Every illuminated trail has twinkly lights. Many have mannequins. A few even have a digital character or two.
But only Blenheim Palace mixes all of that with live performers who can actually play with the magic.
And that’s where Rusticus comes in – with an inevitable twinkle in our eye!
Over the years, visitors have bumped into all sorts of festive folk along Blenheim’s halls: the Nutcracker and the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Snow Queen, Sleeping Beauty, Captain Hook, and this year, none other than Dorothy herself as the Palace follows the yellow brick road into a Wizard of Oz Christmas.
Our characters chat, joke, reassure nervous little ones, and help grown-ups feel like big kids again.
But the real Blenheim magic happens when the live characters and the digital characters start interacting with each other.
Working with our wonderfully clever friends at NOVAK, we have created filmed story moments — the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda, and The Wizard himself – who pop up along the trail like scenes from a storybook that’s decided to come to life.
And because our performers pick up the thread of the story in person, audiences get something truly unique:
It’s playful.
It’s imaginative.
It’s the sort of thing children (and quite a lot of adults) talk about the whole way home.
Plenty of trails are beautiful. But Blenheim’s is alive — thanks to NOVAK’s cinematic magic, Culture Creative’s gorgeous design, and our Rusticus performers who bring the heart, humour and human connection!
