1) Turning on of Oxford St. Xmas lights, London (5/11/12)
Nothing says Christmas in London more than the most festive of illuminations: The Oxford Street Christmas lights. This year, sponsored by Marmite, the duty of turning on the 300,000 bulbs fell to Robbie Williams, with music and entertainment from a variety of British acts. The 2012 switch-on also saw the introduction of ticketing for the event; a grand total of 3,500 people successfully applied for free tickets courtesy of radio station, Heart 106.2. Supported by Westminster City Council and funded by Oxford Street retailers, the celebrations combine entertainment and festive cheer with late night shopping at the 300 plus shops on the street.
2) Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, New York (22/11/12)
Marking the coming of winter, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade has been drawing a crowd with its floats and balloons since its inception in 1924. A demonstration of logistical wizardry, the 2012 parade featured 16 giant character balloons; 40 novelty balloons, 28 floats; 1,600 cheerleaders and dancers; 900 clowns; 11 marching bands plus a host of celebrity performers. The parade itself is subject to strict protocol, proving a challenge of epic proportions to the
event coordinators. Guidelines for maximum wind speed and balloon size have been in place since 1998 and police officers on motorbikes follow the floats along their route, putting their crowd and
traffic management training to good use.
3) Hogmanay, Edinburgh (31/12/12)
The jewel in the crown that is Scotland’s winter festivals, Hogmanay’s 3-day celebrations take over the centre of Edinburgh in a citywide street party. Featuring performances from Scottish artists, multiple firework displays, caileighs and the now famous torchlight procession, the event is funded by the city council, supported by EventScotland, and televised to 150 countries worldwide. In 2012/13, over 7,000 torchbearers will be led by pipes and drums in a procession through the city, watched by an expected audience of over 25,000. Event organisers sell torches to revellers, with a record number of 6,500 sold in advance of 2011/12’s event.
4) Carnival, Rio de Janeiro (8-12/2/13)
The Rio Carnival is famous the world over for its hedonism, colour and vibrancy and its highlight is undoubtedly the Samba Parade. Beginning as a street festival with music and dancing, the parade developed into a competition between samba schools that now finds its home in the purpose built Sambodromo. The theme for the year’s parade is decided by committee before each school selects its annual samba song by competition and costumes and floats go into production. Rehearsals begin in December and the release of the schools’ samba songs to CD is carefully timed to coincide with Christmas and build anticipation for the biggest Brazilian street party on earth.
5) Red Bull Crashed Ice (Final in Quebec City) (1/12/12 – 16/3/13)
Created in 2001, ‘ice cross downhill’ finds its international stage with Red Bull Crashed Ice. Although the competition takes place across multiple locations (6 in 2012), arguably its spiritual home is Quebec City. A man on man skating battle, down a 584m ice track filled with drops, jumps and razor-sharp hairpin turns, a crew of 60 workers spent a total of 7,500-man hours constructing its course. Annually, 120,000 people pack into the cobbled streets of the old town to watch 80 daredevils take the plunge, four by four, on a track averaging 5 metres wide and featuring a 60-metre vertical drop. The track itself can stay chilled even if temperatures rise above freezing thanks to 36,000 litres of glycol coolant running through 9,300 meters of pipes beneath the surface. Free to spectators, tickets are sold for access to the Fan zone, for viewing in comfort.
Article by Laura Bennett
