A giant farewell
For the past ten years the people of Liverpool and Wirral have been visited by some pretty big guests.
The whole family of Royal De Luxe’s Giants have visited the city region since 2008, including the Grandmother, the Uncle, the Little Girl Giant and finally this year saw the arrival of the Little Boy Giant, accompanied by Xolo the dog who has especially won the hearts of many over the years.
Over the weekend of Giant Spectacular in October this year, 1.3 million people visited Liverpool and the Wirral to say a fond farewell to artistic director Jean-Luc Courcoult’s Giants. This was the biggest crowd to date and the event generated a massive £60.6 million for the local economies.
Although, as Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said – it’s not just about the money:
“In these tough financial times, economic boosts of this nature are invaluable. But it’s not just about the money. The pride the Giants engendered is priceless. Events like this aren’t commonplace – very few cities in the world have the creative ambitions to push boundaries, so I am proud that Liverpool and Wirral stand out from the crowd.”
The Giants really have become a point of pride for the people of the Liverpool city region but their popularity goes far beyond Merseyside, with visitors from across the country flocking to the city and the Wirral to catch a glimpse of these special marionettes.
The spectacular is a gigantic production, needing people power from volunteers, to security staff, to the Lilliputians who operate the large puppets. To celebrate the farewell event we have asked a number of those involved what the Giants have meant to them.
Volunteers from all across the city region joined Jean-Luc and his team to ensure the Giants were able to get around - we asked some of them what being a part of this huge team was like.
Lucie Sainsbury who was a Volunteer Translator told us:
“From a personal point of view, my role at the Giant event had a really big positive impact and truly exceeded my pre-conceived idea of what volunteering in a translation capacity would entail.
My confidence and perception of what I was capable of grew each day. I’m so grateful for having had this opportunity.
I was made to feel like one of the team and a real link between the English and French parties. I met some great people, and learnt a huge amount about what it actually takes to bring such a large-scale event to life.
It’s an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime.”
Megan Grisenthwaite is a first year student at Liverpool University:
“I have just moved to Liverpool and volunteering at the Giant Spectacular was a great way to get involved with the city. It was fascinating watching such a massive production and seeing the Lilliputians bring the Giants to life. I made great friends along the way and I’m so glad I put my name forward.”
As well as volunteers, security staff were employed on the day to ensure a safe travel for the Giants. Here’s what one of the security team, James Monaghan, had to say about the experience:
“Working with the Giants was fantastic. In my security career I’ve escorted a lot of high-profile folks through a lot of large crowds - footballers, musicians, actors, politicians – but never a 36-foot-tall giant through a crowd of 1.3 million people!
It was an incredible privilege to see so closely the immense physical work required of the Lilliputians to operate the giant, from the team jumping through the air to lift the legs to the never-ending focus of the team operating the head and face and neck, to the climbers who abseiled down from the scaffold and were carried down the street in the giant’s hands. It was amazing to see.
I love this kind of massive-scale, city-wide art. It causes people from all different backgrounds to come together in a shared sense of wonder and makes them realise that if nothing else they have at least one thing in common.
I can’t wait to see how the thousands of creative people who saw the event respond to this in their own artistic practice.”
Since 2008 the Giants have gained a strong following not only from the city region but from across the country and beyond. On social media, #LiverpoolGiants trended each day of the event. Tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts reached 12.4 million people from across the globe, including from Australia, New Zealand, China, Columbia, South Africa and Canada.
These comments left by visitors to the event sum up perfectly the magic, joy and excitement of the weekend:
“It had the incredible ability to unite people and communities, bringing everyone together to witness the magic.”
“Loved seeing the Giants but the general atmosphere was amazing. Great to see everyone enjoying the event and all coming together. And it was free!”
But there is no disputing that one of the biggest fans of the Giants is 13 year old Harley McCormick, whose fandom gained him a role as Honorary Lilliputian in the Giants farewell.
“I have seen the Giants every time they have come to Liverpool. My dream came true for their last ever visit because I was a Lilliputian and got the best surprise when the Little Girl Giant came to say goodbye.” Harley McCormick, Honorary Lilliputian, Giants Biggest Fan
Children from across Liverpool and the Wirral got involved in the Giants visit. Many schools made blankets for the Little Boy Giant to sit on while he enjoyed a picnic in the park. Lesson plans, including creative projects, were tailored around the Giant Spectacular.
Steph Laverty teaches at The Co-op Academy Woodslee on the Wirral and she explained to us how her class got involved:
“I had the pleasure of taking my Year 6 children to visit the giants in New Brighton. It was a wonderful experience and many children had never seen them before, so being so close was amazing. We even completed a two-week writing unit about the New Brighton visit and the children’s work was unbelievable!”
Another school amongst those involved was Redcourt - St Anselm’s in Birkenhead. The children there have drawn pictures and described what they saw over that memorable weekend. Take a look at the gallery below to see their amazing work.
