Calgary university sets record for largest gathering of people dressed as dinosaurs

Alberta’s University of Calgary has roared into the Guinness World Records’ roster.

Campus community members shattered the Guinness record for the largest gathering of people dressed as dinosaurs on Saturday.

“The record was 468. We broke it so we are record holders with 682 people dressed in dinosaur costumes,” said Verity Turpin, vice-provost of student experience at the university, in a phone interview.

“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. 

“I have tears in my eyes thinking about it.”

Professors, staff, students and several children danced to “We Are the Champions” by the British rock band Queen in their dinosaur onesies and inflated costumes after an adjudicator with Guinness announced the old record had become extinct in the university’s quad.

Guinness, a corporation based in United Kingdom that has been tracking human achievements and the extremes of the natural world since 1955, says the previous record was set in the United States last year.

“The largest gathering of people dressed as dinosaurs is 468, and was achieved by the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach, Florida,” it says on its website.

“People of all ages dressed from head to toe as their favourite dinosaurs in what was a very fun and engaging attempt.”

Turpin said some people in Drumheller, a town northeast of Calgary known for its large dinosaur fossil collection, previously tried to beat the record but failed.

“As a university we said we’re going to learn from their experience,” Turpin said.

Turpin said the university began planning to set the record last year for its 60th birthday party this Saturday.

“And boy did our community come out and show up for our 60th. It was fabulous,” she said.

The university had people register to confirm their attendance days leading up to the record-setting event and confirmed with Guinness what the corporation’s expectations were.

“They said, ‘If you look like a person, you’re not good enough.’ We couldn’t be dragons, we couldn’t be majestical objects. You had to be a dinosaur,” she said.

Turpin, who also dressed up as a dinosaur, said it was a sight to see as people of all ages dressed as dinosaurs began walking onto campus.

“People showed up in some fabulous onesies, to blow-up dinos where you could not see any part of the person inside except for their feet,” she said.

“We also had dogs dressed in dino costumes but they didn’t count of course.”

Many curious onlookers stood by as all the chatty dinosaurs then got quiet and an adjudicator started counting their heads.

After each person was counted, they had to go into a roped-off area.

Guinness also brought drones to take an aerial images of the crowd, Turpin said.

It took several minutes but eventually the record was confirmed.

An university spokesman says Guinness has indicated that the record will be noted in the next print edition of Guinness World Records.

A certificate confirming the record now also sits on campus in a frame.

“It was just a special and magical moment,” Turpin said.

“It gave us an opportunity to be distracted from some of the other things that are happening in this world that really weigh on us a little heavier than this.

“In this time, everyone needs a little more lightness and everyone needs to feel happiness, joy together.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2026.