20 years of Harry Potter: 676 children in the UK set a new Guinness record to celebrate the occasion

LONDON: An incredible 676 children in the UK set a new Guinness record for the world's largest gathering of people dressed as Harry Potter, to mark the 20 years since the first book of J K Rowling's popular fantasy fiction series was published.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - the first book of the epic seven-part series - was published by Bloomsbury on June 26 in 1997.

To celebrate the occasion, children in Bolton, UK gathered wearing a fake scar, glasses, a wand and the iconic school uniform of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - the fictional British school of magic.

The attempt was organised in partnership with Bolton Museum and Library Services and 11 primary schools across Bolton and saw 676 kids take part.

Official Guinness World Records adjudicator Sofia Greenacre counted and verified the record and commented that the children had a lot of fun in spite of the bad weather on the day.

Each participant also received a a copy of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, according to the Guinness World Records.

Previously the largest gathering of people dressed as J K Rowling's famous wizard was 521, achieved by Tanbridge House School in the UK in 2015.