Six giant beach balls will be replacing a giant rubber ducky as the main attraction at this year’s Redpath Waterfront Festival.
Organizers confirm event and design firm Décor and More will be building a custom beach ball installation specifically for the festival, which will be held from June 22 to June 24.
The installation will feature six beach balls, standing nearly two metres tall. They will be suspended from a large truss frame and will swing back and forth, resembling a pendulum.
The attraction will be placed at HTO Park, located at 339 Queens Quay West, and is expected to weigh more than 8,600 kilograms.
Organizers say members of the public can “interact” with the installation and there will be “no shortage of selfie opportunities”
Menkes Developments Ltd. is sponsoring the exhibit, which has been partially funded by the Ontario government as part of the Celebrate Ontario enhancement grant program.
A cost breakdown for the project was not readily available.
The installation comes after Torontonians flocked to the festival last year to see the world’s largest inflatable rubber duck, which was temporarily housed at Toronto’s waterfront.
About $120,000 of the $200,000 cost to acquire the duck was funded by a provincial government grant, a move which prompted some members of the Ontario PC Party to accuse the Liberals of wasting taxpayer money.
Organizers and the province’s Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Eleanor McMahon defended the duck decision, pointing to a positive impact on Toronto tourism.
