Five hundred seventy people dressed as Rocky Balboa gathered Friday at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where Sylvester Stallone’s boxer finished his training run in the 1976 film. Their gray sweats and black knit caps helped set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as the character, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Guinness adjudicator Andy Glass told the Inquirer that the attempt needed at least 250 people in the prescribed outfit. The Philadelphia Visitor Center’s rules called for a gray hoodie and sweatpants, a black knit cap and black high-top shoes. The official count cleared the threshold by 320. The gathering was part of the city’s 50th-anniversary celebration of the first film.
The steps are still a recognizable piece of the movie’s Philadelphia. They sit at the far end of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where the city is holding a second event tied to the film on Saturday. The 5K and 10-mile Rocky Run start in front of the museum. Both finish on the parkway by the museum, below the steps.
Saturday’s race and street closures
Philadelphia’s Office of Special Events says the 5K starts at 7 a.m. Eastern and the 10-mile race at 8 a.m. The city plans to close Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 22nd Street and Eakins Oval, along with a stretch of Spring Garden Street, at 3 a.m. Parts of Kelly Drive are scheduled to close at 4:30 a.m. Most streets are due to reopen by 2 p.m., with Eakins Oval fully open by 3 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive remains subject to its usual weekend closure. SEPTA bus routes 7, 32, 38, 43, 48 and 49 will detour from 4 a.m. until about 4 p.m.
The film’s anniversary through December
Stallone wrote the screenplay and played Rocky, a Philadelphia boxer who gets a shot at the heavyweight title. At the 1977 Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, directing for John G. Avildsen, and film editing for Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad. Stallone received nominations for his performance and screenplay.
Visit Philadelphia’s anniversary calendar runs through Dec. 3. The Visitor Center’s weekend bus tours continue through Nov. 29 and include stops at the South Ninth Street Italian Market and Laurel Hill Cemetery, two locations tied to the films. On Dec. 3, the Philadelphia Flyers are offering a Rocky ticket package for their home game against the New York Islanders, with a postgame skate inspired by Rocky and Adrian’s first date.
