Industry News

Locomotion and S&DR200 are inviting you to join an official attempt at their first ever GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title on Thursday 26 February at Locomotion for the greatest number of people simultaneously performing the “Locomotion” dance at a single venue.  

The official guidelines stipulate that at least 1752 people must be dancing together for at least 5 minutes, so the museum is calling on you to join the fun and help them break the record.  

Video guides to help learn the choreography will be made available on Locomotion’s website and social media. No previous dance experience is required to take part, but participants are asked to familiarise themselves with the dance moves in advance to help the official attempt run smoothly.  Locomotion will be running two in-person masterclasses on Friday 20^th February, 4:30pm – 5:30pm at Jubilee Fields Community Centre and 6pm – 7:30pm at Locomotion, both in Shildon.

Record producer and President of Railway Benefit Fund Pete Waterman OBE is supporting the record attempt, which will be performed to Kylie Minogue’s version of “the Locomotion”. Pete worked with Kylie Minogue to re-release her version of the song in 1998, which debuted at No. 2 on the UK singles chart and remains one of her most successful single releases to date.           

Pete Waterman OBE a dedicated advocate for the rail community, shared his enthusiasm for the upcoming record-breaking attempt: "I am delighted to support this event and the brilliant teams at Locomotion and S&DR200. As a charity, we are committed to supporting the UK rail industry and the incredible people who keep it moving. 

The railway has evolved in the best possible way, transforming from its historic roots into a modern, high-tech marvel, but it is the dedicated railway people from the engineers to the apprentices, who remain its greatest asset. I am particularly excited by the opportunity this event brings to invite more young people to learn more about and be inspired by the rich history and exciting future of British rail.”  

Locomotion and S&DR200 are inviting participants to arrive at the museum before 12.30 on Thursday 26 February for registration, warm up and a brief rehearsal before the official Guinness World Records attempt.  

The dancing is going to be led by Darlington-based experienced professional dancer and choreographer Darrien Wright. Darrien won BBC1’s Strictly Dance Fever in 2006 and danced with his idol Kylie Minogue on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show in 2018. Local dance groups including Harlequin Stages School, Age UK and HC Vocal And Performance Academy will also be taking part.  

This official record attempt forms part of Locomotion’s ‘Railway Record Breakers’ half term activities, which will include a poster trail to discover more about the record-breaking vehicles in the museum’s collection, plus self-led STEM record breaking activities for visitors to challenge their friends and family to.  

The record attempt in partnership with S&DR200 Festival also forms part of ongoing celebrations for the bicentenary year of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) and Locomotion No.1, the first steam locomotive to haul a passenger-carrying train on a public railway. This world-famous locomotive will be illuminated as the historic backdrop to the world record attempt where it is housed in Locomotion’s Main Hall.  

Sarah Price, Head of Locomotion, said: “The thought that Locomotion might soon have its own official Guinness World Records title is amazing! We really hope as many people as possible – young, old, dancers and non-dancers, rail enthusiasts and complete newbies – join us to help us achieve this incredible goal. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the community to come together in a historic setting to achieve something unforgettable.”  

Craig Glenday, Editor in Chief of Guinness World Records said ‘We are looking forward to adjudicating this fun and fabulous record attempt. Our call for 2026 is "Be Part of it!", so it's wonderful to see a community coming together to dance the Locomotion. Good luck to all the kids, adults and groups taking part  - you are all already Officially Amazing! 

Interested participants are encouraged to check Locomotion’s website at locomotion.org.uk/whats-on/record-breaker for more details.