Carnival's pinata was about 61 feet tall, 60 feet long, and 23 feet wide. It broke the world record previously held by a 48-foot-tall pinata Microsoft sponsored in Mexico City in 2006.

Carnival Cruise Lines sponsored the event, which included music, food and cruise giveaways to celebrate the Record-breaking pinata. 

"We wanted to give Philadelphians an opportunity to experience the Carnival culture of fun by being a part of a new world record and having the chance to win a free Carnival cruise," said Carnival Cruise director John Heald.

Carnival Cruise Lines broke open the world’s largest piñata in Philadelphia and donated its entire contents – 8,000 pounds of candy – to local non-profit organizations, including Philabundance, the YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, Dignity Housing,The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Travelers Aid Family Residence Center, among others.

A piñata is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico.

Today, the piñata is still part of Mexican culture, the cultures of other countries in Latin America, as well as the United States, but it has mostly lost its religious character.

Piñatas have also become popular in Mexican-American and other Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States, as well as non-Hispanic populations. They are used for birthday parties, Christmas and Cinco de Mayo celebrations

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the largest display of Pinatas consists of 1,166 items, and was achieved by the City of Sainte-Catherine (Canada), in City of Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, Canada, on 19 August 2018.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the largest suspended piñata; it measured 523.70m³, was achieved by Vision Lightec SA de CV (Mexico) and displayed at Plaza de Los Mártires, in Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico, on 16 December 2015.