Member Article

Preparations for Epic Great North Run Million Opening Ceremony Reaches Its Climax

Not since the great days of Swan Hunter and Newcastle’s proud ship building heritage has the Tyne seen so much action as the final preparations for the mammoth Great North Run Opening Ceremony reaches its climax this week.

With over 12 river vessels set to take part in Thursday’s historic Olympic sized ceremony with a combined weight of over 700 tonnes, 140 production crew are working around the clock to ensure the event will be one of the most memorable occasions the region has ever seen.

The Bupa Great North Run 2014 has been heralded as the special one. Never before has a race of this size and importance to so many people welcomed a millionth racer across its finishing line and to mark this unbelievable milestone, organisers have pulled out all of the stops to ensure the opening ceremony starts this epic month with a bang.

The event, which will take place on the NewcastleGateshead Quayside, will feature some of the region’s musical greats and celebrated talent, with Ant & Dec, Sting and local hero Mark Knopfler all making special appearances.

They will be backed by stunning live shows, breathtaking pyrotechnics and a firework display to rival any ever seen not only on Tyneside, but throughout the UK. The Opening Ceremony will tell the epic tale of the North East – a story of creativity, ingenuity, innovation and determination.

Speaking on the Opening Ceremony site, Gary Beestone, Technical and Production Director, Great North Run One Million, explained: “It will take over 9000 man hours this week to install, deliver and safely remove all that has went into this historic event.

“Over 50km of temporary cabling will be installed and removed in just one week and a breath taking projection onto the Sage Gateshead will need 480,000 Lumens of projection power to illuminate it. It’s a 5200 SQm projection which is an area twice the size of Buckingham palace!”

“Events like this don’t come much bigger and I’d be surprised if anyone in the region has ever seen the likes before. My team are very proud to be involved in it and we’re working extremely hard to make sure everyone has the time of their lives and remembers it for years to come.

“The river will be a hive of highly visual activity. The powerful water cannons on the Svitzer fireboats used in the show can reach a vertical range of 25 meters. So watch out if your standing at the front!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jon Corbett .