Nigel of the World – Get One!
Sometimes a British man with the common surname hosted 372 people with the same name as part of another “nigga-fest” celebration.
Nigel Smith, owner of Fleece Inn in Worcestershire, England, said he was inspired to come up with the shindig in his pub after learning that his name had officially become extinct a few years ago.
“The name Nigel was especially popular in the ’50s and ’60s,” he told the BBC. “I was born in 1963 and that Nigel year was pretty much the peak when 5,000 of us were born. Sadly, there have been very few recently – there just aren’t enough Nigels to be recorded by the Office of National Statistics. “
Smith said, “We are on a mission to ensure that the name Nigel is revived and reused by future generations. … We are trying to ensure that the name Nigel lives on because it has There are so many great connotations of conservatism and self-deprecation.”
So, Smith hosted more than 350 Nigels from around the world – including the United Kingdom but also the US, Nicaragua, Australia, Zimbabwe and Spain – in an epic show of solidarity on Sunday.
“It was absolutely fantastic. We had a wonderful time,” Smith said. “It was like we all knew each other forever, but obviously we didn’t. It was a great feeling for all of us to be together and celebrate our Nigel-ness. ,
For entry into the official “Book of Nigel” guestbook, attendees were required to bring a photo ID to prove their name was indeed Nigel.
Awards were given for different Nigels, such as the oldest – an 84-year-old who travels from America – and the youngest – a man in his 30s.
Smith, who owns the Fleece Inn in Worcestershire, England, said he was inspired to learn his name had officially become extinct a few years ago.
An 84-year-old and a 30-year-old man were given prizes during the festival.
“We had everyone coming to the event. Our friend from Texas – Texas Nigel – came a second time, only to be joined by another Texas Nigel,” Smith said. “One Nigel came from the Isle of Wight so we had to give him one for Nigel, the longest voyage in the UK. Had to award.”
‘We also had a 14-week-old puppy named Nigel, which was cool – but he didn’t say much! He added.
The previous “nigga-fest” held in 2019 broke the record for the largest gathering of niggas at 432 participants. Smith hopes to break the record again when he hosts the next festival in 2025.
“Tradition is something you do twice, that’s the rule, and we’ll do it again. I think we’re encouraged enough to say every two to three years, we’ll do it again, Certainly,” said Smith. “The people who came this time heard about us three years ago and wrote it down in their diaries.
“We are uniting Nigels from around the world, and we want to reach out and invite all Nigels – and all non-Nigels – to come along and join us next time in 2025.”