A unique Cambodian circus troupe that attempted to set a Guinness World Record with a more than 24-continuous-hours performance in 2021 was officially granted the “Longest Circus Show” title, according to a press statement released Friday.
The Cambodian non-profit circus group, Phare Ponleu Selpak, said in the press release that its circus performance in Battambang town in northwestern Cambodia of 24 hours, 10 minutes, 30 seconds was “a last-ditch effort to raise funds to survive” during the Covid-19 pandemic. Guinness announced the world record in a livestream on Thursday attended by Cambodian Ministry of Culture.
Phare Ponleu Selpak was founded by Cambodian refugees and victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide to help lift families out of poverty and to preserve the Cambodian culture.
The Guinness World Records organization said on its website that the Cambodian circus group has helped over 800 disadvantaged children and has taken “innovative steps in the last decade to avoid dependence on handouts by creating a popular animal-free circus and tourist attraction which has funded their life-saving programmes.”
The ‘Longest Circus Show’ record is added to the kingdom’s other world records including the longest woven scarf, the biggest sticky bun, the longest alphabet, and the largest religious structure of Angkor Wat.
