While one South African Guinness World Records braai attempt narrowly failed due to “a technicality”, the organiser of a second attempt is holding his breath to hear if he was successful.
More than 2,000 South Africans gathered at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Heritage Day for what was hoped to be the largest braai gathering in history.
The Japanese record they hoped to beat stood at 2,200 braai attendees. White Star, Simba, Pepsi, Castle Lager & All Gold sponsored the event and Big Save was the organiser.
“The official count on the day was 2,412 people braaiing at once, which is more than the current standing record of 2,220 set in Japan. By every measure, this was a landmark moment for our country,” said Dylan Jardim, Big Save’s marketing manager.
“However, Guinness World Records has unfortunately not certified the attempt due to a rather frustrating technicality.
“Their requirement is that every participant must strictly remain at their braai station and not move for the entire braai period.”
With the lessons we have learnt, next year will be smoother, bigger and more powerful than ever. Japan won’t know what hit them!
— Dylan Jardim, Big Save’s marketing manager
“In true South African style, many people stepped away to greet friends at other stations, capture a photo, or enjoy the entertainment, which unfortunately meant we did not meet the very strict technical criteria,” he said.
He is still satisfied with what they accomplished.
“While we may not have walked away with the certificate, what we did achieve was extraordinary. We united thousands of people from all walks of life around a single tradition that defines us. The atmosphere was electric, the diversity was inspiring and the spirit of togetherness was something that no rulebook can measure,” Jardim said.
“We have already been in communication with Guinness World Records and our next attempt has been officially set for September 24 2026. We are determined to bring this record home to South Africa. With the lessons we have learnt, next year will be smoother, bigger and more powerful than ever. Japan won’t know what hit them!”
Calitzdorp restaurateur and owner of Zamani Grill, Gielie Basson, also tried his Guinness luck with a small difference to “the biggest braai”.
“We wanted to break the records for the longest braai. The current record sits at 80 hours, so I planned to do 100 hours.”
This was Basson’s second attempt at entering the Guinness Records.
“In 2023 we also tried to break the 80-hour record. We managed to do it, but due to the wrong interpretation of the rules, we failed.”
How did they interpret the rules?
“We understood that there had to be timekeeping and four independent monitors – to ensure fairness and sticking to the rules. What we got wrong was that we understood the monitors filling out time sheets at the end of each four-hour shift would be acceptable as time keeping. That was not the case. We needed to have the monitors as well as the timekeepers. This time we had both.”
He said he had not yet received a response from Guinness.
“We are still holding our breath. It took weeks to get a response from them initially, so we expect it will take time,” Basson said this week.
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