Famecrawler
Glenn Beck Rally Attendance: Greater Than Rally To Restore Sanity Attendance?
Was Glenn Beck Rally Attendance Greater Than Jon Stewart Rally Attendance?
Now the the Rally To Restore Sanity is over, people everywhere are asking, “Did the Glenn Beck Rally have a higher attendance than the Rally to Restore Sanity attendance?
And the answer? Well, that all depends on who you ask.
Earlier reports I found estimated the Glenn Beck Rally attendance to be between 300,000 to 600,000, and the Rally To Restore Sanity attendance at 150,000 to 200,000.
However, some new info suggests that the Rally To Restore Sanity attendance may have actually been at least 250,000, and could have possibly been more than the Glenn Beck Rally attendance.
I’ve done my best to find a clear winner, but I can’t seem to do so. Basically, Glenn Beck fans say that his rally had bigger numbers, and Jon Stewart followers claim that the Rally To Restore Sanity crowd blew Beck’s numbers away.
So which is it?
Related Posts :
Go Back To Famecrawler
23 Comments
i was there commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:27 pmCBS put Glenn Beck at 87K. Fox put him at 300K. Where did you get 600K?
David commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:36 pmWho cares? Both were a success. Neither rally had a harmful message.
Nick commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:38 pmAre you kidding? CBS estimated Glenn Beck’s rally attendance at a mere 87,000. Compare that to the 150,000 figure they put out for the Rally to Restore Sanity.
Justin Lewis commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:39 pmAn accurate estimation of the Glenn Beck rally is 87,000. Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally was about 250,000.
Typhaeon commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:44 pmThe only scientific measurement of attendance (via aerial photos and 3 different experts) at the Beck rally put the number between 80-87k.
Jeff commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:57 pmJon Stewart already gave the attendance numbers at the beginning of the rally. 10 million! Just a joke obviously, but I’m not sure if he was actually expecting the numbers that ended up showing up. It was a ton of people. I’d love to see the aerial comparisons of the two events.
Jayjay commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:58 pmWe’ll let Nov 2nd show you how many attended the Beck rally. Wait for it.
Nicki commented on Oct 30 10 at 8:59 pmAccording to CBS, and AirPhotosLive, Glenn’s rally had between 78,000- 96,000 people-
Having been at the rally, we heard estimates between 150,000-250,000, and we were packed in shoulder to shoulder at the mall from the stage at 3rd street all the way to the end of the mall at 14th street, and there were people filling the sidewalks and streets outside of the mall as well, so I’m willing to say we obliterated Glenn Beck =)
j bowe commented on Oct 30 10 at 9:46 pmI couldn’t get onto the mall. From Silver Springs the trains were backed up-full. We finally arrived at the FCC Building at 2pm and people were parading on every street. It was like a volcano of people lava everywhere. I have attended sporting events of 60-70 thousand and it was a drop in the bucket to what I saw today. And everyone was nice, even in the jam packed railcars. I can’t wait to do it again (and I’m almost 60)
Laurent commented on Oct 30 10 at 10:12 pmBeck’s rally extended along the reflective pool only. That’s 2000ft and it’s not as wide as the rest of the Mall. Stewart’s rally extends almost 4000ft, the full width of the Mall. That’s basically at least twice as much.
Bill Toomey commented on Oct 31 10 at 1:25 amWhat say we go with the National Park Service’s estimates when they are published. They don’t have a dog in this fight.
R Jonec commented on Oct 31 10 at 3:39 amDo the math the reflecting pool is approx. 350k sq. ft. Beck rally filled an area 3 x the pool area that is about 1005k sq. ft. divide by 7 sq. ft. per person and you get 150k attendance. This is a rough guess but I am sure pretty close +/- 15%. Stewarts rally was in a area of 500K sq. ft. and the result is 71K +/- 15%. Don’t trust the media do your own home work and don’t be a lemming.
Jeff Mc commented on Oct 31 10 at 4:55 amThe numbers for my rally was one (me), and for the rally of those who disagree was a million. Still, I challenge ALL of those million people to show me where I was wrong and they were right. The point is: What is the content of the message of any rally? And is the content for each (or either) correct?
Show me where both sides are either right or wrong.
Go back 1000 years to a possible “Earth is Flat and Earth is Round” rallies. Do not tell me that the 250,000 people who showed up at the Flat rally are right and the few crazies at the Round rally are wrong. In other words: don’t let the numbers fool you, but rather let the points of each rally play out to see which one side is most likely right.
I know which side it is, but each of us should find out for him- or herself.
Gary D commented on Oct 31 10 at 6:03 amFox News stretched the Glen Beck photographs, check the Washington Monument.
The independent analysis by air photo experts was that this rally was over twice as large. The only quibble is rather the Beck rally photo was taken at the peak of the rally.
According to the traffic congestion and mass trnsit systems this rally was again about twice as large.
But what does this matter? This rally was more people mad at and poking fun at divisive mass media, particularly focused on Fox News, and not the Democratic Party vs. Republican Party.
D Deemer commented on Oct 31 10 at 9:59 amWho cares.Glenn Becks fans had to work or just wouln’t take off.Where I work 5 employees just took off and left us short handed.Plus they missed a day’s pay.Must be nice.
DROSTEN commented on Oct 31 10 at 3:12 pmYEAH WELL NO ONE GAVE THOUSAND OF PEOPLE FREE RIDES TO BECKS SHINDIG, OPRAH TOOK WHOLE AUDIENCES….
Pier commented on Oct 31 10 at 5:25 pmThis is to get an idea of the attendance of the two party, if you care (pictures from different distance and angle, so look at the comparison map):
J.S. : http://i.imgur.com/ux28n.jpg
G.B. : http://i.imgur.com/ltB2A.jpg
Comparison: http://cl.ly/32lZ
Taking into account the size of the pool, and that the upper triangle is more than half filled, I would say CBS estimates are realistic (87K for GB, 215K for JS.)
Linda Marie commented on Oct 31 10 at 5:26 pmWhy is this a competition for attendance. Glenn served his audience well and they went home satisfied, and Jon & Stephen sent theirs home sane & happy to have been there. It doesn’t make one better than the other. This conflict is exactly what the Rally to Restore Sanity was all about. Stop it already.
Pier commented on Oct 31 10 at 5:56 pmI am not so sure why you are against this comparison Linda.It is a good measure of popularity.
To me, the message from Rally to Restore Sanity was that a small vocal minority on the extreme political Right have been hijacking the discussion and the media for years. These numbers show this exact point, that they really are a minority and have been in the center of attention for no good reason.
doinmybest commented on Oct 31 10 at 8:04 pmThanks, Pier. That helped.
Andrew commented on Oct 31 10 at 8:42 pmNot a valid comparison.
Beck had a bunch of guys that most people have never heard of, giving speeches about constitutionality and fiscal conservatism.
Stewart and Colbert had a star-studded lineup of actors, comedians, and rock stars; and free chartered bus service from NYC.
The true test of who won will be known Nov. 2nd.
jm commented on Nov 01 10 at 11:34 amAnswer: No.
jlo commented on Nov 02 10 at 11:42 amI didn’t attend either one. So I don’t have anything in it. BUT it seems to me that the Sanity rally SHOULD have had more in attendance just because of the demographic of the DC Metropolitan area. Most DO vote Dem, or Liberal. They didn’t have to travel as far as those supporting GB. IMHO
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Christopher Rogers 
Shana Aborn 
Joanna Mazewski 
Sunny Chanel 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
23