As the end of September approaches, don't be surprised it you hear murmurings in the street about the arrival of two enormous giants in Geneva!
Incredible as it sounds, from 29 September to 1 October 2017, Geneva will host two over-sized female giants, traveling with the Royal de Luxe extra large street theater company! Keen to find out more, knowitall.ch went in search of the facts...
Grandma Giant and Little Giant
Of the two giants, Grandma Giant is the tallest, measuring around 7.3m high and weighing 1,787kg. She is thought to be about 85 years old and her strong, clever and malicious personality, combined with a certain gentleness, is believed to come from her part-Breton, part-Irish ancestry. She is said to speak a strange language, a mixture of Romanian, Anglo-Saxon, Arabic and Asian!
On the other hand, the Little Giant is an experienced traveler and has visited all the main cities in the world, spending time on her hobbies : gymnastics or tasting sweets. Measuring 5.5m tall and weighing 800kg, the Little Giant likes to hold children on her forearms, swinging and dancing them around in the air. She is said to be very stylish and likes to change clothes often during her travels!
© Valéry Joncheray
Why are they here?
For more than 10 years, Grandma Giant and Little Giant have traveled the world with the famous XXL street theatre company, Royal de Luxe, where they find a plentiful supply of Lilliputian servants.
When the authorities in Geneva heard about their imminent arrival in Swizerland, an "Association for the welcome of the Giants in Geneva" was immediately created to give these strange visitors a welcome worthy of a head of State.
To give you an idea of the size of the welcoming committee, the following associations are participating in the operation: the Republic and the Canton of Geneva, the Loterie Romande, Palexpo, the Meyrinoise Casino Foundation, the ACG - Intercommunal Fund, Unireso TPG, the city of Carouge, the Commune of Anières, the Sandoz Foundation, the Leenaards Foundation, Geneva Tourism, the Sesam Foundation, Migros, the CFF, JTI, a private Genevan Foundation, the Firmenich Family Foundation, Ms Vera Michalski- Hoffmann, several private donors, as well as HEAD, Abri, Emmenegger Compétences Conseils, Ngsens, Bucherer, the Parking Lot Foundation, the SGA, GRTA and RTS!
© Pascal Victor
The whereabouts of the giants throughout the event has just been published on the giants' website. Click here to find out where they will be over the 3-day period, starting at the Place de la Sargaigne at 9h30 on Friday, 29 September, and finishing at the Rotonde du Mont Blanc when they depart at 17h40 on Sunday, 1 October.
Volunteers
If you would like to get involved in the event, and see the giants behind the scene, you are invited to volunteer your services via the giants' website. Just head to the home page and scroll down the page until you find the "Volunteer" button.
La Saga des Géants
Geneva
29 September to 1 October 2017
https://lesgeants-geneve.ch/?lang=en
