ABC was delighted to be involved once again in the Lord Mayor’s Show. This annual London spectacular is world-famous and this year the show took place on November 12th.
In 1215, King John issued a Royal Charter that allowed the City of London to elect its own Mayor. Since then, the newly elected Mayor has left the City and travelled by river to Westminster. When he gets there, he swears loyalty to the Crown. By the sixteenth century this symbolic passage was celebrated as the Lord Mayor’s Show. And in 2016, 801 years after that first journey, the pageant is as lively and popular as ever.
So the 2016 Lord Mayor’s Show began with a magnificent river pageant. First, the Lord Mayor travelled up the Thames aboard the QRB Gloriana in a flotilla of 24 traditional Thames barges and small boats. Then there was the Lord Mayor’s Procession, a carnival with more than 150 wacky and wonderful floats. The day ended with an impressive firework display over the River Thames.
The Lord Mayor’s Show is a celebration of the City of London’s ancient power and prosperity. It involves the city’s businesses, Livery Companies, charities, Her Majesty’s Forces, the City Police. Along with Londoners from all walks of life, they mark the occasion just as they did in the middle ages.
We have been making inflatables for the Lord Mayor’s show for two decades. We love the excitement and spectacle of it all! And this year the Pageant Master had recommended our services to the Worshipful Company of Vintners. They had a couple of ideas for custom inflatables to enhance their float. One suggestion was a giant inflatable wine bottle. So we worked up the idea and produced some visuals for them. Furthermore, we suggested the most practical and cost effective way to achieve the greatest impact.
They were delighted with the results. You can see from the pictures that the giant inflatable wine bottle was certainly eye-catching! Afterwards we received a lovely unsolicited thank you message from them.
“Just wanted to thank Mark and the team. Our inflatable wine bottle was outstanding, and received lots of high praise. We have found working with ABC very easy, highly efficient, creative, and very reliable. It is good to meet people who just do what they say they are going to do when they say they are going to do it. Well done! Please thank Mark and all the team for a first class service.”
“Just a short note to thank you for yesterday. Your inflatable really gave our entry a ‘lift’. I don’t know if you saw any TV coverage but I think there must have been a minutes worth of your inflatable. Excellent. Thank you and we will be calling you again for the right sort of inflation. – The Worshipful Company of Carmen.”
We love the challenge of turning people’s dreams into reality. So if you have ideas for a custom giant inflatable for a special event like the Lord Mayor’s Show, why not give us a ring on 01295 278600. Chat with us about creating a spectacular unique showpiece to your design.