They did it!  Gilda's Laugh Fest set another World Record!

To kick off 10-days of laughter in West Michigan, hundreds gathered near Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids Thursday, March 7, and launched Gilda’s LaughFest, the nation’s only community-wide festival of laughter, by breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people who are wearing false mustaches.

Mustachioed LaughFest enthusiasts started lining up at 5 p.m. and after a few instructions and a little practice, the official attempt to set the world record took place. Officials set the number of people wearing false mustaches record at 1,544 for five minutes, which will need to be certified before the record becomes official. The previous Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing false moustaches was achieved by 648 participants at an event organized by the St. Louis Rams in September 2012.

In addition to this mustache record, LaughFest also holds two other Guinness World Records. Last year, 607 individuals performed the chicken dance and set the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of people wearing animal noses (specifically chicken beaks!) at a single venue. In 2011, 925 rubber chickens were tossed in downtown Grand Rapids, shattering the previous record of 265 set near Boston, Mass.

Now, the fun begins, as LaughFest continues through March 17 with more than 200 free and ticketed shows including this year’s Signature Event, with entertainer Wayne Brady. Brady currently appears as the host of Let’s Make a Deal and previously won an Emmy for his role on the improv comedy show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? The festival will also feature: Grammy award winning comedian, Lewis Black; Saturday Night Live alum, Jim Breuer; Breaking Bad actor and comedian, Bill Burr; E! network host and actor on NBC’s comedy series Community, Joel McHale; and one of the country’s premier comedians, Brian Regan. Other acts include: L.A.-based comedy duo, Garfunkel and Oates; actor and comedian, Gary Valentine; and Food Network host and magician, Justin Willman, amongst others. For a complete list of Gilda’s LaughFest 2013’s performers and events, or to purchase tickets, visit www.laughfestgr.org or call 616-753-HAHA (4242).

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