Thousands of people dressed like Smurfs entertain a French town with playful antics
They might be painted like Smurfs, but these festival goers certainly weren’t feeling blue!
Over three thousand people dressed like the iconic blue cartoon Smurf characters took on the French city of Landerneau this 17 May, taking part in a huge community initiative to claim their town’s long-standing dream of achieving the Guinness World Records title for most people dressed as Smurfs.
For five years, local cultural group the Association Pays de Landerneau-Daoulas tried to break this smurf-tacular record title, but it seemed Gargamel was conspiring against them – sending rain and chaos to cancel the event.
But that beautiful May Saturday had skies as blue as a Smurf, and the townspeople were thrilled to finally have the chance to don their finest curly white hats and participate.
And this time, they had tonnes of support – Paramount Pictures helped sponsor the event in anticipation of the new Smurfs movie (July 2025), and the mayor of the town even issued a humorous décret banning the serving of drinks to Smurfs in the city’s bars between 5 and 7 p.m. to ensure full attendance at the event.
Excited participants gathered for the event at La Cimenterie de Saint-Ernel, where they were met with a DJ, a giant inflatable Smurf, various food trucks and bars, and a photo booth with life-sized mascots of the three main Smurf characters.
The atmosphere was smurf-ing electric as everybody admired each other’s outfits and props, and it was thrilling watching participants walk through the beautiful old town while dressed in their finest blue regalia.
Fun fact: did you know the French word for Smurfs is Schtroumpfs? The silly little characters are just three apples tall, and were created by Belgian cartoonist Pierre “Peyo” Culliford in 1958.
From 5 p.m., participants entered the site via a security check, followed by a costume check overseen by volunteers and independent witnesses. Those who didn’t meet the costume requirements luckily had a second chance, as they were redirected to face-painting and accessory stations.
And there was quite a queue to get in, as the first 700 Smurfs received free cinema tickets for the upcoming movie!
Once cleared, participants were each handed a numbered ticket which assigned them to one of 70 zones. Stewards holding numbered signs guided them to their designated zones, where they would later stand during the official attempt.
Here, we saw a clear distinction between Smurfs and painted people, as everyone stood neatly in their positions while the stewards took final counts.
And 3,076 people were successful in-costume, granting Landerneau the title and securing their long-awaited dream!
"We’re so happy to finally bring this record to Landerneau – we’re proud of our town!” said the organizers. “After our last attempt, we had almost given up, but when Paramount contacted us, full of motivation and with the resources to help us promote the event and make it official with Guinness World Records, we found the spark we needed. And thank goodness we did!"
To celebrate such a remarkable day, Smurfs who participated in the amazing event in Landerneau can head to the GWR store to commemorate the occasion with a special Record Participant Certificate.
Everyone then came together in joyous celebration, as Guinness World Records Adjudicator Anouk de Timary presented them with the title.
"In three years of working for Guinness World Records, this is still my favourite record,” she said. “The creativity, perseverance and enthusiasm of this small town – and their love of dressing up – is honestly contagious.
“Spending a full day in a town turned blue, where you see Smurfs waiting tables, taking money from ATMs, driving, going to the restaurant… it’s surreal and absolutely hilarious!”
Festival goers spent the rest of the night partying through Landerneau – throwing blue glitter, taking plenty of selfies, and playfully celebrating in Smurfs-style. And when the night was over, they likely went home, to some very blue showers and bathtubs.