The rides in Circus Bumba never leave the ground, at least not literally. But when seen through the eyes of a child, they soar high, up to the rarified, faraway space where color meets imagination. Based on the popular Flemish television show of the same name, the recently opened 3,000 m2 themed attraction, in De Panne, Belgium, captivates guests with its bright, cheerful panoramas complete with whimsical characters and fairytale-like scenery.
Enhancing the magical effect of this transformative venue is a collection of over 300 CHAUVET Professional fixtures. These units are positioned throughout the main ride, “Op Reis met Bumba” (Dark Ride), as well as other rides and the park’s theatre. Drawing on the color-rendering capabilities of these fixtures, Pieter Dewaegeneere, Technical Investment Manager, and rest of the Circus Bumba team have created a wide array of enchanting looks, from bold primaries and soft pastels to mysterious deeply saturated shadows, throughout the space.
Describing the design process, Dewaegeneere said: “Because of the constant changes in the design phase of the venue, we decided to do the lighting design ourselves. The installation itself and delivery of products was done by Decat. Everything is being controlled via Art-Net, with cables in the roof, but never more than 10 units in a row, so we can easily turn off a group of fixtures.”
Looking to create a dreamy aura throughout Circus Bumba, the design team positioned 43 COLORdash Par H7 IP RGBWA-UV wash lights on the road leading through the venue. Carrying the color thread further, the team located 32 COLORdash H12 IP units in the main hall.
Lighting leaves its mark everywhere throughout the indoor park, tickling young imaginations with its colors and effects. For example, characters from the Circus Bumba TV show are a critical part of the experience of young visitors. The design team enhances these figures with extra vividness and energy by lighting them with 26 COLORado 1 Zoom fixtures.
The mysterious impact of the signature dark ride becomes even more intriguing thanks to 65 Ovation CYC 1 FC RGBAL cyc lights that wash the back wall in dark, deeply saturated colors. A collection of 60 Ovation F415 FC Fresnel units add an extra evocative dimension to the ride by focusing on the all-important 50 animatronics, all created by the Belgian studio Fisheye.
Further enriching the experience on the ride are 50 Ovation P56 FC fixtures, which are deployed add backlights and 56 Ovation P56 UV fixtures used to direct light off the ride’s fluorescent painted scenic elements. DMX distribution at the ride is handled by a NetX II node.
“The dark ride was designed by us, and it’s the second dark ride in the park,” said Dewaegeneere “The animations of characters were done by Fisheye. Bumba is a real Belgian product, so it’s an exclusive for this park. The height of the dark ride is ideal for the Ovation fixtures. It was very important for us to have a whole range of fixtures from the same family, so we’d have consistency. Ovation cycs are very close to the infinity / horizon, half a meter or so, and we were very worried in the beginning, but the result is gorgeous.”
At the theatre, which is a fixed setup, the team relies on six Ovation E-260WW and 16 Ovation E-910FC fixtures for front and key lighting, while six COLORdash Par Quad 12 units serve as house lights. “This is the first big hall with all LED,” said Dewaegeneere. “Three years ago, we did some tests in a different venue, doing lux measurements with LED and compared them to existing lux values in other venues. The existing venues have about 25 lux across the board, but the frequency is different. So, it felt like there was more light. For the new, indoor Circus Bumba, we only had 10m height, so this was the perfect time to test a full LED rig.’
Because of this decision, Dewaegeneere notes that he and his team now have “full control over all colors and can change it to work lights or even very dynamic scenes.” Such control might not mean anything to the children who marvel at the Circus Bumba experience. But to anyone in lighting, it too is quite magical.
Further information from CHAUVET Professional: www.chauvetprofessional.com
