Symphotech Event Safety for LFC Parade May 2022

The Liverpool FC Winners Parade – accompanied by Calvin Harris playing live on the team bus - was a huge “thank you” from the club to the fans and City Partners, with Symphotech contracted by Culture Liverpool to help deliver the parade.

The Liverpool team landed from Paris and took to the traditional red open-topped busses, where 500,000 fans greeted them along the 15km route through the city streets to the red smoke of the Waterfront finalé.

Planning began in March, with the club’s season on course for potential in four competitions, and it was confirmed to proceed regardless of whether the Champions League was won, because of their clean sweep of domestic cups with Carabao Cup, FA Cup 2022 wins. Sue Lees, Culture Liverpool’s City Event Manager states:

“The club was confident that the team could win more silverware after the Carabao Cup victory, so we began conversations early. This also included planning for a bus for the Ladies Team who won their Championship- a first for the City. “

“We had learned from 2019’s parade. Liverpool FC wanted the parade to have more colour along the whole route. Here the team from Titanium helped us animate the entire route with pyro and flutter-fetti.

“It made sense to reassemble as much of the events team that had delivered the 2019 Champions League Winner Parade. Eddy Grant and the Symphotech event safety team was an obvious first call, to support Culture Liverpool’s delivery of another tremendous, safe parade.”

Eddy Grant, the Parade’s Principal Safety Advisor, liaised with Culture Liverpool Merseyside Police and other multi-agency stakeholders to plan the spectacular season finale. He explained:

“It’s a great honour to be part of the team helping the Liverpool FC bring so much joy to so many people, particularly given the dark times of late. It was a great call by Culture Liverpool to draw on the same event professionals who contributed their specialist skills to the last Parade. It’s given us the chance to build on the learnings (from the 2019 Winner’s Parade) and all go into this logistically challenging event more aware of what to expect along the route and amass our strong experience as to what would be required.

“This has been far from dusting off the old event folder though and there was no room for complacency when approaching an event with such a dynamic audience presence. The planning began in March but with the FA Cup win earlier this month it was certain there would be a parade, which gave us certainty in the planning period for this very complex event. We conducted extensive contingency planning which was tested and a thorough table-top exercise with all stakeholders in May.”

Applying modern crowd management science, using rolling road closures to manage crowd flow and crowd management skills was essential. Working with Amy Stanley and her team from FGH brought their considerable experience and expertise with them in delivering the plan.

The production and logistical coordination with Jon Simms and his team from Event Design underpinned the whole delivery. The color of the Titanium Pyro was the icing on the cake.

The defeat in the Champions League Final match and the challenges of the extremely poor crowd management at the Stade de France was offset to some degree, by the joy of the team being able to thank its fans.

Reacting to the turn-out, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp told LFC TV he was "Proud of these players, but I am proud of these people".

"Lose the Champions League final the night before and the people arrive here in the mood they are. It is absolutely outstanding." 

“It is such a boost for everything that will come."

ENDS

Photography by Jason Roberts