UK - Those stuck in busy Christmas Eve M25 traffic as they drove home for Christmas were treated to the sight of Father Christmas as he began his delivery duties led by his faithful reindeer.
Celestial created a festive drone animation of Father Christmas flying over the M25 to spread Christmas Eve magic. Through technology, Celestial digitally displayed Santa and his sleigh using drones to delight and ignite imaginations.
Tony Martin, CEO at Celestial, comments, "At Celestial, we believe in creating experiences that defy expectations and leave a lasting impact. Our Christm

UK - The Soho Kids Xmas Lights 2023 is now in its third annual edition. The project showcases the designs of pupils from the Soho Parish Primary School.
Soho Parish Primary School pupils, under the direction of Antonio Capelao, architect and founder of award-winning Architecture for Kids, a community interest company, coproduced 14 new street lighting panels this year to add to the 35 designed in the two previous years. Creating a total of 49 (and two commissions) luminescent installations that are lighting up the streets of Soho until 7 January.
The designs by the pupils we

France - Director of photography Jean-Louis Rousseaux has been responsible for lighting the sets of television network France 24 since 2008 and knows what type of high-quality light is needed to create the desired look and ensure a visually engaging viewing experience. Last summer, he and his team lit two France 24 TV news sets using Elation broadcast lighting supplied by Elation distributor Best Audio and Lighting.
As on most sets today used to produce broadcast news magazines, France 24 installed LED screens around the entire periphery of the sets. The space was also equipped wi

Europe - Pro lighting sales and technical specialist Jeroen van Aalst has joined the Robe International sales team as key account manager where he will be energising and coordinating sales in several important markets including The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Malta, Turkey, Israel, and South Africa.
Aalst will be working closely with the Robe distributors in all these regions, overseeing and supporting their initiatives, coordinating information, ensuring all communications channels are fluid and fully functional, assisting in client relations and exploring ne

USA - City Theatrical now offers three standard beam control accessories designed to fit LDI Show 2023’s Lighting Award winner in the Fixtures Category, Martin Lighting’s MAC One, which include the MAC One Top Hat, MAC One Concentric Ring, and MAC One Hexcel Louver.
These three beam control accessories were developed based on City Theatrical’s understanding of the different accessory needs of lighting professionals, and the high demand for this moving light fixture in the market. Each new Martin MAC One beam control product offers control of stray beams and light spill.

Germany - The Kinderlachen Gala in Dortmund was illuminated by Prolights products, an annual event celebrating individuals distinguished for their humanity, altruism, and civic engagement throughout the year.
René Geißel, responsible for the technical implementation of the event's lighting, selected the LED moving heads from Prolights' Astra series, including the Astra Profile400, Astra Wash19Pix, and AstraHybrid330 models.
"My requirement was clear: I needed a spotlight for the light show and another for white light," René Geißel explained. "The Prolights Astra Profile4

USA - The latest addition to ADJ’s popular COB Cannon Series of LED wash lighting fixtures, the COB Cannon LP200, offers colour mixing from a full-size fixture that is suitable for use as a pendant-style house light as well as many other applications. Featuring a powerful lime-infused COB LED light source, this versatile fixture offers a potent output with a high CRI and delivers a broad spectrum of colour options including white light with variable colour temperature.
At the heart of the COB Cannon LP200 is a high output 200W COB (Chip On Board) LED engine, which combines red,

South Africa - JP Ridgard is an avid user of Obsidian Control Systems’ Onyx lighting control platform and in 2023 turned to the growing brand’s NX4 lighting console for the Lowveld Gin Fest in Mbombela.
“The NX4 proved to be a game changer for me during this event,” reflected JP, who procured the console from Obsidian’s local distributor in South Africa, Electrosonic. “Its built-in touch screen and ample work surface made it the perfect tool for both programming and playback.”
The 2023 Lowveld Gin Fest took place 9-10 September at the Lowveld Botanical Gardens

The Netherlands - In collaboration with FullAVL, Prolights distributor in the Netherlands, Lichtpunt Theatertechniek delivered a cutting-edge Prolights lighting system to the Concert Hall Theatre in Tilburg. Renowned for its versatility, the theatre hosts a diverse array of theatrical performances, dance shows, concerts, musicals, and cultural events.
Given its dynamic and eclectic programme, the theatre had a pressing requirement for an entirely new lighting system. This system needed to meet the highest quality standards while offering adaptability to cater to various production

USA - The City of Paramount in California kickstarted the holiday season at the end of November with the 25th instalment of its annual Tree Lighting Celebration. Lit by a variety of ADJ luminaires, the free event was attended by thousands of locals and featured live musical and dance performances.
The evening culminated when Santa Claus arrived on the scene surrounded by a flurry of synthetic snowflakes created by six of ADJ’s powerful Entour Snow machines. He then joined city officials on stage to throw a large lever shaped like a candy cane which turned on the downtown Christm

Australia - An array of stars gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Michael Gudinski at Mushroom 50 Live! In Melbourne at the end of November.
Gudinski founded Mushroom Records in 1972. Over the years, he recorded, promoted and nurtured a generation of transformative Australian stars like MacKenzie Theory, the Skyhooks, The Choirboys and Kylie Minogue, among many others. Along the way, he became a legend, earning the title ‘father of Australian music’.
Honouring his legacy, the Mushroom Group recognised Gudinski’s half-century of achievements by holding

UK - At the annual Lighting Lunch held last Monday, the ALPD took the opportunity to make an award to Kelli Zezulka, outgoing editor of the association’s magazine Focus.
Alongside teaching and design work, Kelli took over the magazine at very short notice, after the sad passing of the then editor Andy Collier. Kelli volunteered to do a few issues whilst studying for her MA. ‘A few issues’ turned into 10 years: Kelli steered Focus to its 100th edition in July this year
Now a full-time teacher of lighting, Kelli has recently written a book on the history of the As

USA - Toby Keith recently returned to the Las Vegas stage with three sold out shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM this December. The two-hour performance featured a lighting system designed by The Darkroom Creative and provided in part by Bandit Lites. Keith was recently honoured with the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Awards and released his 100% Songwriter album in November to critical acclaim.
Lighting designer Seth Jackson of The Darkroom Creative shared the news of the performances was unveiled on a call with just 45 days to prepare, as well as instructions that loa

USA - There are strong evocative feelings tied to time and place in Jane Chambers 1980 landmark play, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove. That’s often the case with cultural milestones, a category this play certainly fits into, being the first major lesbian drama.
Lighting designer R.S. Buck and the rest of the production team appreciated the significance of this when they worked on a recent production of the 43-year-old classic at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, but their vision extended beyond the play’s historical context to focus on the stories of the eight women po

Australia - While visitors to the BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne are being transported on a journey through the natural world, a new video explains the technical magic behind the scenes.
The BBC Earth Experience is an immersive exhibition narrated by Sir David Attenborough which has recently opened at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Produced in collaboration with Moon Eye Productions, Live Nation, BBC Studio and Tinker Imagineers, the multi-room digital art experience guides visitors through Earth's diverse ecosystems across seven continents.
What se

Belgium - VRT, the public broadcaster of the Flemish Community in Belgium, is paving the way for a new era of media production with its latest cutting-edge studio. The new multifunctional studio of VRT represents a pivotal leap into the future of media production.
Equipped with an immense U-shaped LED wall, measuring an impressive 33m in width and 4m in height, crafted from Leyard Europe's VEM Series LED solution, the studio promises to ‘usher in a wave of creativity, efficiency, and accessibility in the production proces’s. It will also allow VRT to stay relevant in a rapidl

USA - An accomplished painter when she isn’t busy as a LD, Denise Simpson says that she often likes to play with colours to do things a little differently when designing shows. This was evident this December when she lit The Christmas Experience, a well-orchestrated one-hour musical programme at the Lexington Baptist Church.
“Often one of the unique ways that I create looks is by slightly offsetting colours in some of my big monochromatic looks,” remarked Simpson. “I generally lean towards monochromatic looks as I am building up the end of a song, and also for those

Germany - The upper Franconian town of Wunsiedel is not only home to the largest rock labyrinth in Europe, but also the oldest open-air stage in Germany, which is used by the Luisenburg Festival every year during the summer months. The performance area of the main stage extends over several levels amidst rocks and forest. In this natural setting, the technical team at the Luisenburg Festival once again used weatherproof spotlights from Fusion by GLP this year.
Twenty-four X-PAR 12Z, 24 Fusion Stick FS20, 12 Fusion SuperNova SN70 and four GLP impression X5 washlights formed part of

Germany - Harmonic Sound has chosen to expand its inventory by investing in Prolights' Astra Hybrid330.
Matthias Führer, head of the lighting technology team at Harmonic Sound, had clear ideas about the projector: "We were looking for a compact and lightweight moving light that still offered high brightness and precise optics; of course, it also had to be silent," he explains. "Furthermore, the projector was not only intended for illuminating performances but also for projections. Additionally, the quality of craftsmanship and ergonomics are important aspects that should always b

Slovenia - GR-Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre (GR) is a bustling 23-hall venue operating in the middle of the Slovenian capital, hosting a variety of national and international expos and trade fairs. It is also used for television productions, special live events, and some music concerts.
Recently, the venue has boosted its Robe moving light stock with the purchase of Esprites, LEDBeam 350s and LEDBeam 150s which have been added to their existing ParFects, Spiider LED wash beams, MegaPointes and LEDBeam 150s. All this equipment has been delivered by Robe’s Slovenian

USA - Alec Morris from Anthrolight Productions in the UK embarked on a North American tour this autumn with guitarist and ex-Genesis member Steve Hackett, illuminating the performances using an NX1 lighting console from Obsidian Control Systems.
The 31-show tour, Foxtrot at 50, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Genesis's Foxtrot album, kicked off on 3 October in Montreal and concluded on 18 November in Los Angeles. It marked Morris' first time designing and operating lighting for the guitarist, with tour manager Adrian Holmes overseeing the logistics.
Alec began

UK - The close of Entec’s 30th anniversary year as the first-call production supplier to The Bootleg Beatles has coincided with the Fab Four themselves returning to the top of the singles chart.
The Bootlegs are currently traversing the UK on another successful Christmas tour as they wrap up 2023 - a year that witnessed the passing of co-founder and partner, and original ‘George Harrison’, Andre Barreau.
“It’s hit us all hard and I miss Andre so much, as we all do,” says management partner Neil Harrison who, as ‘John Lennon’, founded the band with Andre in 19

Denmark - Forty Astera NYX Bulbs were central to a kinetic light sculpture that was created for London-based creative agency Audience’s design for a recent Deloitte Shared Services Conference (SSC) staged at the Bella Centre, Copenhagen.
Audience’s project director for the event, Neil Scrivener, working on it for the third year, explained that the Deloitte team wanted the SSC’s plenary sessions to be staged in the round, which presented challenges for both set and scenic designs as nice clean 360-degree sightlines are vital.
Audience’s creative team, led by client

France - On 12 November in Paris, 163 Robert Juliat Dalis 862 footlights took part in the Chiroptera show, a collaborative project by JR, Damien Jalet and Thomas Bangalter.
The public gathered at the Place de l'Opéra watched an impressive 20-minute ballet in front of the façade of the Palais Garnier, which was dressed in a huge trompe-l'œil fresco revealing the entrance to a cave, that masked the scaffolding currently covering the façade of the building as it is being restored.
"We worked closely with the three artists behind the project, and came up with a very specific

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