In Drumheller, a technicality, not a meteor, destroyed the spirits of more than 3,000 people dressed as dinosaurs.
Drumheller is recognized as Canada’s Dinosaur Capital of the World. It is home to some of history’s most important fossil discoveries.
Since dinosaurs are the town’s claim to fame, Travel Drumheller thought it was only fitting that the city earned the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as dinosaurs.
To turn Drumheller’s dream into reality, Travel Drumheller organized the Jurassic Jamboree event, featuring live music, street games, vendors, food trucks, a mini-car show, and more.
Thousands of people gathered in Drumheller, dressed in their best dinosaur costumes. Albertans answered the call, and so did others.
“We did hear that a lady had come up from Vegas; there were people from Nova Scotia,” Drumheller’s marketing manager Keri Looijen told CBC News.
In addition to the daytime festivities, the Jurassic Jamboree included an after-party at the Last Chance Saloon, where Murky Waters, a Calgary-based alternative folk band, performed.
Unfortunately, the more than 3,000 people who showed up for the event wouldn’t be celebrating a Guinness World Record that day.
Say what?
Deflated Dreams
The Guinness World Records has been the authority on record-breaking for almost 70 years. The brand maintains a database of over 40,000 records from around the world.
However, earning or breaking a record is a challenging feat. The brand’s 69 adjudicators based in 15 countries review potential records with a fine-tooth comb.
Even the most minute detail can be the difference between a record and an attempt; such was the case for Drumheller.
The adjudicator in Drumheller recorded 3,000 people at the Jurassic Jamboree using numbered bracelets and wristbands.
The turnout was more than double Travel Drumheller expected, which ended up working against the would-be record holders.
“We weren’t entirely prepared for that many people to come. Guinness said that there were people that they had witnessed leaving the area after they had been wristbanded, so they weren’t following what the volunteers had told them by staying in the space. They had to be all together in the area for one solid minute,” Looijen explained.
A technicality dashed the town’s dreams in one fell swoop. However, even though the town didn’t earn a record, it united the community.
The Journey, Not The Destination
According to Looijen, some people were disappointed by the results, especially those who travelled from afar to attend the event.
While the disappointing news upset some people, most reacted positively. They enjoyed the event for what it was, including participant Jenna McLean.
“I didn’t know what to expect at all. But there were hundreds of these dinosaurs, and it was really fun,” said McLean.
McLean enjoyed being with fellow dinosaur enthusiasts. Some participants made their own costumes, while others chose inflatable costumes like McLean.
The Jurassic Jamboree is over, but Travel Drumheller hopes to host the event every April.
It will be some time before the town attempts the record again, but Drumheller will be prepared next time.
“We’re going to have other processes in place to really help, and we’re going to prepare to at least double the turnout,” said Looijen.
Drumheller is already a hotspot for visitors from around the world. The town’s Royal Tyrrell Museum drew 500,000 visitors in 2022 for the museum’s most extensive collection of fossils in Canada.
The museum added the best-preserved, most complete Triceratops skull in Canada to its collection a few months ago.
A dinosaur-themed annual event will surely draw even more dinosaur enthusiasts to Drumheller in the future.
And that’s one party that won’t be going extinct anytime soon!
