Bucharest is getting ready for Guinness World Records and needs 20,000 people at “The Table That Unites,” on September 12. In just two weeks since registrations opened, over 14,000 spots for the event in Constitution Square and on Unirii Boulevard have already been reserved. Registrations continue at masacareuneste.ro until the last spots are filled. Every participant matters for reaching the event’s goal.
Thousands of people, from the country and abroad, have already said “Yes”
Participants are coming from every county in Romania, as well as from abroad. Bucharest leads the registration rankings, and large groups have also formed in Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca and Constanța. Some of the guests also took part in last year’s record set by “The Table That Unites,” in Alba Iulia. The largest group registered so far is that of the Sector 6 Food Bank, with over 1,000 participants.
From abroad, most registrations come from Europe. In Germany, groups of Romanians, Transylvanian Saxons and Germans have formed who will come to Bucharest specifically for this event. Many participants are also expected from Italy, where Romanians in the diaspora have invited Italian friends and acquaintances to be part of the “The Table That Unites” story.
What will happen on September 12
Access to the event begins at 4:00 PM in Constitution Square in Bucharest. Each participant will receive by email information about the sector they are assigned to and the access gate. Participants will have the chance to get to know the people seated next to them and to experience together one of the largest community events organized in the center of the Capital. The program for September 12 will include parades, artistic moments and concerts. The most important moment of the day will take place at 5:45 PM, when the 20,000 participants must be simultaneously at the table for the official Guinness World Records verification. From 6:30 PM, the Guinness World Records representative will announce the official result of the attempt, and from 7:00 PM the charity concerts will begin for the social cause: the construction of the first Pediatric Psychiatry Hospital within the “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia” Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, which will benefit over 5,700 children a year who suffer from severe mental health conditions and need our help.
“The Table That Unites is a project built through the involvement of an entire community, and the partners who chose to join us play an essential role in turning this idea into an event of this scale. We thank them all for their trust, for the resources provided and for their willingness to contribute to a project that brings people together. On September 12, every contribution will be reflected in the experience of the 20,000 people we want to see at the same table. It is, perhaps, the most concrete expression of the idea that has accompanied us from the start: when things are going well for you, lengthen the table and make room for others too,” stated Alexa Vîlcan, founder of Bloom The World.
Registrations continue until the 20,000 spots are filled. Participation is free, based on prior registration at masacareuneste.ro. Every filled spot counts. Individual registrations are possible, as well as registrations for families or groups.
Over 5 tons of food will be served to the 20,000 participants
20,000 food portions will be prepared for the event; in total, over 5 tons of food will be used with the help of the event’s partners, and MAGGI is responsible for the taste that brings us together. The menu will include traditional dishes, desserts and fruit. Vel Pitar is contributing bread for the whole table, Deroni is providing the best quality rice. Periș and Șorici Crocanți will provide the meat for the table, and Agroland will offer 20,000 rainbow eggs. SanoVita, Sweeteria and Interbrands Orbico will take care of the delicious desserts. The food will be prepared in less than 24 hours in the kitchen made available by the Sector 6 Food Bank, along with all the logistical support for the event. The team will be coordinated by chefs from Alba Iulia, Sibiu and Hunedoara, together with around 50 volunteers. To reduce food waste, the Sector 6 Food Bank will take over the surplus of products and dishes and redistribute it to vulnerable people and communities.
Each participant will be able to keep some of the items and products prepared for the event, including the personalized plate with the event details, a vase with flowers or pieces of the tablecloth. In total, the organizers are preparing approximately 22 gift items for each participant. In the hydration area, Aqua Carpatica and Capri-Sun are offering free drinks for each of the 20,000 participants. To keep the whole table clean, Elfi will provide napkins for all participants. All the food will be delivered to “The Table That Unites” in record time with the help of partner Freshful. The wellbeing and relaxation area will not be overlooked either, as Douglas has prepared a dedicated area for guests, and BCR will handle financial education lessons for participants, during the breaks of the event.
40 hours to build a table over 5 kilometers long
Construction of the table will begin on the morning of September 10, with the direct involvement of partners SafeSteel and SafeWood. SafeSteel will handle the planning and technical coordination of the works, including topographic layout, site organization, and the necessary teams and equipment, while SafeWood will take part in the actual construction of the structure, from positioning the euro-pallets to installing the particleboard tabletops. Over 10 trucks carrying euro-pallets and particleboard will be brought in with the help of the Kronospan company. After the event, the euro-pallets will be returned, and the particleboard used to build the table will be redirected to projects for children’s centers, where it will be turned into furniture. The Apulum factory is preparing 20,000 plates made of recycled ceramic, and over 20,000 flower stems will be brought in from the Netherlands. To make the personalized tablecloth, Fabrica de Ambalaje Cartonate produced a special die-cutting tool in Poland, measuring approximately 2.44 x 1.22 meters.
Participants can support, through donations, the building of the largest pediatric psychiatry hospital, built by the Metropolis Foundation
This year, participants are invited to turn their presence into a gesture of solidarity and support, through donations, the Metropolis Foundation’s project to build the first Pediatric Psychiatry Hospital within the “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia” Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, as part of the “Public Hospitals from Private Money” initiative. Donations can be made starting from the moment of reserving a spot at masacareuneste.ro, and on September 12, dedicated QR codes and donation boxes will be available. Partner companies can, in turn, contribute to the fundraising campaign.
The organization of the event is supported by companies contributing products, materials, services and logistical support: MAGGI, as main partner, Kronospan, Apulum, Vel Pitar, Aqua Carpatica, Domeniile Sâmburești, BCR, Edenred, Hora, Douglas, Deroni, SafeSteel, SafeWood, Top Expert Proiect, Freshful, Elfi, Bolt, Periș, Flori Holland, Fabrica de Ambalaje Cartonate, Generali, Sector 6 Food Bank, Interbrands Orbico, NESCAFÉ, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, SanoVita, Pfanner, Capri Sun, Agroland, House of Horeca, Apuseni, Sweeteria, Apidava, Satul Banului, Glamour Floors, Drummers Print, Conica, the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, MainFreight, Șorici Crocanți, PromoBicicleta, iSense, Mommy HAI and the Romanian Red Cross – Sector 1 Branch.
The Table That Unites is an event organized by Bloom The World and communicated by Magic Maker Communication, part of the UNTOLD Universe group.
