The circus performance went on for 24 hours, 10 minutes, and 30 seconds.
Circus shows are usually one or two hours long and include a variety of human and animal performances. However, it will come as a surprise to learn that a circus performed for 24 hours in order to break a world record.
Phare Ponleu Selpak, a Cambodian nonprofit arts school, set a Guinness World Record by putting on a circus show that lasted 24 hours, 10 minutes, and 30 seconds in Battambang. The show was held between March 7 and 8, 2021, but the record was confirmed by Guinness World Records (GWR) this month.
According to the (GWR), Phare Ponleu Selpak is an organisation founded by Cambodian refugees to help children through war trauma and to restore the country's culture and education following the Khmer Rouge genocide. They now educate over 800 disadvantaged children and train hundreds more in the visual, musical, and performing arts to help lift hundreds of families out of poverty and keep the Cambodian culture alive.
They have taken innovative steps in the last decade to avoid dependence on handouts by creating a popular animal-free circus and tourist attraction that has funded their lifesaving programmes.
In the release, the reference book company also stated that COVID-19 was a disaster for the organisation because it halted their performances and tourism.
The organisation was desperate for funding and, despite not having wealthy support networks or any fundraising budgets, came up with something truly creative to grab attention. The idea, which drew on the same creativity and resilience with which the organisation was born, was to achieve a Guinness World Record title.