United Kingdom Travel: The Giants Return to Liverpool! (StyleAt30)

I’ve been so excited to share with you all some photographs from my recent visit to Liverpool — one of the oldest cities in the world! All my life, I’ve often heard about this place, as it is famous for being the birthplace of the Beatles. Although I was certainly curious about visiting the notorious Beatles museum (more about it on my upcoming blog post), my trip to Liverpool this summer was about experiencing another phenomenal attraction that only happens here every few years — The Giants Spectacular street theatre event! It is a fantastic giant puppet street show titled “Memories of August 1914” this year produced by the Royal de Luxe from France in remembrance of the conclusion of the First World War.

Believe me when I say that I was taken by surprise by the festivity of it all. At first, I found the jumbo puppets a little bit creepy. However, being in England for a couple of months now, I’ve come to realize how immense they truly regard not only their roots and history, but also the unity and wholeness of their community in proactively bringing everyone together. The local neighborhood, along with thousands of tourists came together to watch the story of the intriguing Little Girl Giant, Grandmother Giant, and their dog, Xolo, unfold. The story is simple yet magical, and reminiscent of a fairy tale, making it highly suitable and enjoyable for the audience, yet with enough breadth to showcase an imaginative piece of street theatre. It was pretty cool how dozens of puppet masters were controlling each giant body part where they would have to jump from one apparatus down to the ground when pulling their rope just to have the giant strike the arm forward. Though the giant didn’t move very fast, the puppet masters were jumping, pulling, pushing from all sorts of positions. It was a very fun and entertaining feat to witness.

For someone like me who visited Liverpool for the first time the same weekend as The Giant Spectacular performed in the streets of the city, it was not difficult for me to realize how cultural and artistic the people of Liverpool are. The entire event totaled five days though the main “walking” action took place during the final three days. Thinking about it, I was really impressed by how the crowd supported the celebration and how everyone became a part of the success of The Giants Spectacular’s journey. The encouragement they showed was memorable and a blessing as you don’t see a lot of that genuine and transparent enthusiasm resonate in people nowadays. I am happy to have visited Liverpool for the first time this summer in this pure, simple yet vigorous setting. Without a doubt, it made a real and lasting impression on me and I am glad that I allowed the city to work its magic wholeheartedly in my life. Liverpool, until we meet again!

STYLEAT30

United Kingdom Travel: The Giants Return to Liverpool!