600 students dress as Harry Potter to celebrate 20th anniversary of 'The Sorcerer's Stone'

June 23 (UPI) -- A group of more than 600 students gathered in one place and dressed as Harry Potter to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first book in the series.

England book publishers Bloomsbury Books shared a photo of the hundreds of students as they set the Guinness World Record for most people dressed as Harry Potter in one gathering in celebration of the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

"We did it!" Bloomsbury Books said. "We broke a [Guinness World Record] as most people dressed as HarryPotter in one gathering with Bolton Library and Museum Services for Harry Potter 20."

A total of 676 students from 11 primary schools gathered in front of Smithills Hall dressed in Gryffindor ties, glasses, wands and scars while standing line for five minutes to break the world record.

The previous world record was set in 2015 in West Sussex and featured 521 Harry Potter's.

Organizer Anne Burns of Bolton Council's Libraries and Museums Service was ecstatic after achieving the record despite Guinness' stipulations.

"I am so happy and can't stop smiling," she said. "I knew that we had around 600 children supposed to be coming but the final number we had was brilliant."

Councillor John Byrne, Bolton Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Youth and Sport, commended the children and the organizers for achieving the record.

"The logistics were fantastic. All the equipment was waiting for the children so it was very orderly," he said. "The children were brilliant though too because they had to be patient while they waited."