On May 26 2022, hundreds and hundreds of people dressed in ghoulish vampire costumes descended upon Whitby Abbey and broke the world record for largest gathering of people dressed as vampires!
A total of 1,369 people attended, clad head to toe in vampiric garb including black shoes, waistcoat, a cape, black skirt/trousers and of course, vampire fangs. After the final count, official representatives from Guinness World Records approved the attempt and signalled that the world record had indeed be broken. People travelled from as far away as California to help break the record.
The previous record stood at 1,039 people dressed as vampires and gathered in one place. It was made in the town of Doswell, Virginia in the United States on September 30 2011.
The attempt coincides with the 125th anniversary of the publication of Bram Stoker's classic horror novel, Dracula. Whitby Abbey is the perfect backdrop to this event as it - along with other spots in Whitby including the harbour - inspired the scenery and locations within the story.
Participants were informed of the strict nature of the dress code, as stipulated by the official Guinness World Records, and were required to stick with their stewards. This was implemented to avoid miscounts with warnings that a person wouldn't be counted if they left their steward. The event was free to enter for all dressed in 'traditional vampire' clothes (plus any non-vampire guardians/carers).
There was food and drink available including a special fruity 'blood' cocktail (or mocktail for designated drivers and children), and the actual attempt took place at 6.45pm. There was live music to keep the vampires entertained by local band Westernra and excerpts from the book were performed by theatre group Time Will Tell.
There was also a 'best dressed vampire' competition hosted on the evening to find the most convincing vampire that even Count Dracula himself would have feared.
