The crowd at Tall Tour’s Tall Ball reached new heights on Saturday, Oct. 19. Inside the Allerton Hotel’s Tip Top Tap Ballroom, a sea of attendees gathered to celebrate their unique heights, ranging from a 4-foot-11-inch woman to a man towering at 7 feet.

Tyler Bergantino, Tall Tour’s founder, who is 6 feet 9 inches tall, said the idea of creating a space for people to connect over their height stemmed from interviewing tall people on the street with his brother. After posting the concept to his Instagram story, it quickly went viral, gaining millions of views. 

“People crave community and want to be part of something so they don’t feel alone,” Bergantino said, reflecting on the post’s success.

Growing into a phenomenon, Tall Tour travels all over the country, with New York being the next stop in November. The events are completely free, giving people a chance to meet and connect without barriers — a value rooted in Bergantino’s childhood experience of being turned away from a bouncy house because of his height. 

“I don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t come into a community where they belong,” he said. “It’s a lot of out-of-pocket money, but it’s really important to me that it’s free.”

Although Bergantino said there are pros to his height, like the ability to find people he’s looking for and see the stage at concerts, he also highlighted the cons, like struggling to find shoes and clothes that fit him. 

Isabelle Arnold, a 17 year old who is 5 feet and 11 inches, relates to this hardship. 

“It makes it hard to find jackets that go down to my wrists and pants that will go down to my ankles, so I end up shopping in the men’s section half the time,” she said. Yet, she said the fun of being her height makes the challenges worth it, as she enjoys reaching things on high grocery store shelves and seeing the tops of people’s heads.

Arnold traveled to Chicago with her 6-foot-2 inch mom from Nashville just for the event, having missed the convention in their home city.

“Showing up to see how tall people are in Chicago is a big difference since I don’t run into a lot of tall people in Nashville,” Arnold said. “I feel really short tonight, everyone else here is really tall, it makes it nice not being able to lean down to talk to people.” 

Chicago native Paul Bilanzic, also known as Tall Paul, is one of the tallest in the room, standing at 6 feet 11 inches. The newly-retired professional volleyball player heard about the event through Bergantino’s Instagram, as well as his large group of tall friends who love the Chicago nightlife. 

“Well, I’m certainly very visible, so I like to go out and be social. … I’m definitely blessed to use my height to honestly be with people,” he said. 

Growing from 6 feet 2 inches from his sophomore year of high school to 6 feet 9 inches by the end of his junior year, he said, “You have to embrace it. You can’t be mean about your height. You have to spread positivity and be a good influence.”  

Realizing his height will always keep him in the spotlight, he said he tries to use it for the greater good.

“People are always looking at you, so just keep that in mind,” Bilanzic said. “I always try to be positive and set a good example because I can’t hide from anybody.”

Bergantino shares this mindset but also admitted it took him a while to feel comfortable in his own skin. 

“Being 6’9” as a freshman in high school, you feel very isolated,” he said. “It’s not very easy to blend into the cool kids.” 

People often ask Bergantino for photos or point at him for how tall he is — a commonality among his tall friends, he said. But what once made him feel singled out eventually became a source of connection.

“Understanding that you’re not alone and there are people all around who are just as tall is very comforting,” he said, emphasizing that hardships come with any height. “That’s what this is all about. Whether you’re tall, short, all sizes are welcome because it’s not about how tall you are, but it’s about who you are on the inside.”

Related Stories:

• Ellen Ochoa lifts off on her fifth space flight, this time in Barbie form
• Community or Consumerism: The double-edged sword of BookTok
• Chicago Satanists are collecting pads and tampons for neighbors in need