Manchester to attempt to break world flossing record – how you can get involved

It seems like only yesterday that the dancing phenomenon known as flossing was born when Katy Perry’s unforgettable performance on SNL took the internet by storm.

Russell Horning, better known as the Backpack Kid, set the craze in motion after performing his signature move with the American singer-songwriter during her performance on the show last year.

For those of you who aren’t aware of the phenomenon, flossing is a dance routine in which you move your hips from side to side while simultaneously moving your hands through the air in the opposite direction.

Millions of people around the world have tried to emulate the routine, with varying degrees of success.

The dance move even features on Fortnite, which became an instant hit with keen gamers around the globe.

And – would you believe it – there is even a world record for the most people flossing for one minute. The current champions won the title on the Ryan Seacrest Show recently.

Now an attempt is going to be made to bring the world record across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to Manchester – and the organisers want YOU to take part.

The attempt will take place at The Digital Kids Show at Manchester Central in November.

They’ve brought on board Fortnite YouTuber Ali-A, who will be counting down the event on-stage alongside some of his biggest fans. With over 15m subscribers to his popular gaming channel, the event is expected to have a huge turnout.

And Ali will also be doing a meet-and-greet during the event.

Over 5,000 people have already signed up, so the world record is guaranteed to be broken. But they don’t just want to beat it. They want to smash it out of the park and show the US that Manchester knows how to floss.

We spoke to Digital Kids Show founder Aisha Tilstone to find more about the event and the world record attempt.

“We’re a social enterprise and have hosted events in Westminster for the past eight years on young people’s internet safety,” she told us.

“This is our third year hosting the event in Manchester – and it’s grown so much that we’ve just announced a London event for August 2018.

“The name of the event confuses people because they think it’s going to be wall to wall gaming for gaming-obsessed children – but it’s actually a celebration of everything digital and a way to show parents and children the benefits of technology and how to use it safely.

“Our kids will never see a VHS recorder, they’ll never use a cassette player and they won’t even know what an internet dial-up tone is. They’re growing up in a world where everything is swipe left or swipe right. It’s about exploring the benefits technology can have on families lives.

“We have tons of activities from gaming, to ice skating, fairground rides and costume characters. It’s a fun event for the whole family. The age range tends to be from 4-15 year olds – but we have had people come with babies, and we’ve also had 17 and 18-year olds attend too.

“If you’re under 18 you have to come to the event with an adult. And if you’re an adult, you can only attend if you’re bring a child with you.”

But why have they chosen to break the flossing world record?

“We have a Fortnite battle area at the event this year – and we also have the second biggest Fortnite YouTuber Ali-A attending. And the flossing craze was really brought to light by the Fortnite game. Everybody is doing the floss at the moment.

“We just thought, because there are so many children coming to the event and kids everywhere are obsessed with flossing, it would be a great thing to do, to get everybody involved with. The venue can hold up to 10,000 people. We want to get a massive number of people doing it so that it’s not so easily beaten next time.

“The floss is like the ice bucket challenge – but not everyone can do it. From grandparents to toddlers to teenagers and mums and dads, we’re all giving it a go. Watching parents like me attempt it with cool kids is hilariously good fun. And that’s what we want to capture at the Digital Kids Show.”

The Digital Kids Show is at Manchester Central on 10th November 2018. Tickets cost £25 per person and automatically give entry to the world record attempt.

Everyone taking part in the event will receive a World Record Breaker certificate, so why not become a part of history and add flossing World Record Champion to your CV?

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