Odysseo Is Coming Back To Irvine

Odysseo Coming Back To Irvine

Did you hear the great news? Odysseo by Cavalia is coming back to Irvine for  repeat tour November 16th through January 8th. It’s the first time  in the shows history that they have ever returned to a previous location. Sales were off the charts last February and they prove to be the same or better this Holiday season!

If you have driven on the 405 freeway or the 133,  you have probably seen the enormous white tent that is up again! Standing 125-feet tall and covering a surface area of 58,397 square feet – the size of an NFL football field – Odysseo’s exceptional White Big Top is twice the size of the one that housed Cavalia.

For a refresher, this magnificent show is made up of 65 horses and 45 humans. It’s a story about the relationship between human and horse.

This year, I had the chance to watch the crew of Odysseo raise the tent again and I was just as amazed as last year at just how much time and detail goes into creating a show like this. There are so many logistics and mechanics to putting together such a massive show.

Construction Director Discussing The Irvine Venue

Assembly of the big white top

• The Odysseo village comprises five tents: the White Big Top, the stable tent, the exclusive Rendez-Vous VIP tent, the warm-up & artistic tent, and the kitchen tent for the 200 employees. 
• There are three arches that support the White Big Top. Each arch consists of eight sections that are 8 feet wide by 29 feet long. Once assembled, each arch is 88 feet high by 203 feet long. 
•  The masts of the big top have been specially engineered to be able to lift the arches into place. 
• The canvas is held in place by 1,310 three-foot long stakes holding down the 250 anchor plates. When it is rolled out, the canvas would cover four Hollywood Signs! 
• 26 motors are needed to raise the canvas onto the structure, resulting in the White Big Top. 
•  The length of all the steel cable used to attach the structure to the ground is equal to 3.6 miles. This length represents more than twice the perimeter around the Irvine Spectrum and its parking lots!

Video of workers

This machine is what raises and lowers the tent.

credit: cavalia odysseo

After the tent was raised the crew climbed to the very top to take some pictures with the flags.

Towards the end, a drone was sent up to get an aerial view and time lapse footage of the big white top being raised. It is really spectacular to watch.

Aerial Footage

But guess what? I got an even bigger birds eye view of the tent because I went up in a helicopter and flew over the tent. It was the most amazing experience ever! Our helicopter pilot Robin at Celebrity Helicopters was awesome and flew low enough for us to wave at the guys putting the flags on the the top of the tent.

Check out my footage below. Watch for the shadow of our chopper on the tent.

Helicopter Fly Over

Facts about the White Big Top 

•  The White Big Top stands 125 feet tall, higher than the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland (77 feet)! 
•  The surface covered by the White Big Top is 58,397 square feet 
•   Under the White Big Top are the stage, the backstage areas, the bleachers, a lobby, a gift shop and food stands. 
•  Seating capacity for 2,000 people. 
• The stage is approximately 17,500 square feet. An area larger than the Anaheim Duck hockey rink 
•  The stage is made of 10,000 tons of stones, dirt and sand (4x more than Cavalia!) as well as 16,038 square feet of specialized carpet and pool liner to help build the basin. 
•  An underground drain system is built to flood 40,000 gallons of recycled water onto the stage for the splashing finale. After the show, it takes 15 minutes to drain the water. 
•  The high-definition backdrop is the size of three of the largest cinema screens. 
• The technical grid supports 80 tons of equipment. + real life size Merry go Round!
• Air conditioning and heat are available
• A high definition computer graphic images are projected on a huge cyclorama that is the size of three IMAX screens put together. Instead of just one projector to showcase all the moving images, this production utilizes 18 at the same time, bringing more depth and eye-popping effects than ever seen before.

A total of five tents comprise the Odysseo village. There is also a staff kitchen tent that prepares more than 300 meals daily.

Tickets

Sharing is caring!