The anniversary of the publication of Bram Stoker’s novel was the occasion for the greatest gathering of blood drinkers’ societies.
Black capes and sharp canines: the world record for the number of vampires gathered in the same place was beaten Thursday evening May 26 in Whitby, 125 years after the publication of the novel Dracula which is inspired by this small town in the North East of England. “We just broke the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires, with 1,369 vampires!” tweeted English Heritage, a British organization that manages the site of Whitby Abbey, now in ruins, where the exploit occurred.
The official dress code was very strict, with in particular the obligation to wear black shoes, black pants or dress, black cape and to display well-pointed canines. The previous record of 1039 vampires was set in Doswell, Virginia (USA). Dracula, by the Irish writer Bram Stoker, which tells the story of this bloodthirsty count, was first published in 1897 and has since given rise to numerous adaptations, in particular for the cinema. The North Yorkshire port town on the North Sea where Bram Stoker visited in 1890 provided the setting for his Gothic novel, according to English Heritage.