Whitby Abbey to try and break world record of most vampires in one place
Staff at Whitby Abbey are appealing for the public to help them break the Guinness World Record title
Today, on the 110th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s death, staff at Whitby Abbey have appealed for the public to help them break the Guinness World Records title for the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires.
2022 marks the 125th anniversary of the first publication of Dracula, which was inspired by the ruins of Whitby’s 13th century gothic abbey and the record attempt will kick off a series of special events to celebrate.
The world-breaking attempt will take place at Whitby Abbey on Thursday 26th May - 125 years to the day that Bram Stoker’s legendary novel was published.
Visitors are invited to come along and enjoy an evening of entertainment, all whilst dressed as vampires. Traditional vampire dress is defined by Guinness World Records as: black trousers, black skirt or a dress, black shoes, waistcoat, shirt, black cape or collared overcoat, and fangs on the top set of teeth. The current record saw 1039 vampires gather at Doswell in Virginia, USA in 2011.
Mark Williamson, site manager at English Heritage’s Whitby Abbey, said: “This is such an exciting year for us. We have so much to see and do, starting with our world breaking attempt in May and ending with our much-loved Illuminated Abbey over the October half-term and lots in between.
"The challenge of breaking this record is an exciting one and we look forward to welcoming would-be vampires to Whitby Abbey on the 26 May for a fun evening of entertainment and hopefully a successful new record too. You’ll need to register on line and have a look at our website to see what makes a vampire a vampire!”
The official record attempt will take place at Whitby Abbey between 6.30pm and 7.15pm. To register interest, visit the English Heritage Whitby Abbey website.
Visitors to the Abbey will be treated to scenes from Dracula by Time Will Tell Theatre as well as performances from a lock Goth band.