"It really puts a smile on my face to see The Big Lebowski has a faithful following"
 -Jeff Bridges quoted in New York Daily News

Upon its release in 1998, The Big Lebowski was… Misunderstood. Inspired in part by the noir mysteries of Raymond Chandler, the film is a meandering tale about a listless stoner and bowling enthusiast, known simply as The Dude, who finds himself in the middle of a plot involving kidnapping, extortion, nihilists, the avant-garde art world, Tara Reid and the L.A. porn scene. Then, there was that business about a missing rug. Critics and the general public promptly dismissed the Coen Brothers comedy as a forgettable mess, and it flopped at the box office. Since then, however, the film’s true merits have slowly come to light. Namely, The Dude – who has become the patron saint of slackerdom – and the film’s idioms, which have become slacker gospel. Still, when two friends Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt decided to throw a bowling party in honor of their favorite movie, they had no idea that the subsequent gathering of fellow Lebowski fans would eventually spawn a full-blown movement. It did. The fans are now known as ‘Achievers,’ and their movement is called Lebowski Fest.

The first Lebowski Fest took place on October 12, 2002, at a bowling alley in Louisville, Kentucky. Russell and Shuffitt posted flyers around town, expecting 20 or so of their friends to show up. Instead, Lebowski loyalists flocked from all around, and a revolution was born. After a groundswell of press that culminated into a surprise mention in SPIN Magazine's "19 Events you Can't Miss" in the summer of 2003, the 2nd Annual Lebowski Fest attracted 1200 fans from 35 states and abroad, as well as the first appearance by Jeff "The Dude" Dowd, the real-life inspiration for the film’s main character. Since then, Lebowski Fest has expanded its reach to cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Austin, Seattle and London, with the main Annual Event being held in Louisville every year, and has been featured prominently in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Maxim, et al. Not to be outdone, Russell, Shuffitt, along with poster artist Bill Green, managed to pen a book entitled I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski: Life, The Big Lebowski, and What-Have-You (Bloomsbury).

“What do you do for recreation?” Julianne Moore’s character Maude Lebowski asks The Dude in the film. “Oh, the usual,” The Dude responds. “I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.” Lebowski Fest organizers have not strayed very far from that formula – much to the delight of Festival attendees. ‘Achievers’ are regaled with two nights of events: live music and a screening of the movie on the first night; followed by an evening of bowling, replete with wild costumes, trivia contests, unlimited bowling, White Russians, and what-have-you. Lebowski Fest has also incorporated various reenactments of scenes from the film, art exhibits, and games, like the Ringer Toss, whereby contestants toss a bag of white undies out the window of a ’72 Plymouth Fury III (dubbed the Lebowski-mobile, naturally), toward a Nihilist dummy target, for prizes. The Marmot Fling (catapulting a stuffed ferret into a small bath tub) and The Sheriff of Malibu Coffee Mug Toss are also ‘Achiever’ favorites.

In 2005, Jeff Bridges (The Dude Himself) made an appearance at the Los Angeles Fest at The Knitting Factory. Donning the Jelly sandals he wore in the film, and looking very Dude-like in general, Bridges truly was the man for his time and place, performing Bob Dylan’s ‘The Man in Me,’ a prominent song on the film’s soundtrack. Co-founder Will Russell calls it a “defining moment,” not only for the festival, but also, “in my life.” Other actors from the film to have made appearances include Peter Stormare (Uli the Nihilist), Jack Kehler (Marty the Landlord), David Huddleston (The Big Lebowski), Jerry Haleva (Saddam), Lu Elrod (Waitress), Jim Hoosier (Liam), Robin Jones (Ralph's Checkout Girl), Luis Colina (Corvette Owner) and others. No matter how small the role, the ‘Achievers’ always give them the rock star treatment.

When Louisville band My Morning Jacket took the stage at their local Fest, they did so in true ‘Achiever’ style: Frontman Jim James came dressed as The Dude, drummer Patrick Hallahan as Walter, bassist Tommy Blankenship as The Jesus, guitarist Carl Boremel as Karl Hungus, and keyboardist Bo Koster as a Nihilist. At the peak of their set, fireworks began to fill the sky behind the stage. “It was truly an amazing moment,” says Russell. “The fireworks were apparently from a completely unrelated event down the road, but Lebowski Fest took full credit.” Other live acts through the years include They Might Be Giants, Dr. Dog, Comedian Brian Posehn, Mike Doughty, Vietnam, Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers, Jon Spencer's Heavy Trash, Har Mar Superstar and many others.

In 2009, Lebowski Fests will be held in at least 15 cities across North America, including Los Angeles, Louisville, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Austin, Minneapolis, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC and New York. They got us working in shifts!

Ultimately, Lebowski Fest is a celebration of The Dude – the not-quite-hero – in all of us. I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski co-author, and Lebowski Fest co-founder Scott Shuffitt: “It reminds me that I am just a dude trying to get my rug back.”