Wirral and Liverpool were bracing themselves last week for the return of the famous street theatre company Royal De Luxe marionette puppets.
The third part of the trilogy called Liverpool Dreams is part of the celebrations that Liverpool are making as it is the 10 year anniversary of Liverpool being given the European Capital of Culture accolade. The first two instalments were in 2012 called Sea Odyssey and in 2014 called Memories.
On the morning of Friday 5th October, thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of them waking up at various locations throughout the region. Although, the general public was treated to an impromptu appearance by Xolo the dog the night before, which everyone really enjoyed.
The little boy had been snoring soundly in St Georges Hall whilst the “big” giant was washed up on the shore at New Brighton.
The puppets were created in 1993 by Jean Luc Courcoult and he has stated that after their last day with us on the 7th October, they will retire and will never be showcased again. The puppets have been performing all over the world since they have been created but it has been documented that Liverpool has a very special place in the heart of Jean Luc.
Thousands of people over the weekend travelled to our city to enjoy this spectacular fusion of art, drama, street performance and mechanical engineering. The planning for this event started at least two years ago and what a great job our public and emergency services have done, making sure that things ran according to plan and everyone had been kept safe and well.
The giants performed and interacted on a number of different routes throughout the city, ensuring that everyone had a chance to see at least a part of spectacle. One of the things that Jean Luc wanted to ensure is that everyone had a chance to get to see the puppets free of charge.