washington, and Texas, with some dressed in superhero and Star Wars costumes.[15][16][17] Three "fights" were held—one game of rock paper scissors for those named Josh Swain, a second with pool noodles for all attendees named Josh, and a third and final all-in battle for anyone in possession of a pool noodle willing to participate.[10][18]
Only two of the individuals in attendance were named "Josh Swain"—Josh Swain, the event's creator, beat a rival 38-year-old Josh Swain from Omaha in the rock paper scissors event.[1][13][19] A local five-year-old boy named Josh Vinson Jr., dubbed "Little Josh," who had been treated at the CH&MC for seizures when he was two years old, was declared the overall winner. Vinson Jr. was crowned with a paper coronet from Burger King as well as a replica AEW World Championship belt.[12][19][20] Vinson Jr.'s father, Josh Vinson Sr., said afterward that his son "had the time of his life."[1]
The gathering raised US$14,355 for the Children's Hospital & Medical Center Foundation—far past its initial goal of US$1,000—and collected over 200 pounds (90 kg) of food for the nearby food bank.[4][21] The CH&MC has since shown appreciation for the fundraiser on social media.[22] On May 6, 2021, Josh Cellars, a Californian winery, decided to triple the donation by donating $30,000 to the CH&MC.[23]The Wall Street Journal wrote that the event became a "global news phenomenon."[1]
The next year, a second edition of the event was held on May 21, 2022, at Bowling Lake Park.[24][25] The anniversary event was organized by the Arizonan Swain, with donations once again going to the CH&MC.[26][27] Around 200 people attended the event, including at least 20 people being named Josh. The redux raised US$20,576, with Josh Cellars agreeing to double the donation.[28] According to The Wall Street Journal, Swain would like to have the Josh fight occur annually, but said "he's not sure if he'll be able to keep it up."[29] There has not been a new event since 2022.
