The head count was performed by divvying the beach into sectors, counting up the people in one sector and then multiplying that with the number of sectors, according to Andrei Martõnkevitš, a representative of the security company Articard.

Pärnu, with a population of 42,000, attracts people from outside the city limits with its beach, but local residents prefer less crowded beaches.

The city government's spokeswoman, Maria Murakas-Ollo, confirmed the turnout as this year's record but added that the number of visitors has been even larger in previous years.

Robin Ilves