In Philadelphia this weekend Carnival Cruise Lines broke the Guinness World Record for building the world’s largest piñata: 6 stories tall, filled with 8000 pounds of candy. Using an enormous parking lot in South Philly they invited the city to join in the festivities promising food, games, and participation in a commercial they planned to shoot during the event. Philadelphia recently tasted what it is like to be a part of a citywide celebration. After 28 years of disappointment the Phillies won the World Series, and Philadelphia embraced the event in a way that people call “Philly Style”…
Carnival Cruise Lines simply wasn’t prepared to be embraced. With a wrecking ball in the background, and no food or games in site, 7000 people stood in the lot eating and throwing handfuls of free candy for 3 hours while they waited for the commercial to be shot and the piñata to be smashed. Murmurs of rioting rushed through the crowds as parents started to get nervous for their children, and with only one frustrated and aging man trying to control the crowd; people eventually rushed the piñata for a closer look. Immediately bringing in the police, the event coordinators tried to threaten the crowd saying “there is enough candy for everyone, but if you do not move back there will be no candy for anyone!”
The crowd was already stuffed on the boxes and bins of candy they left out and wanted to be a part of the action. The police (a handful on motorcycles) were only able to control the crowd for about 20 minutes, but as time wasted away they began ignoring the crowd and people’s impatience got the better of them. With no one watching but the same frustrated, shouting, aging man, and no barriers between them and the piñata everyone inched closer and closer, eventually causing them to cancel the event.
Paul M Davis
8 Comments
Matthew
The Under Armour/awful sweater combo in pic 27 makes me think he didn’t want anyone to have any candy anyway.
03 Nov 2008 02:11 pm
Matthew
Also, if they had any intention of busting this thing open, why would they give out candy beforehand when it has 8,000 fucking lbs of candy in it??
03 Nov 2008 02:11 pm
Paul M Davis
Maybe so people theoretically wouldn’t rush the exploded pinata and be maimed by falling candy? Liability concerns and whatnot…
This is why I’m going nowhere near Millennium Park tomorrow.
03 Nov 2008 02:11 pm
Zell
Don’t ask me why, but the bigger it is, the cuter it looks.
03 Nov 2008 02:11 pm
Paul M Davis
Grant Park, not Millennium Park. My bad. It’s been a long campaign.
03 Nov 2008 09:11 pm
Patrick
It was a great sight and the pictures match it. I have a video of the event to give a fuller image:
http://www.dailymotion.com/thatsfunny/video/12228821
04 Nov 2008 11:11 am
Patrick
Awesome! the pinata was burst open last weekend
http://www.dailymotion.com/thatsfunny/video/12353860
10 Nov 2008 01:11 pm
Virginia
oh man, that day sucked! I wanted that pinata to be SO much cooler than it was.
30 Sep 2009 05:09 am
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