Many people assume that event crewing is largely a summertime activity, but in fact the countdown to Christmas brings plenty of work opportunities – and a lot of unique experiences. From some of the swankiest Christmas trees in London, to a picture-postcard ice skating rink, here are a few of the festive environments that we’ve been helping to create.
Lights in The Shard
Since 2014, Gallowglass have been hired by the team responsible for the Christmas lights at The Shard. Towering over London, the city’s tallest building lights up the Capital’s skyline - thanks to 344 individual AV lights that we installed over 20 floors. The light display, which involved over 16 km of cable and large falcon beams, shows a series of different sequences that marked each hour, in addition to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Programmed to make the building look as though it was shimmering and glittering, each light can be controlled independently to provide the dramatic effect. This project takes 80 Gallowglass crew members four nights to load-in and install (this number slightly reducing each year as we aim to beat our previous record!), and a further two overnights to dismantle and load-out.
Tower of London Ice Rink
Against the backdrop of one of London’s most famous landmarks, thousands flock to the Tower of London Ice Rink each year to showcase their ice skating abilities. Gallowglass has assisted with the installation of the rink, which covers a 1,000-year-old moat, transforming the Tower of London into a winter wonderland.
Westfield, Stratford
Over the Christmas season, Westfield is teeming with shoppers, and to add to the festive atmosphere the centre pulls out all the stops to give them a fabulous shopping experience. Stepping through the doors, visitors are welcomed by a host of decorations, including stages and snow machines installed by Gallowglass event crews.
Selfridges, London
This year, Selfridges was able to boast that it was the first department store in the world to unveil its Christmas window display over two months early. And it was a Gallowglass event crew that got to help install trees around the flagship Oxford Street store and offices.
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity Carol Concert
For the 18th year, St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge and The Berkeley hotel will become the backdrop for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and the Carol Concert committee’s annual Carol Concert. Gallowglass will help transform the space into the perfect environment for performances, where 750 people will have the chance to enjoy an evening of music and readings.
The Ideal Home Show at Christmas
And if this all sounds a bit London-centric, our Northern division has recently returned from working at The Ideal Home Show at Christmas, held at Manchester’s EventCity. For three days, over 400 exhibitors in seven sections of the arena provided the perfect day-out for those still looking for Christmas inspiration and advice. And it was a Gallowglass crew that distributed and rigged a truck-load of tree installations as well as putting up decorations for the entire show floor.
If you’re interested in working for Gallowglass, we have event crews across the UK, including London, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Check out our blog for more information about what it is like to work for Gallowglass or contact us to find out more!
