A jewellery shop window in Bogotá's La Candelaria district became the stage for a Guinness World Record on October 7, when Colombian illusionists Handlich and Harry appeared to float in mid-air for five hours and 11 minutes — nine metres (about 29.5 feet) above the ground.

The duo performed from a window at Cordoba Joyeros, palms pressed against the glass and feet raised to sell the levitation effect. Pedestrians in the historic neighbourhood stopped to watch and photograph the scene as daylight faded into evening. Guinness certified two records: longest time levitating in a public space and greatest height levitating in a public space.

The previous marks belonged to Brazilian performers Henry Vargas and Klauss Durães, who in September 2019 suspended themselves for four hours and 20 minutes at seven metres above São Paulo's Avenida Paulista. The Colombians added 51 minutes and two extra metres to those figures.

Nobody has explained exactly how the trick works, and reports don't detail the mechanics. What's clear is that this was a feat of endurance as much as illusion — holding a physically demanding position, motionless to onlookers, for more than five hours in front of a crowd.

What makes the story interesting for travellers is the setting. La Candelaria is Bogotá's oldest quarter, all cobbled streets, colonial facades, street art and cafés, and it already rewards aimless wandering. This kind of spontaneous public performance is a good reminder that the district's best moments often aren't ticketed. You can be walking past a jeweller's window on an ordinary Wednesday and stumble into a world-record attempt.

Bogotá has been quietly building a reputation as a street-performance city — buskers, mimes and living statues are a fixture of areas like La Candelaria and the chapinero corridor, and the city even has rules licensing street artists. A levitation record fits right in.

If you're heading to the Colombian capital, put La Candelaria on your first-day list: the Gold Museum, Plaza de Bolívar and the street art are all within easy walking distance, and the atmosphere is liveliest on weekday mornings when the quarter is working rather than merely performing for tourists. And keep an eye on the windows — you never know who might be hanging off one.