60 Minutes and GWR team up to get a taste of record-breaking at the largest pizza party
CBS’s 60 Minutes programme wanted to take a deep dive into Guinness World Records for a special segment that aired Sunday – and we thought the best way for them to get a taste of our history would be to grab a pizza slice at Taste of New Haven’s attempt for the largest pizza party.
On 12 September, the city of New Haven, Connecticut, USA was attempting to claim the title for the largest pizza party – and secure their bragging rights as being the “Pizza Capital of the United States” – so we joined them on their record-breaking adventure with the crew from 60 Minutes to see how the process really works.
The day of the event, 30 vendors arrived early to New Haven Green and began setting up their trucks and tables to serve the thousands of attendees for Taste of New Haven’s annual A-1 Toyota Apizza Feast. We entered right alongside them with Guinness World Records Adjudicator Thomas Bradford, who began inspecting the event parameters and meeting with guests.
Also present was Colin Caplan, organizer of Taste of New Haven, who spent over a year planning the record attempt and preparing all the minutia of the gigantic event – such as bringing in thousands of pizza boxes, having bottles of water prepared for visitors, and communicating with vendors and staff.
Additionally, this event was a fundraiser for the Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program, who run the New Haven Grand Prix, so the city was bustling with people eager to take part in the Friday night spectacle.
“Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought I’d be doing anything like this,” said Colin to 60 Minutes. “It seems light and fun, but it’s serious in the sense of what’s on the line.”
Long before guests began to line up at the entrance of the park, vendors began firing up the eight pizza ovens, and throwing circular mounds of tomato and cheese into the mouths of the smoking beasts.
Stations were set up where employees pressed the dough into the familiar shape, dotting the disks with sauce and sprinkling them with toppings, and soon enough the area was filled with the delicious scent of fresh pizza.
Before long, hundreds of hungry New Haven residents and tourists began queuing at the gates, eager to get a slice and take part in a piece of record-breaking history.
See more delicious world records in our Food and Drink section!
Colin needed over 3,357 people to attend the party if they wanted to break the record set in 2023 by the World Pizza Champions (USA) in Tulsa, Oklahoma – but he was confident New Haven could take the title, saying firmly to 60 Minutes: “We’re gonna beat Tulsa.”
Sure enough, they did – and by a considerable margin. 4,525 people showed up to Taste of New Haven that sunny Friday afternoon, and the park was full of lively chatter and smacking lips as people devoured their tasty food.
Yet it wasn’t over yet, because to officially claim the title, participants had 15 minutes to eat two slices of pizza and drink a bottle of water.
And yes, that’s the entire pizza – including the crusts.
Nevertheless, after Taste of New Haven distributed nearly 10,000 slices from 625 pies in over 3.5 hours, it soon became clear that they had enough successful participants to secure the record.
Adjudicator Thomas took to the stage at the end of the night with the exciting announcement, handing off a certificate to Colin in front of a crowd of excited (and full!) new record breakers.
“Now, New Haven is home to the largest pizza party!” Colin shouted, thrilled that they are now home to a Guinness World Records title and “Pizza Capital of the United States”.
The 60 Minutes segment also features an interview with Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday, who welcomed the crew to our London HQ, so check out their video to see more.
And congratulations to the organizers of Taste of New Haven, all the pizza-loving participants, and to 60 Minutes for joining us on a record-breaking adventure – you are Officially Amazing!
Photos taken by Chris Randall