The University of Calgary recently decided to celebrate its 60th anniversary with all the gravitas and dignity you'd expect from a major educational institution. By which we mean they gathered 682 people dressed as dinosaurs to break a world record.
Yes, you read that right. On April 11th, for their annual Community Day, the campus transformed into a prehistoric party zone, officially setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people in dinosaur costumes. This stomped all over the previous record of 468, held by Florida since January 2025 (a date that suggests this record is broken with alarming frequency).
Dubbed "Rex’s Jurassic Jamboree," the event invited everyone from students and staff to alumni and local residents. Attendees were treated to a free barbecue, the chance to rub elbows with Olympians (presumably not in T-Rex suits), and, of course, the main event: becoming part of a genuinely absurd scene. Verity Turpin, a Vice-Provost, told the Canadian Broadcasting Company that the costumes ranged from "fabulous onesies" to the ever-popular "blow-up dinos," leaving little more than people's feet visible.
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Start Your News DetoxWhile waiting for the Guinness official to do their very serious counting, the prehistoric crowd danced to a local band and belted out Queen's "We Are the Champions." Turpin noted the moment of triumph: as soon as the official hit "Six" (meaning 600, for clarity), the campus erupted in screams and hugs. Because what else do you do when you've achieved peak dino-human synergy?
University President Ed McCauley, clearly enjoying the moment, quipped that "The old record is extinct." Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying for the next university looking to make headlines. Just imagine the planning meeting for that record attempt.
