The crowd started off rough but hit their stride by the second Fa-la-la-la-la.

Thousands of people decked the halls and alleys of the Distillery District Saturday evening in an attempt to break the world record for the largest group of carol singers.

“I was blown away by the response of people when we put the call out through choirs, neighbourhood associations. People just love getting in the holiday spirit,” said Steve Abrams, co-founder of the Mill Street Brewery and one of the organizers of the attempt.

The standing record was set on Christmas Day in 2010 when 15,111 people gathered for the Hong Myung-Bo Charity Soccer Game in Seoul, South Korea and sang for 15 minutes at half-time. This attempt fell well shy of the record, with just 7,300 people crooning away in the square.

Photos: World Carolling Challenge

Ten-year-old Michael Rendon stood with his parents, Luis and Monica, joining the chorus, with songs like Jingle Bells and Silent Night on their set list.

“Even if we don’t break the record, we almost made it,” said Michael, looking at the sea of people packed into the square.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” said Siahra Skelton, 24. “It’s a great show of community spirit.”

Skelton and her friend Emily Turner both had high hopes for the event — setting a world record might make their resumes, they said.

“It’ll probably be more useful than our Master’s degrees,” Turner joked.

The attempt at record-setting was a first for the Lowe’s Christmas Market, which takes over the Distillery District every year. Volunteers and on-site police officers counted the carollers, making sure to only count those actively singing.

Abrams called the event a “pretty good start,” noting that they plan to make another attempt next year. For each caroller, the organizers donated $1 to Daily Bread Food Bank.