Thousands turn out for Cabot Circus opening
Thousands of people packed Bristol city centre to see the music and dance spectacular that has officially opened the £500 million Cabot Circus.
People lined the metal railings that ran from The Podium in Broadmead to the new shopping centre entrance.
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Thousands turn out for Cabot Circus opening
The focal point of the square was a large black stage, surrounded by spires up to 20ft high.
The 15 spires, of concrete and metal, are the latest installation at the square, which has been a building site for the last few months in preparation for yesterdays grand opening.
Further adding to the spectacle were four drummers wearing uniform black and white suits, placed on the roofs of the shops that corner the square, Vodaphone, Curries, the recently moved New Look and BHS.
Mostly young people dressed in labelled street clothes, they performed a range of styles from break dancing to tumbling, and catapulted themselves over the Podiums furniture to the audiences delight.
They were followed by people dressed in hi-vis Cabot Circus jackets, carrying the shopping centre banners into the centre.
Over their acrobatics, Giovanni rolled off a list of Bristol wards, presumably where the dancers had come from.
Montpelier, St Judes, Totterdown, St Paul's, Horfield, Eastville, Knowle, and Lawrence Hill were all reeled off to large cheers.
Lest we forgot we were all there for the launch of a shopping centre, the master of ceremonies then pronounced: "Friends, Romans, West Countrymen and shoppers.
"See the greatest show on Earth.
"Follow me now, to the greatest shops on Earth."
And with that he and the dancers proceeded towards Cabot Circus, with the crowds dutifully following.
The launch event was directed by Mark Murphy, an award-winning director and filmmaker, who has previously delivered the opening night ceremonies for the Manchester Commonwealth Games and Liverpool Capital of Culture launch.
Speaking before the performance, Mark explained he had envisioned a circus theme with a modern twist, that was continued with acrobatic and aerial displays in Cabot Circus itself.
Back at the Podium there were a series of performances throughout the day, from performance groups Sid & Nancy La Poubelle and The Hole Job.
Those who witnessed the grand opening certainly seemed impressed, and were generally looking forward to the shopping centres launch.
Peter Edmonds, 75 of Wrington, said: "The procession was quite attractive and filled in the time before the shops actually opened.
"I've never been to the opening of a mall so I had no idea what to expect.
"I'm looking forward to a new experience."
Andrew Smith, 55 of Knowle, said: "I didn't know what to expect, but my wife and I came down to a little rekkie and see what it was all about."
Brian Thompson, 77 of Hanham, had come down specially for the opening ceremony and thought it was exciting.
He said: "It was great to see all those kids enjoy themselves.
"I think it's going to be a good thing for Bristol, it's the greatest city in the country anyway and this will make it even more prosperous."
26 Comments
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by Alex, Bristol
Friday, September 26 2008, 9:02AM
“Let's Rejoice!!!!
The Cabot Cathedral to Consumerism is open!
Consume, repent your sins, consume, and rejoice!”
by Chris, Nailsea
Thursday, September 25 2008, 8:54PM
“In response to Dave from Clifton and Richard from Bristol's post, the pictures weren't faked. What basically happened was that most of the main part of Broadmead was fenced off for the opening ceremony and this resulted in the crowds being funnelled into the new centre making it look very popular. It was twice as bad as Christmas shopping, I took one look and decided to do some shopping in the Galleries instead, which at that time was nearly empty. By 2pm the crowd had vastly dissipated.
I do wonder what the existing Broadmead businesses thought of this, since during the ceremony it was probably impossible for the likes of Thornton¿s, Game Station and HMV to carry out their normal trading and these shops are all in competition with Cabot Circus' new stores. The ceremony should have been restricted to Cabot Circus only.”
by Kevin, Portishead
Thursday, September 25 2008, 6:03PM
“I took the day off work especially for the opening of Cabot Circus and am so glad I did because quite frankly it was truly spectacular! Congratulations to all those involved in putting on such a fantastic show. I was among the first to go into the new development and found the building really breathtaking, what with the magnificent roof, the many different levels, walkways & bridges and the vast array of quality shops and restaurants that Bristol so badly needed. I was also amazed at how much the Quakers Friars area had been transformed. I feel really proud of our new shopping centre and can't wait to show visiting friends and relatives around.”
by Adam Waller, Yate
Thursday, September 25 2008, 3:16PM
“Very nice but places like the Mall will always have the advantage of free parking and the parking is dear at Cabot Circus. The old Tollgate carpark may not have been as fancy but was £1.50 all day on a weekend. However look forward to visiting Cabot Circus especially the new cinema Delux.”
by Adam, Bristol
Thursday, September 25 2008, 2:25PM
“Dave Briz...I think you mean 'recce' mate. Short for...er...however you spell reconnaissance. That looks about right.
And Cabot Circus might look pretty, but wait till it's filled with maruading gangs of yobs on a weekend, stabbing people in the kidneys and stealing their freshly purchased i-pods and other consumer nick-nacks...”
by Dave, Bristol
Thursday, September 25 2008, 2:00PM
“I must say what a fantastic shopping centre. BUT wait guys until this weekend when kids will be off school most people off free from working weekends.. and indeed those popping into cabot circus before/after finishing work.. this is where the traffic will be seen!! just look at the queue for the gallieries.. sorry 'mall Bristol' every satruday.. wait for the FIRST weekend trading of cabot circus..”
by Sacha, bristol
Thursday, September 25 2008, 1:59PM
“Pier Guy, It happened almost 2 months ago, therefore classified as old news.”
by Jess, Bristol
Thursday, September 25 2008, 1:48PM
“Then anne we must have crossed paths as i was quing for the apple store.... but not for a free t-shirt... I need a new ipod as i killed mine with doctor pepper.... hey whats the worst that can happen?”
by Vikki, Bristol
Thursday, September 25 2008, 1:47PM
“Are the rumours right that there is a recession???? Obviously Bristol not suffering!!!!”
by Pier, Weston
Thursday, September 25 2008, 1:44PM
“It can't be that old, I only read about it in the Evening Post a couple of days ago.”