Athlete’s Parade – London 2012 Olympic Games 10th September 2012, London

For this spectacular GLA and LOCOG event, Kinetika was to design and produce two, large lion puppets and costumes for The Kinetika Bloco to lead in one of the largest parades we’ve ever seen. Around 800 Olympic and Paralympic athletes took part in ‘Our Greatest Team Parade’, making their way through central London to the delight of approximately one million onlookers. Lead Kinetika artist, Tony Mason designed and made the two enormous heads assisted by Kinetika artists, Iola Weir and Edwina Rigby. Kinetika also costumed – in red, white and blue – the puppeteers from Smoking Apples and Highshore School who brought these giant cats to life, along with the forty musicians from The Kinetika Bloco who accompanied the procession into The Mall in central London. Click here to see BBC video footage from parade.

“At the event itself, which was attended by many thousands of people, the Kinetika figures and troupe proved very popular and a fitting start for the parade which included many of the Team GB and Paralympics GB athletes who had achieved so much throughout the Games.”

Brian Oakaby Senior Events Officer, Events for London Team, Greater London Authority