STAFFORDSHIRE, UK – Starting strong is good… but ending strong is what critics will always remember. Every performer recognizes that, so too do the creatives behind the wildly popular Alton Towers resort, which is why every November, they end their season with a bang (quite literally!) by staging a breathtaking fireworks extravaganza supported by an equally stunning light and laser show.

Of course, any phantastic ending must contain an element of surprise. (Who laughs at a punchline they already know!?) This is why Alton Towers adds a new twist to the fireworks spectacle every year, so even guests who attend the event repeatedly (as many do), are always delightfully surprised.

The 2025 edition of the three-day event was no exception. Built around the all-new story of “Alton Intelligence” this year’s 25-minute show, opened the doors of imagination to the fascinating, multi-dimensional world of AI. Making a key contribution to this year’s event was a brilliant light show designed by Olly Suckling, associate LD Martin Winton, and production manager John Slevin, that featured 187 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by GLX Productions.

Run on two ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Consoles, the show artfully merged lighting and lasers with the massive pyrotechnics to create an experience that immersed Alton Towers guests in the realm of AI.

Creating this powerful AI-infused imagery involved a great deal of collaboration on many levels, not the least of which was the rapport between Suckling and the GLX Productions team. Although Suckling has designed on many Alton Fireworks shows in the past, this was GLX Productions’ first go at the event.

Suckling and GLX have worked closely on many other projects in the past, and they drew on this experience to create an entirely new look for the 2025 Alton Towers fireworks show. “GLX was a fantastic collaborator,” said Suckling. “This was a new project with new challenges for them, but luckily they could draw on their experience working at other projects where the build took place whilst an event was open to the public — so they handled this one incredibly well.”

GLX provided an assortment of CHAUVET Professional fixtures that were more than up to the task of keeping up with the imaginative pyrotechnics. These included 78 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes, 48 COLORado PXL Bar 16 pixel mappable batons, 21 Maverick Storm 1 Beams and 40 Rogue Outcast 1L Beams.

“Alton Towers lives in its own weather eco system as the park sits in a slight valley with a lake at the bottom,” said Suckling. “So, IP65 is an absolute must for this show as warm days and cold nights with high humidity mean fixtures end up sitting in cold and misty conditions.”

Elaborating on this point, Zak Nicholson of GLX noted: “Only buying IP has been a strategy for GLX for some time, as it gives us more flexibility in the solutions we offer to clients – plus, it just makes sense. A complete ChamSys control solution also makes sense in projects such as this one. We have a large number of ChamSys consoles, therefore when the GeNetix line was released it made sense to invest into the GeNetix nodes too.”

By using the GeNetix nodes to interface with MagicQ Suckling could see exactly what was going on in the network. He also loved the ability to save scenes directly to the nodes and then recall them remotely from the front panels. “This sped up testing by enabling us to deploy test patterns when testing the network and fault finding,” he explained “Is the issue the network between nodes or is the issue a bad cable downstream of the node? We could answer such questions quickly and simply.”

As for the fixtures in the kit, Suckling noted that given this year’s AI theme, it was essential for him to think carefully about his choices. His design featured five self-supporting 16-meter structures, representing “AI towers” staggered along the edge of the lake that was closest to the audience, along with fixtures on the far side of the lake where the fireworks were launched from.

Each of the towers was topped with Maverick Storm 1 Beam fixtures, which Suckling used to pump up the excitement level by creating towering columns of the light. He also added an extra dimension to the towers themselves by highlighting them with light from his Rogue Outcast IL Beam fixtures.

Suckling created a captivating sense of depth in the event’s staging area by coordinating backlighting from his Color STRIKE M fixtures with the firework launch positions. He also accented the evening’s laser shows by supporting them with colorful light from his COLORado PXL 16 Bar battens, which were position on suspended V-shaped trusses from each AI tower.

Blending this lighting with the breathtaking fireworks required an adroit balancing act in 2025 just as it does every year. “Selecting the lighting to compliment the fireworks always demands careful consideration,” said Suckling. “There are moments where the lighting shines or the laser or the fireworks take center stage — and then there are moments where they all come together to build those epic panoramas.”

Suckling, Winton, and the GLX team worked closely together to achieve such moments. The result was a seamless multi-dimensional show that gave guests something very special to remember as the Alton Towers season drew to a spectacular close.