The Swansea Smurf Takeover

Good morning, Swansea!

If you were in town back in 2009, you might still remember it - the day Swansea went blue. Literally.

This week, we look back at the great Smurf invasion of Swansea - the costumes, the chaos, and the Guinness World Record attempt that turned a long lost nightclub into one, big, sweaty, blue mess.

Catch you on Sunday!

Andrew.

The Smurfs Assemble

On a Tuesday evening in June 2009, just after midnight, nearly 3,000 people packed into Oceana nightclub (now demolished, on the site of the new 71/72 Kingsway development) where 2,510 of them were officially declared the largest gathering of Smurfs in the world.

The majority were students from Swansea University, all painted head-to-toe in blue with white hats and costumes, waiting until 1am for Guinness World Records adjudicators to verify their achievement. Every single participant had to be checked to ensure no natural skin was showing.

The event wasn't entirely spontaneous. Fancy dress company Jokers' Masquerade had supplied 3,500 blue costumes specifically for the attempt - and it turned out to be a fantastic publicity stunt.

James Houston, president of Swansea University Students' Union and organiser of the event, later described it as "the weirdest experience of my life, being in the middle of a crowd of what looked like cloned Smurfs." He revealed that the final count would have been even higher if some participants hadn't been allergic to the face paint.

For 20-year-old English Literature student Jess Roger, the preparations had been going on for weeks. "It was a really surreal experience because everywhere you looked there was a sea of white hats and blue faces," she said.

The bizarre spectacle quickly captured global media attention. The Telegraph covered it that morning, while international outlets including Reuters, China Daily's CCTV, the Daily Mail, and even celebrity gossip site TMZ picked up the story.

However, the record didn't last forever - the German town of Lauchringen managed to gather 2,762 Smurfs in 2019, and the people of Landerneau in France currently hold the record with 3,076 people dressed as Smurfs as of May 2025.

But for nearly a decade, Swansea held the crown for one of the most improbable world record attempts in history. Are we ready to bring the crown back home? :)

Did you attend the record-breaking Smurf gathering? Leave a comment below or reply to this e-mail!

Catch you on Sunday!

Andrew.

Start learning AI in 2025

Keeping up with AI is hard – we get it!

That’s why over 1M professionals read Superhuman AI to stay ahead.

• Get daily AI news, tools, and tutorials

• Learn new AI skills you can use at work in 3 mins a day

• Become 10X more productive

Sign up and start mastering AI

Sources

• French Town Landerneau Breaks World Record for Largest Gathering of Smurfs

• German Town Sees A Smurf Invasion, As Thousands Gather To Break World Record

• World record for most people dressed as Smurfs in Swansea

• Smurf world record smashed by 2,510 Swansea students

• 2,510 Brit students set new world record for most people dressed as Smurfs