The Giants are about to wake up

The Giants will begin their walk through Perth’s city streets from tomorrow as part of the opening of the Perth International Arts Festival, which runs into the first week of March.

Commemorating the centenary of Anzac, the festival has commissioned French company Royal de Luxe of Nantes to create the live arts event, which will be held over three days starting tomorrow morning.

The event will begin at 9:30am at Langley Park, where the Little Giant Girl will wake up and begin her search for the Diver.

PIAF said the event would be seen by an audience of around 1 million people over the course of the weekend.

“The story starts before we meet the Giants. At the heart of the story is the Little Giant Girl, a six metre-high character who will explore the city, looking for the Diver,” PIAF said.

“Long ago, the Little Girl Giant fell from the sky into the desert and was cared for by the Noongar people.

“It is also the story of an Australian Diver, 10,000 miles away and 100 years ago, sent to recover soldiers from the bottom of the sea off the coast of Gallipoli. Over time he becomes an 11 metre-high giant.”

Multiple streets will be closed during the course of the event, with some traffic light poles and median strips being temporarily removed.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the community should plan their journey in advance and take public transport into the city where possible.

“The Giants is a massive performance and will be remembered for years to come,” Mr Day said.

“But there will be street closures and changes to public transport routes and services so I recommend people use public transport – in particular trains – to see the Giants.”

Transperth will be providing extra train services and will add more railcars to existing trains.

Spokesman David Hynes said the road closures would affect bus routes.

“There will be a range of road closures in place this weekend, which will disrupt about 1,600 bus trips and more than 130 bus stops through the CBD," he said.

“Friday in particular will be very busy with our usual morning and afternoon peaks, as well as the crowds in town to see the Giants.

“Changes to bus routes will also impact people who intend to travel through the city, not necessarily to see the Giants – so we need just about anyone moving around Perth that day to plan ahead.

“Passengers will need to plan their journey home as bus services will be disrupted throughout the afternoon and early evening."