1,600 redheads gather to break world record

A sea of fiery heads poured into Portland, OR this weekend, attempting to break the world record for the largest ever gathering of redheads and spread the word about preventing skin cancer.

The Oregonian reported 1,600 redheads turned out for the event in downtown Portland, showing off their various shades of red locks and posing for photos. They also had to bring a childhood photo to prove their red hair was natural.

Participants told media they felt welcome among their fellow redheads, at home in a crowd made up of people with a hair colour shared by only two per cent of the global population.

The current World Record for the largest gathering of people with natural red hair is held by Anne Lindsay Photography, which organized an event in Washington state that brought 890 redheads together at a high school.

[ Related: Are you carrying the redhead gene? ]

If everyone at Saturday's event is confirmed by Guinness, the 2013 gathering will beat the last record by more than 700 people.

The event is also designed to educate attendees about skin cancer, which redheads with fair skin can be especially susceptible to developing, according to the event website.

Thankfully, no one mistook the crowd of redheads for a forest fire.