Dan Filmer
“ We obviously have to be considerate with the environment which we find ourselves in . We ’ ve had an incredibly tough few years .”
LED wristbands will be distributed to all attendees with the aim of creating an interactive sound and light show . The wristbands are being supplied by Xylobands , which has worked at Glastonbury Festival and the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony this year .
Unique Assembly director Penny
Dougherty says she sees 2022 as being very much a recovery year , particularly with Edinburgh ’ s Hogmanay having been cancelled for the past two years : “ The amount of funding available for both events has dropped since the events were last held in full . We are confident , however , that we can rebuild and refresh both projects , ensuring Edinburgh remains a key winter destination .”
Welsh connection Following its sell-out debut last year , Cardiff ’ s Christmas at Bute Park is returning this winter with a focus on Welsh partners and creative talent .
Roxy Robinson , creative director of Manchester-based From The Fields ( FTF ), promoters of Kendal Calling ( cap . 40,000 ) and Bluedot ( 10,000 ) festivals , says , “ Last year , we didn ’ t have the luxury of time to scope out possibilities for local participation . This year , that has been at the top of the agenda .”
FTF is working with Pontypriddbased Citrus Arts , which has taken on local trainees to help develop a waterbased installation . It will also work with several other local creatives and suppliers with support of Arts Council Wales .
FTF is introducing a range of new illuminations , many of which are bespoke creations , to the event this year , including iridescent light orb experience Prismatic that was designed by DBN Audile . Robinson says it will also feature a “ lake of light ” created by lasers , and a “ sensory canopy ” called Spectral Cloud that was created by Welsh artist Jessica Lloyd-Jones . Local operator 2Can Productions will oversee the event ’ s operational planning and delivery .
Some of the installations used at Bute Park will be given a second life during the summer season . Last year FTF commissioned a large spiral installation for the Christmas trail , featuring programmed light and audio , which it then used as a feature in the woodlands at Kendal Calling .
“ We have zones within both Kendal Calling and Bluedot that are focused on light art , so we hope to do more sharing of resources as we develop Christmas at Bute Park and invest in more purchased content over the next few years ,” she says .
Robinson acknowledges the company has had no choice but to pass on some of the increased costs via a raised ticket price but she says it remains at the lower end of the festive event price spectrum and there has been a major focus on delivering value for money : “ We have introduced measures such as the extension of our early bird price period , and other community discount schemes to make tickets accessible to more people for longer .”
While Bute Park provides a beautiful backdrop , Robinson says it does not come without its operational challenges : “ As a well-loved and well
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