World's leading street theatre company will bring their ginormous parade to the city in October
Back in 2012, Royal de Luxe came to Liverpool with a performance entitled ‘Sea Odyssey’ - a story inspired by the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. The spectacle of a lifelike Giant Little Girl and her playful dog Xolo, parading through the city streets on an adventure with an enormous Diver drew crowds of around 800,000 people.
When the Little Girl and Xolo returned to the city in July 2014, they were joined by their giant Grandmother whose stories brought to life the impact the First World War had on the city for ‘Memories of August 1914’. That visit attracted one million people, boosting the local economy by around £46m.
We have been approached hundreds of times by people asking when they are going to return
Now Royal de Luxe has announced that they will be returning with their giant marionettes for the third and final time from 4-7 October. A four-day event called ‘Liverpool’s Dream’ will take place in areas of the city as well as The Wirral, as part of the Liverpool 2018 celebrations, which marks its decade as European Capital of Culture.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “Since the Giants left us nearly four years ago, we have been approached hundreds of times by people asking when they are going to return.
“We always wanted the Giant spectaculars to be a trilogy, but the final instalment had to be at the right time, with the right story – and what better than for it to take place in a year in which we celebrate how culture has transformed the city.”
Jean Luc Courcoult, the founder and artistic director of the street theatre company, said: “We love Liverpool and can’t wait to return. The welcome we receive from the people of the city warms our hearts and we are excited about not only bringing a brand new story to Liverpool, but also to exploring beautiful Wirral for the first time.
“As it will be our last Giant show here we think it will be very special, and we hope people will enjoy our final farewell to the city which is our second home.”
Mayor Anderson added, “To be able to share the Giants with Wirral will give this chapter an added, exciting dimension and a whole new backdrop for these huge, larger than life characters to perform in – and I’d like to thank the Combined Authority and Arts Council England for helping make their return possible.”
The free-to-visit spectacle is being funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority with an extra £5 million coming from the Single Investment Fund as well as support from Arts Council England.
The full route and more details about the giant characters will be revealed around September.
