There were 466 flappers doing their best on a grey Mountains day on Saturday, but while they had fun, they missed out on reclaiming the world record for the greatest number of costumed people dancing the Charleston.
Participants flocked to the famous historic hotel at Medlow Bath, revelling in their 1920s garb.
The Charleston Challenge had broken the official world record three years in a row but was thumped by the town of Bexhill in the UK last August with 503 people, followed by 975 dancers in London, which was validated by Guinness in October.
Hydro Charleston Challenge co-ordinator Angela Corkeron said: “It would have been fantastic to have brought the Ashes of the retro dance world back to Australia but we smashed our personal best record of 360 last year and still achieved our primary goal, which was to have fun at an activity the whole community could join in.
“It was fabulous to see so many smiling faces despite the rain. There was a real party atmosphere.”
The Charleston Challenge and other Roaring 20s events paid homage to the decade when the Blue Mountains cut loose in an endless round of hedonism and showed that Mark Foy’s ‘Palace in the wilderness’ led the modern local party scene.
The 2016 Challenge was preceded by a Gangster Casino Night and followed by the Majestic Long Lunch featuring regional delicacies and the sophisticated Shanghai Nights to herald the Chinese lunar New Year.
See hydromajestic.com.au for more information.
