Working for Manchester City Council, dbn has been involved in the event for the last decade. However this year - with 20,000 enthusiastic audience packing Albert Square in front of the Town Hall in torrential rain to see leading UK boyband The Wanted headline the live line up and hit the button - has been hailed as 'the best' to date.
Hosted by local radio station Key 103, also performing were local singing star Misha B, the Manchester Sing Out Choir, urban dance troupe The Avenue and former X-Factor contestant Carolynne Poole.
Lighting for the entertainment show was designed by dbn's Andy Kennett.
In front of the Town Hall a large open steel structure was constructed to support a giant Santa Xmas lighting feature which sat 11m above the square.
In front of this, a four legged Prolyte stage structure provided cover for the performance area. dbn installed truss spreaders within the Santa structure to enable a box truss to be hung. Stretching a waterproof canopy over the truss enabled a larger performance area to be undercover.
dbn also added truss spreaders cantilevered out from the structure to allow four hangs of PA.
Two trusses were sub-hung from the truss box to provide basic back and mid stage lighting positions.
Black drapes were also hung from the box, from around the mid-stage point to create a backdrop and also to allow backstage access for the artists and back-line equipment. Short trusses were rigged on the sides in-between the stage legs to facilitate side and audience lighting positions.
The lighting rig consisted of 12 Clay Paky Sharpies, eight CP Alpha Beam 700s and eight Alpha Wash 700s, 12 ARRI 2K fresnels, also 2 and 4-lite Moles for audience illumination.
dbn also supplied a unique hazer which joined the rain in doing a fantastic job of picking out the light beams.
The Sharpies were rigged to the upstage truss legs in two vertical rows of six and used to create fanned effects going out from the stage and stretching over the audience. The open sides of the stage enabled the beams to be panned all the way round to the audience standing alongside.
The Alpha Wash 700s were positioned on the back, front and side trusses for good overall coverage, adding depth and lots of strong colour.
Four of the Alpha Beam 700s were placed on the back, two each on the sides and two on the front truss, producing powerful beams all over the stage and also being able to reach out into the audience.
dbn drew on their extensive previous experiences and knowledge of lighting the Switch-On in terms of knowing what is needed and what works. As a major crowd-puller it was vital to light the audience as well as the stage action and to create effects that involved everyone as a whole.
The lighting was operated by dbn's Nick Buckley using a Jands Vista S3 control console.
For the first time Manchester ex-pats worldwide were also able to tune in and enjoy the show via a live web stream that allowed another estimated 50,000 to join in the fun . . .culminating in spectacular fireworks.
Andy Kennett comments, "It's great to see how many people come out to support the Switch-On in the rain! The beams and the Sharpies did a brilliant job of making Albert Square become part of the light show."
(Jim Evans)
