The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Holly Madison, and about 300 bikini-clad women declare it the first day of summer with a world record-breaking parade Thursday.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 | 1:38 p.m.
Sun Coverage
While Mayor Oscar Goodman and former Playboy model Holly Madison are an unlikely pair, their two very different worlds came together Thursday, united by love for Las Vegas.
The politician and the former Playboy play thing joined forces to usher in the city's summer swimsuit season this morning at the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign.
This event coincided with the 50-year anniversary of the city's most symbolic landmark.
Goodman used Thursday's photo-op to declare "summer in paradise" a month before the season officially starts, while Madison hosted a camera-friendly fashion show of swimwear to welcome warmer weather.
The runway-style retrospective featured stylish bathing suits past and present, from the 1950s to today.
After the fashion show, Madison headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard to Fashion Show Mall -- in a pink Cadillac convertible, no less -- and used her beachworthy assets to make some swimsuit season history.
The shopping center served as a starting point for a bikini-filled parade that was literally one for the record books.
The procession didn't showcase the usual stream of candy-tossing cars and floats: It featured more than 300 women in swimsuits.
The event set the Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Bikini Parade” (Yes, that is a category) with 281 bikini-clad women. This outdid the previous bikini parade record of 250, organizers said.
While the parade broke the record for participants, it didn’t set any records for being the longest: The total parade route was about a third of a mile from start to finish.
The spectacle began inside Fashion Show Mall at noon before making its way outside near the south end of the mall, then out across Las Vegas Boulevard and nearly a block north along The Strip.
Post-parade parties are being held at several resort pools, including Bare at The Mirage, Mandalay Bay Beach, Go Pool at the Flamingo and pools at the Monte Carlo, Luxor and Planet Hollywood.
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