Thousands of people gathered in downtown D.C. on Saturday afternoon. They ordered hot chocolate, sang along to the blaring holiday music and laughed loudly. But for a moment, they fell utterly quiet.
After all, it’s hard to speak while kissing.
For five seconds, 1,435 couples kissed in unison, while at least one reporter observed in awkward silence.
When they broke apart, the couples had set a world record for most couples kissing under mistletoe. The National Kiss Under the National Mistletoe event, hosted at 800 K Street NW by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District, shattered the Guinness World Record of 480 kissing couples.
Gerren Price, CEO of the DowntownDC BID, said the moment felt full circle.
A D.C. native, Price had first dreamed up the idea of a “national mistletoe” more than a decade earlier while planning his marriage proposal for his now-wife. As they planned a festive day in Washington, full of traditions such as the DowntownDC Holiday Market and U.S. Botanic Garden’s holiday display, he suggested they stop by the National Mall to visit the National Mistletoe.
No such thing existed, but he had placed a sprig of mistletoe — along with rose petals and candles — at the D.C. War Memorial, where she agreed to marry him.
On Saturday, he and his wife stood under the official National Mistletoe — a 600-pound, 10-foot-wide steel sphere suspended 30 feet in the air, covered in greenery and adorned with red ribbons and a jingle bell.
“Y’all, this has made this D.C. boy’s dream come true,” Price told the crowd before the kiss. “We can show the entire world that D.C. is love.”
When Price arrived at Anthem Row hours before the kiss was scheduled, he was shocked to find hundreds of people already waiting in a line that stretched down K Street NW and past the Carnegie Library.
“Anytime you throw a party you feel a little nervous no one’s going to show up,” he said. “I am blown away by the turnout and the positive energy.”
Many of the couples in attendance Saturday said they’d learned about the event from social media, but their reasons for braving the crowds and cold differ.
For some, such as Anna Vallejo and her boyfriend, it seemed romantic. “I feel like we have grown so much together as a couple in the past eight years and this seemed like a great way to continue romanticizing our journey,” said Vallejo, 32.
Others couldn’t resist adding “Guinness World Record holder” to their fun fact repertoires. “We’re gonna have one of the best two truths and a lie facts ever,” said Gina Cross, 51.
Guinness World Record official adjudicator Michael Empric stood at the front of the line, constantly clicking the metal counter in his hand. Each couple needed mistletoe and a red lanyard with a laminated card that read “Official Kiss Participant.” “Everyone has mistletoe?” he asked over and over. “You need mistletoe and someone to kiss.”
Occasionally, he would stop someone who appeared to be entering without a partner. Often, they would point to someone a couple steps behind them and be on their way. Other cases were trickier: one man asked Empric if he could kiss his hand (the answer was no); another woman had sneaked out unnoticed because she wanted a mistletoe with a red bow; Empric caught her trying to reenter and made her summon her partner to the entrance to verify she was part of a couple.
Even after it became apparent that more than 480 couples showed up, the record was not a guarantee. Stewards stood among the crowd, monitoring whether couples kissed for the required 5 seconds. If some broke apart early, they could be deducted from the tally.
“If too many of you are deducted, the entire attempt is unsuccessful,” Empric told the crowd, meeting with a chorus of boos. “I know, I get paid no matter what happens.”
But within minutes after the kiss, Empric had good news, to the relieved cheers of the crowd.
For those who missed the big smooch, the National Mistletoe will remain on display through Jan. 31. This marks the second year of the public art installation, funded by the District’s Streets for People grant and designed by D.C.-based artist My Ly.
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