SA Targets Guinness World Record at Loftus Versfeld With Massive Heritage Day Braai
- South Africa is gearing up for the World's Biggest Braai at Loftus Versfeld on Heritage Day, 24 September 2026
- Organisers are targeting 3,000 participants across 500 braais after last year's attempt fell short on a technicality
- The existing Guinness World Record stands at 2,220 people braaiing simultaneously, a figure South Africa has already surpassed in practice
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Getty Images
South Africa is making another push for braai glory this Heritage Day. The World's Biggest Braai is set to take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Thursday, 24 September 2026, with organisers calling on thousands of South Africans to fire up the coals and help the country claim the Guinness World Record for the most people braaiing simultaneously.
The target is ambitious: 3,000 participants spread across 500 braais, all firing up at once on the public holiday.
Last year's heartbreak at Loftus
The 2025 attempt drew 2,412 participants, already surpassing the current Guinness World Record of 2,220 people. But despite the impressive turnout, the record was never officially certified. Organisers confirmed that a technical requirement, specifically participants remaining at their designated braai stations for the full required duration, was not met.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it has only sharpened the country's appetite to get it right this time.
Source: Getty Images
Braai history on the line
The 2026 event kicks off at 10:00, with stewards and independent witnesses on hand to ensure everything meets Guinness World Records standards. Beyond the record attempt itself, organisers have promised a full Heritage Day celebration, weaving together food, music, culture and community into one massive national gathering.
Heritage Day has long been embraced by South Africans as National Braai Day, a moment to celebrate the country's rich cultural diversity around the shared tradition of the open fire. Bringing a world record home on that day would carry real symbolic weight.
With a bigger crowd target, hard lessons learnt from 2025, and a nation watching, the stage at Loftus is set for something historic.
View the post here.
More Briefly News stories on World records
Read also
“This cannot work”: Mzansi reacts as pensioners protest at SASSA offices for grant increase
- A Brazilian couple set a Guinness World Record by sharing 195 kisses in 30 seconds, but the achievement faced online backlash.
- At 18, Nathan Thomas became the world’s youngest professor at Miami Dade College, breaking a 306-year-old record.
- Flightradar24 recorded 153,359 commercial flights on 23 July 2026, making it the busiest day in aviation history.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
