For 116 years, the Rochester Lilac Festival has charmed millions of residents and visitors ready to welcome spring each year in Upstate New York.

But never in its storied history has the event broken a world record -- until now.

With 2,797 participants donning their colored garb and displaying some mass organizational skills, the Festival broke the mark for the largest human flower. Naturally, the flower depicted was the festival's purple namesake.

An average of 500,000 people visit the Rochester Lilac Festival over its 10-day run each year. This year, the record was deemed as the main event on opening day, as part of the festival's "A Passion for Purple" campaign.

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The festival also included concerts, parades, a fun run, and dozens of shopping and dining opportunities. With a world record attempt at the helm, the sprawl of the event attracted four presenting partners, 20 additional corporate sponsors, and five media sponsors.

Great attention was paid to the attempt on social media, as well, with both traditional media and attempt participants being quick to share.

A post on the event shared by the official Guinness World Records homepage received more than 25,000 likes, 2,000 shares, and reached more than 580,000 total impressions.

Adding to the excitement was the fact that the record number to beat had been broken just 7 days earlier, after having stood untested for nearly 2 years.

"Officially amazing! Thank you Rochester!" the Festival's event web site said. "We had a blast with you! Thank you!"

Has the Rochester Lilac Festival's galvanizing attempt inspired you or your group to attempt a record of your own? Make sure to contact the Guinness World Records events management team with your organization's details.