‘De Reuzen‘ Giant dogs Bull Machin and Xolo mobilised 760,000 spectators in Antwerp on Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 August 2023, despite the changeable weather. In a press release, the City of Antwerp shows its delight.

The giant bulldog Bull Machin and his friend, the Mexican hairless dog Xolo, explored the Antwerp streets and squares and went on an adventure in the city together and separately. The magical spectacle concluded on Sunday at Zuidpark with an impressive race between the two giant dogs.

The arrival of the two imposing giant dogs of the famous street theater company Royal de Luxe in Antwerp turned out to be a bull’s eye. In an imposing spectacle full of magic and humour, the two giant dogs Bull Machin and Xolo explored the Antwerp streets and squares. That attracted a lot of spectators despite the changeable weather.

The City of Antwerp, Zomer van Antwerpen (Summer of Antwerp) and Royal de Luxe have worked together intensively in recent months to make this weekend a success. Thanks to good follow-up and in close consultation with all partners and the emergency services, everything went safely and according to plan.

Alderman for Culture Nabilla Ait Daoud (N-VA): “The dogs Bull Machin and Xolo of Royal de Luxe closed the wonderful Giants weekend in our city with a breathtaking race at the Zuidpark. Antwerp was under the spell of the Giants, and the turnout was massive. Thanks to the artists of Royal de Luxe, volunteers of the Summer of Antwerp, city employees and emergency services who put a smile on hundreds of thousands of happy faces in the city for three days!”

Across town

On Friday, the Bull Machin woke up on the Koningin Astridplein, his friend Xolo on the Sint-Jansplein. Bull Machin picked up his friend at Sint-Jansplein and together they walked to the Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS), where the two dogs received a giant bone from the museum. 

In the afternoon, the Bull did his daily siesta onSint-Jansplein and Xolo on Operaplein. After their afternoon nap, the Bull picked up Xolo again and they continued walking through the center together. During their walks, the giant dogs regularly stopped for all kinds of magical scenes, where poetry and spectacle left the visitors open-mouthed.

On Saturday, the two giant dogs met on the De Keyserlei, after which they passed the Grote Markt and Het Steen, before going to the ‘dentist’ and the ‘dog school’ on the Oude Leeuwenrui. After an eventful trip through the city, the dogs went to sleep at the South Park on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, both giants awoke at the Zuidpark for a final training session. The apotheosis followed in the afternoon, when the two dogs competed against each other in a real giant race. It was a blood-curdling race with only winners, as Bull Machin and Xolo crossed the finish line together.

Back to the KMSKA

The Mexican hairless dog Xolo appeared to have escaped earlier this week from the famous painting ‘Emperor Charles as a child‘ by Jan Van Beers. Until now, that painting could be admired without a dog in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp (KMSKA). Now that Xolo has completed his assignment, he will return to his painting on Sunday night, so that it can be admired in its entirety again on Monday. ​

Unique bond

The City of Antwerp and Zomer van Antwerp have had a unique collaboration with Royal de Luxe since the 1990s and have already welcomed various spectacles from this company in the past. 

In 1998 she received the Big and the Little Giant. In 2006, the Elephant and the Little Giantess walked through the city, in 2010 a real Diver came from the Kattendijkdok and in 2015 Grandma Giant and the Little Giant met each other at the MAS.

Royal de Luxe also visited the city with numerous impressive performances, such as the historical performance ‘Peplum‘ (1995), ‘Kleine Verhaaltjes‘ (1999 and 2002), ‘Solden op Sint-Jansplein‘ (2005), ‘De Opstand der Paspoppen‘ at the Meir (2012), the western ‘Rue de la Chute‘ (2012) and ‘Miniatures‘ (2019).

Is it spectacular?

Beyond the euphoria of the press release, I ask myself is it worth all the fuzz. I worked this weekend so I didn’t go and follow the performances. But many friends and acquaintances did. My Instagram feed was full of the Dogs. 

Thanh did go watch. He says it’s more impressive in real life than on photos. It’s a fun activity. I only read positive to absolutely enthusiastic comments. 

Criticism 

I only read one newspaper article with some criticism on the event. Npt concerning the Giants per se, but the policy choice of the city government to use its culture budget for high profile events rather than supporting grassroots artists. 

That of course is a political choice resulting from elections. 

How do they count?

How do they count crowds? There are several methods.

Here are some common estimation techniques that police and authorities might use to estimate the size of a crowd during a manifestation or event:

1. Grid method. Police officers divide the area into a grid and count the number of people within a representative sample of squares. They then extrapolate the average density to estimate the total crowd size.
2. Aerial photography and imaging. Helicopters, drones, or elevated camera positions can capture images of the crowd. Specialized software can then analyze these images to estimate crowd density and size based on pixel counts.
3. Density assessment. Police might visually estimate the density of a specific area within the crowd, such as a square meter. They then use this information to calculate the overall crowd size by multiplying the estimated density by the total area of the crowd.
4. Average person per square meter. This method involves counting the number of people within a predetermined square meter area and then applying this average to the entire crowd area.
5. Using known space occupancy. If authorities know the maximum capacity of a specific area, they can use information about how much space each individual typically occupies to estimate the crowd size.
6. Traffic flow analysis. By monitoring the rate at which people enter or exit a specific area, authorities can make an estimate of the overall crowd size.
7. Comparison to known capacities. If the event takes place in a venue with known capacity, authorities might estimate the crowd size by comparing the density to that of a fully packed venue.
8. Camera footage analysis. Security cameras and surveillance footage can be used to analyze crowd movement and density, providing valuable data for estimating crowd size.

In an interview with with the alderman on Antwerp Television (ATV), it emerges the City hoped to welcome one million visitors. But the changeable weather most probably tempered enthusiasm. The number of 760,000 comes from mobile phone mast analysis by Belgium‘s prime operator Proximus, which offers such a service.

“Mobile phones are always connected to cell towers and towers cover the whole country. Phones emit events when they roam, call, text or transfer data. By knowing how many phones are in each cell, we allow you to count people easily”, Proximus says.