A Canadian university has made its mark on the record books for its 60th anniversary, staging the biggest-ever crowd of people dressed as dinosaurs.
To commemorate the milestone, the University of Calgary set out to top an existing Guinness World Records title—and on Saturday, April 11, it succeeded.
Guinness World Records reports that 682 participants turned up in dinosaur costumes during the school’s Community Day celebrations, comfortably surpassing the previous best set by the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“The record was 468. We broke it,” University of Calgary Vice-Provost Verity Turpin told the Canadian Broadcasting Company. “So we are record holders with 682 people dressed in dinosaur costumes.”
The playful push for the title saw the university invite students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and local residents to suit up for Rex’s Jurassic Jamboree.
People from across campus and the wider community joined in, turning the event into a sea of bright, quirky dinosaur outfits. Others gathered nearby to support the attempt, waiting for the official tally and the judges’ confirmation.
“People showed up in some fabulous onesies [and] blow-up dinos where you could not see any part of the person inside except for their feet,” Turpin told the CBC.
University employee Laura Wan also took part—along with her dog, Ollie—and explained her motivation to the Calgary Herald: “It’s a chance to make history. It’s awesome to be part of it. The other side of me is, I just want a really good chance to wear a crazy outfit.”
While Guinness adjudicators carried out the final count, the crowd was entertained by local a cappella group the Heebee Jeebies, along with a singalong to “We Are the Champions” by Queen.
“As soon as we heard Guinness say, ‘Six,’ we knew we broke the record, and no one listened to anything after that. We were all screaming and hugging each other. It was awesome,” Turpin told the CBC.
“The old record is extinct,” UC’s president and vice-chancellor Ed McCauley joked to the Calgary Herald. “This is just a great example of the University of Calgary and our Calgary community coming together to set a world record.”
The achievement will now be commemorated with a dedicated plaque, which McCauley said should be displayed somewhere ‘prominent’ to recognize the community effort that made the record possible.