Ryan Meetup held its second annual “Rytoberfest” Saturday at Torch and Crown in Union Square, drawing hundreds of people named Ryan who attempted to break the Guinness World Record for largest same-name gathering. The current record stands at 2,325 people named Ivan, set in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2017. Participants traveled from as far as Australia to attend the event. The organization allows alternate spellings like “Rian” but excludes last names and Bryans. “Bryans are just B-list Ryans,” the group’s website states. The first Rytoberfest in New York in 2023 attracted over 200 Ryans. Official attendance numbers for Saturday’s event have not been released, so it remains unclear whether the record was broken. The gathering also raised funds for the Ryan Callahan Foundation, which supports families of pediatric cancer patients. (Story URL)
