Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

This is what is looks like when 500 Batmen descend on a small Canadian city

But the 542 Batmen were present raise money for charity United Way and break a Guinness World Record, rather than to fight crime

Rose Troup Buchanan
Sunday 21 September 2014 08:39 BST
Comments
542 employees of the Nexen Energy company gather in a park in Calgary, Alberta
542 employees of the Nexen Energy company gather in a park in Calgary, Alberta (Reuters)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

It is not a sight you see every day.

If you happened to be in Calgary, a city in the south of Canadian province Alberta, on Thursday, you might have seen a couple of hundred people dressed as Batman.

No, your eyes were not deceiving you – the Dark Knight had risen (again) in the name of charity.

More than 500 employees dressed head-to-foot as Batman gathered outside the headquarters of Nexen, an oil and gas company, in order to raise money for charity and break a world record in the process.

The full 542 participants had their costumes inspected by a Guinness Book of World Records staffer who, after ensuring they all stood together for five minutes, pronounced the group the official world record holders of the title: “Largest Gathering of People Dress As Batman”.

The gathering of 542 Batmen (and women) kicked off a campaign for a United Way charity
The gathering of 542 Batmen (and women) kicked off a campaign for a United Way charity (Reuters)

The previous record was a paltry 250.

Organiser Dave Kelly said to Canada’s Metro News: “We blew apart the old record”.

“There was no comparison the greatness that we are.”

The surreal scene, organised by charity United Way, which empowers individuals and families to achieve their potential through education, income stability and health, was part of the charity’s superhero-themed 2014 fund-raising campaign.

As Batman himself would say: “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in