San Francisco’s latest Hole Party took place earlier this week. SFGATE reported that roughly 250 people turned out at Ocean Beach to dig an enormous hole.
They worked for hours, digging an irregularly shaped sand pit, intermittently chanting, “Hole! Hole! Hole!” The digging resulted in several holes more than six feet deep, with trenches that meandered in between. Later, as the Hole Party wound down, participants helped fill the holes back in.
Who dug?
The crowd of diggers were young, mostly in their 20s and early 30s. Reporters on the scene identified students, blue-collar workers, a music teacher, and a gardener who digs for a living—among many others.
Hole Party history
This Hole Party event was organized by Anna Magruder, 29, who works in forestry. She started Hole Parties in 2022 as a private activity with a handful of friends. Later, she opened up the gathering to the public.
SFGATE said Magruder has already hosted a dozen previous Hole Parties before this latest one, which makes the Ocean Beach version the 13th in the series. Videos of the event were quickly posted online.
Pointless?
My first reaction to the unusual beach event was an eye roll! Why spend effort and time digging an irregular hole and then filling it in? This had to be an early April Fool’s prank, perhaps carried out by folks searching for 15 minutes of fame.
Then, I took a closer look. Hole participants didn’t seem to be closely associated. Many passersby saw the hole and simply joined in. The event seemed spontaneous, focused, and even (I hesitate to admit) fun!?
Camaraderie
After mulling the Hole Party event over for a couple of days, I began to wonder. Is a hole party that much different from a campfire? (Stop eye-rolling and hear me out.)
Often, a campfire brings a variety of RVers together. We come from very different backgrounds and life experiences. RVers will pitch in to help get a fire going, hurry back to their camper for S’more ingredients, invite other RVers to join in, and then share stories and advice about traveling.
We put time and energy into this experience, knowing that ultimately the fire will be doused with water, stirred, and doused again. Is a campfire pointless? Not at all. The fire draws us together. It gives us something to do. It provides an opportunity to share, learn, and feel camaraderie with other RVers.
Hole Party diggers shared an experience. They worked together on a joint project. The hole wasn’t the point. What mattered was the experience.
Campfire gatherings, “beer thirty” get-togethers, and impromptu RV problem-solving conversations aren’t all that different. People need other people. We’ll always find a reason to gather together—even if onlookers see and roll their eyes.
Caution: It should be noted that digging holes in the sand can be dangerous. The sand can collapse into the hole, causing injury and even death.
Hole digging on the beach used to be part of the annual July4th celebration in Santa Barbara until the city outlawed it. It was noisy and drunk and people of all ages had fun with it. I didn’t and don’t drink, but I attended a few and had fun. Then the pearl-clutchers put an end to it.
Thank you for discovering and sharing this “event,” Gail. I enjoyed your discussion of the similarities between the conventional and unconventional ways of gathering strangers and transforming them into acquaintances, if not ultimately more. Have a great day and safe travels!