One Giant weekend for Liverpool

The Giants bid farewell to Liverpool today – the last chance anyone will ever have to see them.

Royal de Luxe’s gigantic creations are being retired after Liverpool’s Dream which has attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators so far.

This morning the Giant, Little Boy and Xolo the dog will start their journey from King Edward Street before walking down to The Strand where the Little Boy will bid farewell and depart by water.

The Giant and Xolo will then walk down to Sefton Street for a Siesta before their final walk back to Canning Dock this afternoon.

Yesterday was super Saturday in the city, with crowds coming out in force to watch the progress of the massive marionettes and their Lilliputians.

The Giant had slept overnight on a raft, while Little Boy and Xolo lay on beds suspended above Queens Quay.

After breakfast, where Xolo romped off with a string of sausages, they made their way in to town through excited crowds. Xolo stopped to drink water, climb on bus stops, be patted by onlookers, steal a helmet from the panier of a motorbike and eat an ice cream.

In Church Street he gambolled off to Williamson Square while Little Boy continued via Whitechapel and Stanley Street – where he had to wait for the big Giant to walk past on Victoria Street before continuing his journey.

There was a surprise for onlookers at Derby Square where Little Boy went fishing, capturing a Yellow Submarine with the help of a comic frogman.

Meanwhile the Big Giant leapt over a washing line in Castle Street, which had Little Girl Giant’s clothes flapping on it.

Crowds swelled further in the afternoon, which meant progress for the Giants was slow as stewards, police and the blue-clad ‘benevol’ had to try and create a passage through the onlookers – particularly on The Strand which was a densely-packed sea of faces.

Jean-Luc Courcoult took to a microphone to appeal for people to move back so the Big Giant could get a drink of water….from hose-wielding firefighters on a cherry picker.