List of largest peaceful gatherings in history

This is a list of the largest historic peaceful gatherings of people in one place for a single event. For brevity, only gatherings in excess of 1 million are recorded.

Over five million

• Allahabad witnessed the largest human gathering anywhere in the world with more than 70 million people during the Ardh Kumbh Mela festival in 2007.
• The pilgrimage to Sabarimala, a Hindu temple in Kerala, India, is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year.^[1][2][3]
• An estimated 40 million people gathered over 41 days in Sabarimala, India between 15 November and 26 December 2008.^[4]
• An estimated 34 million people gathered over 11 days in Rajahmundry, India for Godavari pushkaram between 31 July and 10 August 2003.
• An estimated 19 million people visited the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq during Arba'een in 2011. ^[5]
• An estimated 15 million people attended the funeral of C. N. Annadurai in Tamil Nadu, India in 1969.^[6]
• An estimated 10 to 14 million people visited the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq during Arba'een in 2009.^[7][8]
• An estimated 10 to 14 million people visited the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq during Arba'een in 2010.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]}
• An estimated 9 million people visited the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq during Arba'een in 2008.^[16]
• An estimated 8 million people attended the annual feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila, Philippines on January 2011
• An estimated 7 million people attended the 25th anniversary of El Shaddai Manila, Philippines.
• An estimated 5 million people gathered in Sabarimala, India on 14 January 2007.^[17]
• Over 5 million people attended a World Youth Day Rally in Manila, The Philippines in 1995 to see Pope John Paul II.^[18]

Two to five million

• Up to 5 million people came to welcome Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran on his return to Iran on 1 February 1979.^[19]
• An estimated 5 million people attended the funeral of Egyptian President Gamel Abdel Nasser on 1 October 1970 in Cairo, Egypt.^[20][21] See Gamel Abdel Nasser#Death_and_funeral.
• An estimated 5 million people are reported to have gathered in Tahrir Square to celebrating the removal of the Mubarak regime on 19 February 2011 during the Egyptian revolution.
• An estimated 4 million people attended the funeral of Abdel Halim Hafez in Egypt.
• An estimated 4 million people attended the funeral of Umm Kulthum in Cairo, Egypt on 6 February 1975.^[22][23]
• An estimated 4 million people attended the closing Mass of World Youth Day 1995 in Manila, Philippines.^[24]
• An estimated 2.8 million people made the annual Hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia (excluding unregistered pilgrims which were over 0.75 million, the number of pilgrims would then be over 3.5 million) in November 2010.^[25]
• An estimated 2 to 4 million people are reported to have attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy on 7 April 2005.^[26][27]
• An estimated 3 million people marched through Rome, Italy in opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in the largest anti-war rally in history on February 15, 2003.^[28][29]
• An estimated 3 million people attended a parade in Boston, United States celebrating the Boston Red Sox's victory on October 30, 2004. The victory ended an 86 year drought of World Series championships and ended the era of the famous Curse of the Bambino for the Red Sox.^[30]
• An estimated 3 million people attended the annual feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila, Philippines on January 2008.^[31][32][33]
• An estimated 3 million people gathered for the funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran in 1989.
• An estimated 2 to 3 million people gathered to rally in defense of workers rights in Rome, Italy on March 23, 2002.^[34][35][36]
• An estimated 2.7 million people attended the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2000 in Rome, Italy.^[37]
• An estimated 2.5 million people participated in a beatification mass held by Pope John Paul II in Błonia Park, Kraków, Poland.^[38]
• An estimated 2.5 million people participated in the São Paulo Gay Pride Parade that took place in June 2006 in'São Paulo, Brazil.^[39]
• An estimated 2 million people gathered in Philadelphia, USA for the Stanley cup parade for the 1974 Stanley Cup Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers.
• An estimated 2 million people gathered for the Republic Protests on May 13, 2007 in İzmir, Turkey.^[40]
• An estimated 2 million people are reported to have gathered in Madrid, Spain for a parade celebrating the success of the Spain national football team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.^[41]
• An estimated 2 million Hindu women gathered at the Attukal Temple in Kerala, India on 4 March 2007, making it the largest gathering of women in history, overtaking the record set by the same festival on February 23, 1997.^[42]
• On 25 May 2010, an estimated 2 million people gathered at the 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires to attend several concerts and street art parades celebrating the Bicentennial of the May Revolution^[43]
• An estimated 2 million people are reported to have gathered in India for a Christian healing service, conducted by Benny Hinn in 2005; with the three day attendance totaling 4 million.^[44][45] But, Indian newspapers only reported attendance in the order of thousands,^[46][47] where as Binny Hinn's personal website claimed 7.3 million attendees.^[48]

One to two million

• An estimated more than 1 million attended the funeral of Italian Communist Party leader Enrico Berlinguer on June 13, 1984 in Rome^[49]
• An estimated 1.5 million attended the Diretas Já protest (April 16, 1984) in São Paulo, Brazil
• An estimated 1.0 million gathered in London, England for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011.^[50][51]
• An estimated 1 million people gathered in The Mall outside Buckingham Palace in London for the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II on 4 June 2002. ^[52]
• An estimated 1.5 million people attended the funeral of former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan on 1 March 2011. The length of the funeral cortege surpassed 4 miles.
• An estimated 1.2 million people attended the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. on 20 January 2009.^[53]
• An estimated 1.5 million people attended the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, PA 2 July 2005.^[54]
• An estimated 1.5 million Hindu women gathered at the Attukal Temple in Kerala, India on 23 February 1997 for what was at that time the largest gathering of women in history^[55] and earned the temple a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records (certificate pictured here). They brought cooking pots with which they prepared food as an offering to a goddess.
• An estimated 1.2 million to 1.5 million people attended the "Telangana Maha Garjana", at Warangal in Andhra Pradesh on 16 December 2010^[56] to demand the formation of Telangana as an Independent Statehood.^{[57][58][59][60][61][62]}
• An estimated 1.25 million people attended a Papal mass given by Pope John Paul II in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland on 29 September 1979. The estimated attendance was about one third of the population of Ireland gathered in one expansive public area.^[63]
• An estimated 1.6 million people (30 percent of Lebanon's 4 million population) gathered in Beirut, Lebanon on 14 March 2005 to demand an end to the Syrian military presence in Lebanon. This event is known as the Cedar Revolution.^[64]
• An estimated 1 million people participated in what is considered the largest procession in the history of New Delhi, India on 8 October 1970 in commemoration of Hans Ji Maharaj, led by his son Guru Maharaj Ji (now Prem Rawat).^[65][66]
• An estimated crowd of over 1 million revelers attended Love Parade in Essen, Germany on 25 August 2007.^[67]
• An estimated crowd of over 1 million Colombians gathered in Bogotá, Colombia on 4 February 2008 to protest against FARC.^[68]
• An estimated crowd of 750 thousand to 1.5 million people gathered in Central Park in New York City on 22 April 1990 to celebrate Earth Day.^[69][70]
• An estimated crowd of about 2 million people attended the funeral at Dhaka of President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh on 30 May 1981.
• An estimated 1 million people attended the funeral procession of the French enlightenment writer Voltaire on 11 July 1791,.
• An estimated one million Catholics gathered for the mass at Saint Peter's Square, to celebrate John Paul II's beatification on May 1, 2011^[71]
• An estimated 1.2 million attended World Youth Day 1997 (August 19–24) in Paris
• An estimated 1 million attended World Youth Day 1987 (April 11–12) in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• An estimated 1.4 million attended World Youth Day 2011 (August 16–21) in Madrid^[72]
• An estimated 1 million people attented Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan's Jalsa on December 25, 2011 at Mizar-e-Quaid in Karachi, Pakistan^[73]

Methodology

The methods of determining how many people are at an event vary in accuracy. Without knowing the method used and its error potential, estimates can be very inaccurate.

• An estimate made by an untrained observer of a large crowd is potentially the least accurate. Often these estimates are a number pulled out of the air by the observer.
• Better is an estimate made by a trained observer. These are usually based on scientific principles and experience. Trained observers usually work for governmental or academic organizations.
• Scientific analysis of photographs and/or video images is usually considered to be even better. Based on the quality of the image, it is possible to do a physical "head count" or to estimate attendance based on the density of people within similar areas. This permits the estimation of people over large areas or where parts of the image are obscured. An extensive discussion of how images were used to estimate the number of attendees at the Million Man March can be found at the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University's website.^[74]
• The most accurate number is achieved when an actual count of ticket stubs and/or gate counts is used. Even this system has limitations. If the number is based on the number of tickets distributed or sold, people who get tickets and do not attend will affect the results. Similarly, people who get into the event without an actual ticket may not be counted. If the count is based on the number of stubs collected, those who get in without tickets will again not be counted, and there is no way to account for people leaving early, or leaving and re-entering using a second ticket.

See also

• Kumbh Mela
• Arba'een
• World Youth Day
• Hajj
• List of notable funerals

References