The city of Portland and the 2009 Portland Pirate Festival made their way into the Guinness Book of World Records today, 9/20/2009, for the “Most Pirates in One Place”, with an official count of 1,651. Those numbers topped the previous world record holders of Brixham, England, who numbered a mere 1,469 back in May.

In order to be counted, each “pirate” had to be in possession of a sword (play or not), an eye patch and a bandanna on their head. Additionally, anyone 13 years old and under needed their parent’s approval by way of a release, they must be old enough to sign the official book and all entrants must remain within the group confines for an additional fifteen minutes after the count.

I am proud to say that we obeyed each and every rule (pretty out-of-the-ordinary for a bunch of cut-throat pirates!) and came out on the other side, now holding a world’s record.

The 4th Annual Portland Pirate Festival opened the gates at 10am, Saturday, September 19th and ran through the weekend. The event was held underneath the gorgeous St Johns Bridge at Cathedral Park, North Edison Street and Pittsburgh Avenue.

Mouth-watering eatables, live music on 2 stages, games and puppet shows for the kids, and other swash buckling merriment came together in one place, pulling off a wonderful family event. I have never before seen so many pirates in one place and it was almost like being a kid again, amongst thousands of other kids. There were 3 huge inflatable rides for all the little buccaneers and all sorts of games to keep them entertained, including sword fighting lessons.

Aside from the obvious thrill of setting the world’s record, the highlight for me was the live music on Sunday at the Quarterdeck stage. The B.O.O.M. Pirate’s Band and Captain Bogg and Salty really made my day. With a combo of exceptionally well-done pirate music and lots of humor, the 2 bands kept the crowds mesmerized. I recommend picking up both of their CDs…very enjoyable stuff.

There was so much to do at the 2009 Portland Pirate Festival that I simply do not have the room to talk about it all. The best thing to do is hop over to their web site at http://www.portlandpiratefestival.com and see for yourself. I will also have a compilation video of the event put together sometime this week for you to view on my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/Chawman.

Whether you’re a natural-born pirate or a land-lover to the core, I’d recommend you set aside a weekend next year and attend the Portland Pirate Festival. It’s something you’ll be telling others about for weeks to come.