River of Light, Liverpool
9 days, hundreds of light installations, a 15 minute fireworks bonanza and a few giant bunnies… it can only be the Liverpool Festival of Light.
In 2019 we came on board as a production partner, delivering full site management and production services on behalf of Liverpool Culture.
The mission was to deliver the most ambitious programme the event had ever seen, extending the dates from 1st to 9th November, with a centrepiece 15-minute fireworks show taking place on 3rd November.
We managed numerous stakeholders, as well as the production of the installations themselves. As a free public event, the crowd flow needed to be carefully anticipated and production elements needed to be planned meticulously, working with our supplier partners to get creative with power and positioning. We liaised with 11 international artists from Australia, France and the Netherlands who were commissioned to display the most awe-inspiring lighting installations.
Some of the challenges included the inflation of giant bunnies each day alongside a load in and out of 200 illuminated balls, which all needed overnight recharging and placement back in a precise order and position.
We delivered a stellar (get it) nine-day showcase for the people of Liverpool and beyond.
Sue McAdam event manager, Liverpool Culture
“The key to any event is to have the right site and production team on board. REM was instrumental, especially because we had international artists working with us – we needed to translate what they needed in terms of production and they needed to meet our health and safety requirements.”
