More Than 2,200 Join Pretoria Record Attempt

On Sept. 24, 2026, participants at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria attempted a Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous barbecue on Heritage Day, also known as Braai Day. Organizers sought 3,000 people across about 500 stations to beat a 2023 Ishigaki, Japan, record cited as about 2,200 or 2,220. One source reported 2,436 stadium entries; Xinhua reported more than 2,000 participated. Rules required five continuous minutes of simultaneous grilling, monitored by over 100 stewards, plus a zero-waste rule that all meat be eaten. Foods included boerewors, burgers, steaks and lamb chops. Dylan said a prior attempt failed when attendees danced and mingled. “We are back for vengeance today,” he said, calling fire-side cooking “so uniquely South African.” The Guinness adjudicator said anyone leaving during the five minutes would be disqualified. Rethabile Ntsoko said braai “keeps us connected” at “the biggest world braai.” After the window, people continued eating, games and music. Funds were linked to providing 1 million meals tied to World Food Day. A final Guinness decision was pending evidence review, expected by Friday or the next week.