Olly Suckling, GLX Productions, and CHAUVET Gear at Alton Towers Fireworks Show

	Each tower was topped with Maverick Storm 1 Beam fixtures, which Suckling used to pump up the excitement level by creating towering columns of light. Photo: Anthony Black Photography

Each November, the Alton Towers resort, based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK, stages a fireworks extravaganza supported by a light and laser show. The venue adds a new twist every year so that repeat visitors are always surprised. Built around the all-new story of "Alton Intelligence," this year's 25-minute show focused on the world of AI. Making a key contribution to the event was a light show designed by Olly Suckling, associate lighting designer Martin Winton, and production manager John Slevin, with 187 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by GLX Productions.

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

Creating this AI-infused imagery involved collaboration on many levels, not the least of which was the rapport between Suckling and the GLX Productions team. Although Suckling has designed 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, and they drew on this experience to create an entirely new look for the 2025 show. "GLX was a fantastic collaborator," Suckling says. "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, including 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 ecosystem as the park sits in a slight valley with a lake at the bottom," Suckling says. "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 notes, "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 in the GeNetix nodes too."

By using 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 explains. "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."

Suckling notes that given this year's AI theme, it was essential for him to think carefully about his gear choices. His design featured five self-supporting 16m structures, representing "AI towers" staggered along the edge of the lake, which was closest to the audience, along with fixtures on the far side of the lake where the fireworks were launched.

Each tower was topped with Maverick Storm 1 Beam fixtures, which Suckling used to pump up the excitement level by creating towering columns of 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 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 positioned 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 complement the fireworks always demands careful consideration," Suckling says. "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."