The Tall Tour, a travelling meetup celebrating tall stature, has been drawing thousands across the United States, offering a rare sense of belonging for those who often stand out. Since its launch last summer, the event has visited 19 cities, with crowds growing from an initial 30 in Tampa, Florida, to around 4,000 in Orlando, according to organisers. A recent stop in Seattle drew approximately 750 attendees.
A Night of Belonging
At a Seattle sports bar, hundreds of unusually tall people experienced blending in for once. Women in high heels found themselves looking up, while men accustomed to ducking under doorways appeared unremarkable. The perennial question about playing basketball was left unasked. For many, this was a transformative experience.
Tyler Bergantino, the 6-foot-9 founder who wears a size-16 shoe, described the profound impact: "You're walking around and there's people your height and people taller than you when you thought you were just this giant freak. That's something that I think is very healing for tall people."
Accidental Movement
The concept emerged almost accidentally. Bergantino, 32, a former software salesman turned TikTok creator, posted a casual invitation on social media while travelling through Texas. He wanted content. Instead, he sparked a movement. "It created itself," he said. "I can't really take credit for it."
Each stop follows a similar format: Tall people gather, take photos, share recommendations for shoe shopping, and swap stories about hitting their heads on door frames and cramming into airplanes. For many women, the night's biggest draw is speed dating, offering hope of meeting someone comfortable dating a taller woman.
Dating Challenges
"Dating as a tall woman, you feel like you're intimidating to people," said 25-year-old Ksenia Protasenko, who is 6 feet tall. "There's this association with you being a warrior type, but it's not true. It's tough to have your height as the first thing people notice about you because it feels like people are not really seeing any vulnerable parts of you."
Protasenko often gets asked if she plays basketball. Her reply: "I tell them, 'Yeah, sure,' even though I don't. Then I ask them if they play mini golf. That seems to straighten them right up."
Crowning the Tallest
The highlight comes when organisers crown the tallest man and woman in attendance. In Seattle, those titles went to a mother and son. Susan Mullendore, 44 and 6-foot-5, stood beside her son Grayson, 19 and 7 feet tall, as the crowd erupted. "As a mom, just seeing Grayson having this experience meant the world to me," Susan said. "To be able to be crowned with him was really special. It was nice to have our height celebrated."
For Grayson, a college freshman, the evening offered a rare feeling of normalcy. In public, strangers often make comments and photograph him without asking. "People think that because we're tall they can say whatever they want or do whatever they want, like we're zoo animals almost," he said. At Tall Tour, the dynamic flipped. "It was insane to feel small for once," he said, noting the event's 7-foot-3 and 7-foot-4 co-hosts. "It was so surreal to be able to have a conversation and look people in the eyes."
Shared Experiences
Attendees describe a lifetime of social hypervigilance: raising their voices to sound less intimidating, slowing down around corners, slouching to fit in. "You're hyper-fixated on making sure that people don't see you as a threat," Bergantino said. Tall people often feel isolated, particularly around puberty. But at Tall Tour, they can finally feel what it's like to fit in. "It heals a portion of your inner child," he said. "Everyone's walls come down, and it's like we're all one family."
Susan Mullendore added: "Sometimes you just want to go through the airport and be left alone. And that doesn't happen for us. We usually get a lot of whispers. We get it. It's shocking to see tall people. But sometimes it does get old."
The challenges extend beyond social awkwardness. Finding clothes and shoes that fit can be a mission. Susan, who wears a size-14 shoe, orders from a specialty brand in the UK. Grayson added a mattress extender and plywood to his dorm bed for support but still hangs off the edge.
Growing Business
Bergantino quit his sales job two years ago and now runs Tall Tour full-time with a small team, including his brother, a CEO, and a COO. Celebrities have taken notice: 7-foot-6 basketball player Mamadou Ndiaye attended the Los Angeles event, and the team has been in contact with 7-foot-1 NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
Future plans include expanding speed dating, launching a fashion show, and adding spinoffs like Tall Tour at Sea. International stops in Canada, Dubai, London, Australia, the Netherlands, and Japan are on the wish list. Bergantino aims to build "the tall-person ecosystem" — advocacy for exit row seating, better clothing options, and a phone app.
For now, the reward comes in smaller moments, like watching women in heels celebrate the height that once caused shame. "The most joy of the day comes from the Tall Queen when she gets her crown and everyone's going crazy," he said. "It gets me every time."
