Head to your nearest costume shop and stock up on pirate garb before September 21, when a group of vagrants, troubadours, and scallywags will endeavor to break a world record. The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia is aiming to host the largest-ever gathering of pirates, to be judged by a Guinness World Records official.
The current record belongs to a group in Hastings, England where 14,231 pirates rallied in 2012 for Hastings Pirate Day.
This year, the folks in Virginia are hoping to beat that. The Museum chose September 21 in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is September 19. Pirates Pack the Park will be an all-day affair, with festivities going from 1000 to 1700 hours. The key moment will occur at 1400 hours, when the official pirate count will take place.
The event will have food and drink vendors, live music and entertainment, crafts and an area for children. Naturally, there will be pirate merchandise and a pirate re-enactor encampment. Museum admission will be $5 for the day. The total pirate count will be announced at the Pirate Gala, later that evening.
To help make pirate history, show up on September 21 wearing pirate pants or a skirt with a white or striped shirt and a bandana or pirate hat. Add an accessory such as an eye patch, toy sword or parrot to complete the look. Don’t forget your swagger. After all, how do pirates even know they are pirates? They think, therefore they ARRRGH!
For more information, see PiratesPackthePark.org
Photo courtesy of Kate Haskell
