Meet Danielle Bozward. Marketing Manager Grand Central; Birmingham’s premier shopping and dining destination, perched above the iconic New Street Station.

The brief? Entertainment to celebrate the one year anniversary of their grand opening. And they really wanted to go to town!

With 4 enormous areas to cover and a team of 20 performers, the scale of this project is one of the biggest we’ve ever undertaken. And as proud Brummies, it was a dream come true to transform this famous atrium into a circus for the day. An atrium and space somewhat reminiscent of a circus top…

We planned a huge train of activity to blow through the centre of the building throughout the day with an aerial finale.

But, disaster struck during set-up. The riggers delivered the wrong type of lift and were unable to get a replacement in the timeframe. And we needed to be ready and out of the way by 6am when commuters would start arriving.

So, we did what we do best and we adapted. We flexed. We jumped through hoops to make it work.

And work it did! Performers flooded the shops, restaurants and boutiques, lighting up the vast space with incredible circus spectacle alongside our live brass marching band. Mannequins balanced on shopping trolleys, flipping over unsuspecting shoppers. Dancers interacted with tables of guests enjoying lunch and secret shoppers appeared from shop windows and cafe counters.

As we paraded through the atrium, performers broke out into flash mobs and the crowd grew, culminating in a confetti blast makeshift party, where guests received gifts, hand delivered by our performers.

Despite our disappointment about the aerial finale, the event was a huge success. And probably one of our favourite projects ever; a vibrant display of high-energy circus mania. Customers enjoyed a moment of escapism whilst grand central was transformed into a stage.

Danielle was so thrilled with the event that she recommended us for an event at sister shopping centre the Bullring.