GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Celebrating 10 years of laughter for the health of it, Gilda’s LaughFest is bringing back another festival favorite: A world record attempt.
This year’s festival, set for March 5-15, will attempt the largest gathering of people wearing mismatched socks.
The record attempt will happen on the afternoon of Saturday, Mar. 7. Festivities will start at 1:30 p.m. at Studio Park, with the actual attempt to begin at 3 p.m. and last five minutes.
Participation is freem and those interested should arrive by 2:45 p.m. Gilda’s LaughFest hopes to gather at least 1,000 people.
As with any attempt at a world record, there are rules:
- Socks must come from two different pairs and must be significantly different. Any person wearing socks deemed too similar must be disqualified from the attempt.
- A single pair of socks cannot be individually altered to make them different (i.e., no drawing, sewing or any other additions or subtractions to or from a sock for differentiation will be permitted).
- Socks need to be physically seen easily (not obscured by clothing), so individuals must wear them outside their clothing or wear shorts, skirt, etc.
“While we bring a lot of top notch comedians to Grand Rapids, LaughFest isn’t just a comedy festival. It’s a festival of laughter that works hard to celebrate laughter in many forms,” stated Wendy Wigger, president of Gilda’s LaughFest and Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids. "When the team was planning that first festival back in 2010, they really wanted a fun and whimsical event that was accessible to the broader community to engage in smiles and laughter together."
“At the time, not many world record attempts had been made in West Michigan, and we were thrilled when the community helped kick our first festival off with a bang by throwing 925 rubber chickens," Wigger said. "This year, we’re excited to celebrate our tenth birthday with another world record attempt."
For more information on the world record attempt, including suggestions on how to get to the event and parking, click here.
