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We love the Lumiere London festival, which brightens up London’s streets with light art installations every January. But yesterday one of the festival’s stars embarrassed itself by escaping and floating around Oxford Circus.
The giant white balloon came unstuck in high winds at rush hour yesterday evening, blowing about in a potentially dangerous manner over commuters’ heads. It was removed just after 10pm – not before one of London’s busiest crossroads had closed to traffic and buses had been put on diversion. Some Londoners compared it to the Death Star from ‘Star Wars’, others to the lethal white balloon from cult ’60s TV show ‘The Prisoner’. Here’s how it went down (no pun intended)…
I assumed that this giant ball was left from Christmas when I passed this afternoon, but you know what assume makes... #oxfordcircus #RegentStreet #giantball pic.twitter.com/L0WJmAlKsD
— Marcella Golan (@marcella_golan) 4 January 2018
Not sure today is the best day for an air balloon installation in Oxford Circus pic.twitter.com/rZCcnyXS7X
— jemima villanueva (@JemimaGV) 4 January 2018
Looking forward to #LumiereLDN @artichoketrust Hope the issues resolved as this installation looked beautiful before the weather intervened #london #oxfordcircus pic.twitter.com/J9LqGbwTgt
— Nicola Turner (@nicolacturner) 5 January 2018
#OxfordCircus being closed off - guessing they're bringing Skywalker in to deal with the Death Star? #OxfordStreet pic.twitter.com/MHkK15AbsY
— Edward Swift (@swiftynz) 4 January 2018
This big white balloon thing caught in the wind causing traffic to halt and overcrowding at #oxfordcircus #wtfevenisthatthing? #oxfordstreet #commutingwoes pic.twitter.com/Ilr5NlcpfJ
— Sheen (@sheen_p7) 4 January 2018
#UFO lands right in middle of #oxfordcircus#mystery #london #londonlife https://t.co/CLyStJTZPW pic.twitter.com/WZKWswXaCm
— Fiona Dunlop (@ffdunlop) 4 January 2018
I think Patrick McGoohan’s safe for now. What a cockup. #oxfordcircus pic.twitter.com/EwEeaPQW7R
— Laurence Zavriew (@LaurenceHZ) 4 January 2018
Death Star looking a bit saggy now... #OxfordStreet #OxfordCircus pic.twitter.com/cgzrhNI8up
— Edward Swift (@swiftynz) 4 January 2018
oxford circus gone fully dr who on us wtf man pic.twitter.com/c5AlmzwdhX
— day-z (@DaisyJGray) 4 January 2018
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