LEHI, Utah (September 13, 2022) – Thanksgiving Point is thrilled to attempt an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Most Flower Bulbs Planted In One Hour on Friday, October 7, at 10 am in the Ashton Gardens. 110 community volunteers, 40 staff, an official adjudicator from Guinness World Records, and more will be present to help plant spring flowers in preparation for Thanksgiving Point’s annual Tulip Festival.
Every year in early October, Thanksgiving Point must plant over 500,000 spring flower bulbs (including tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and more) to host the Tulip Festival in the 50-acre Ashton Gardens. Hundreds of volunteers help the gardeners plant these bulbs, and their community service helps make the Tulip Festival a success. To highlight volunteer efforts and encourage public participation in community service initiatives, Thanksgiving Point will attempt the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title.
The current record for Most Flower Bulbs Planted In One Hour is 15,690 and was recorded in Oshima, Japan in 2020. Thanksgiving Point believes that the volunteer and staff team will plant at least 34,050 bulbs in one hour (likely planting closer to 40,000), more than doubling the previous record.
As part of the attempt, Thanksgiving Point will host an adjudicator from Guinness World Records who will monitor the time and count. At the end of the hour, if Thanksgiving Point has planted more than 15,690 bulbs, it will be awarded an official plaque declaring Thanksgiving Point as “OFFICIALLY AMAZING.” Pictures, interviews, and refreshments will follow.
Official witnesses and stewards will also help confirm the results of the record attempt, including:
- Mayor Mark Johnson, Lehi City
- Jeanette Bennet, Editor & Publisher of Utah Valley Magazine
- Lee Adamson, Executive Director of Explore Utah Valley
- Garrett Clark, Managing Director of Silicon Slopes
- Sally Fowler Francom, Editor & Publisher of Lehi Free Press
- Cynthia Bee, Outreach Coordinator for the Jordan Valley Water Conservation District
Also present for the record attempt will be balloon artist Jeremy Telford, who previously broke a world record for Largest Modelling-Balloon Sculpture by an Individual in 2015 at Thanksgiving Point. This was Thanksgiving Point’s first world record. Telford will be making beautiful tulip balloon art during the event. Michael Empric was also the adjudicator for Telford and Thanksgiving Point’s attempt in 2015.
The bulbs planted on October 7 will be some of the first to bloom in the 2023 Tulip Festival. This month-long festival features nearly 300,000 tulips imported directly from the Netherlands each year. In 2022, the Tulip Festival hosted over 133,000 guests and had a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 60. The Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival is celebrating its 28th year in operation.
Thanksgiving Point will attempt the record at 10 am on Friday, October 7 in the Ashton Gardens. The Ashton Gardens are located at 3900 N. Garden Drive in Lehi, Utah. The Ashton Gardens will be closed to the public until 11:30 am on October 7. Immediately following the record attempt, the adjudicator will award the organization a plaque if Thanksgiving Point has successfully achieved the new record. Pictures, interviews, and refreshments will conclude the event.
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About Thanksgiving Point
Thanksgiving Point is a community-owned nonprofit with the mission to bring the joy of learning and wonders of the natural world to life through world-class experiences that engage, delight, and inspire. Created in 1995 by Alan and Karen Ashton, Thanksgiving Point is a center of community engagement and welcomes more than two million annual visitors to visit, dine, play, and explore together. Thanksgiving Point is located at 3003 North Thanksgiving Way in Lehi, Utah. For more information, call 801.768.2300 or visit thanksgivingpoint.org.
Media Contact
Abby Allard, Communications Manager
aallard@thanksgivingpoint.org
801.768.7482
