More than 22,000 fans wearing bald caps gathered at rapper Pitbull’s concert in London’s Hyde Park on Friday, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps.
According to The Guardian, a total of 22,141 people dressed in Pitbull’s signature look of a bald cap, white shirt, black tie and aviator sunglasses before the BST Hyde Park performance. The tribute also earned the official Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people wearing bald caps”.
Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Pérez, also wore a bald cap during the record attempt to qualify as a participant. Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford explained that the title recognised people wearing bald caps rather than naturally bald individuals, meaning the rapper had to wear one himself to be included in the final count.
Accepting the certificate before taking the stage, Pitbull said he was left speechless by the achievement.
“Who would have thought a first-generation Cuban would be record-breaking and record-making?” he said while receiving the award.
To ensure the accuracy of the attempt, Guinness World Records deployed 400 volunteers to inspect participants at entry points and across the venue. Drone footage was also reviewed by a team of 42 counters backstage.
The record attempt was not initiated by Pitbull, BST Hyde Park or Guinness World Records. It began after podcast host and cultural commentator Jack Remmington posted a light-hearted TikTok video following the announcement of Pitbull’s BST concert last year. In the video, he suggested that the festival’s 65,000-capacity audience could break the world record for people dressed as the rapper.
The idea quickly gained traction online. Remmington later worked with Guinness World Records and BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James to contact Pitbull about the attempt. The rapper responded enthusiastically with “Dale!”—his trademark catchphrase and the title of one of his albums.
Demand for bald caps surged in the days leading up to the concert, with many fans struggling to find one. Some attended multiple costume shops before eventually securing the accessories needed to join the record attempt.
The trend of fans dressing like Pitbull began in 2021, when a handful of concertgoers appeared in his trademark outfit. Viral social media videos soon turned it into a global fan tradition, and many now attend his concerts dressed as the rapper.
Pitbull has embraced the phenomenon by referring to his fans as the “Baldies” and selling official Mr Worldwide kits and bald caps through his website. Both items have since sold out.
As he took the stage on Friday evening, Pitbull appeared visibly surprised by the sea of lookalikes singing along to every song. Acknowledging the moment, he told the crowd, “It’s a blessing and an honour to see the Baldies in London.”
