Abstract
This article contributes to the development of the concept of “playgrounds”, which has previously been given only sporadic analytical value as a fundamental component of concepts of play. Ethnographic material on the Italian celebration and competition the Palio di Siena is analysed, providing a spatial analysis to support the emotional reading of play. According to this article, the emerging playground of this festivity includes not only local and global public places but also intimate ones. The article investigates how intimacy and publicness are intertwined in specific festive places, and what role global contexts play today in spatial processes of community-building at festivities. Furthermore, festivities are shaped by both participants and outsiders, such as tourists and even “spoilsports”.