Thousands light up sandy Italian beach to break world record

Adding a bit of shimmer to the sandy beaches of Liganano Sabbiadoro, 1,705 people came together to break the record for the most people lighting LED lights in a relay.

The attempt was organized by Emporio ADV, Showgroup, Comune di Lignano Sabbiadoro, Lisagest and PromoTurismoFVG (all Italy), at Lignano Sabbiadoro on 9 August.

This beat the previous record of 987 set by Yashili International Group in China.

Liganano Sabbiadoro is a famous Italian shore known for its seaside resort open to all ages. It hosts summer events such as concerts, sports demonstrations and artistic exhibitions.

The record attempt was used to promote tourism and provide a fun activity for attendees.

The organizers advertised the event as a “record night” and invited members of the public to take part.

As the name suggests, the attempt took place after sunset on a stretch of the beach.

The event was free to attend, and participants had to register their interest online. It only took a few hours for it to sell out! 

On the event day, the LED lights used were inflatable ring doughnuts which took seven hours to assemble, inflate and pile up.

The participants - made up of families, friends and local business workers - were each handed an inflatable ring light.

Participants sat in a straight line to make sure that the lights were lit in a relay fashion.

After the signal from Official Adjudicator Lorenzo Veltri, the staff turned on each participant’s lights individually.

This created a dazzling rainbow effect on the backdrop of the dark waters and moon.

During the counting process, Lorenzo disqualified 15 people due to their ring doughnuts not lighting up correctly.

However, this didn’t deter the group’s success, and the Guinness World Records certificate was awarded just after midnight.

Just like the multi-coloured lights, the organizers want the resort to be seen as a multi-coloured destination to experience more memorable moments.