Black-out: how Crystal Palace Park Trust announced the closure of Lightopia on its website
Crystal Palace Park has been left looking like “an abandoned circus”, according to one park user, after a winter lights show was closed down when the company organising it went bust.
Lightopia in the park has been plagued with problems since the start, with the park having to close on its opening weekend in November when the floodlight pylons around the National Sports Centre’s athletics stadium were deemed to be unsafe and condemned for demolition.
The Crystal Palace Park Trust issued a statement earlier this week, after the company behind Lightopia, Outreach Creative Ltd, went into administration.
“Lightopia’s planned date to vacate the park was… [January 12], but due to these recent events that date will have to be extended.
“The Trust is working with the appointed administrators to ensure that the remaining equipment on site is removed as quickly and safely as possible.
“The Trust is aware post-event reinstatement to the park is required.” That means repairs, removing temporary fixtures and making good areas where the light show had been set up, which would usually have been undertaken by the promoters.
Dropped Clangers: Lightopia’s equipment has been left behind, causing some concern from park users
“The Trust is also working with the administrators to accomplish necessary reinstatement works. However, if it becomes necessary, the Trust will directly oversee the removal of equipment and site reinstatement to ensure that it occurs in a timely manner.”
Outreach Creative Ltd filed for administration on January 9.
Lightopia described itself as “London’s finest festival of lights”, with the aim of “bringing a culturally rich, highly entertaining and immersive experience to everyone, every Christmas”.
Outreach had also staged lights festivals in Manchester, at Alton Towers and in Brussels.
In Crystal Palace, the centrepiece of their show was a recreation of the original Crystal Palace. With their equipment, scaffolding frames and lights abandoned, the park is now strewn with deflated snowmen, toppled structures and ripped decorations.
Bill LoSasso, the park trusts’ chief executive, said he was “dismayed to learn that Outreach Creative was entering administration immediately prior to the fulfilment of their responsibilities to vacate the park”.
- Inside Croydon – as seen on TV! – has been delivering local community news since 2010. 3million page views per year in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
- If you want real journalism, actually based in the borough, you should consider paying for it. Please sign up today. Click here for more details
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
- ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SIXTH successive year in 2022 in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
