Giant Aberdeen letters appear at Castlegate
The Hollywood-style letters are illuminated by nearly 100,000 light bulbs
Last updated 29th Jan 2024
Giant letters that spell out 'ABERDEEN' have appeared at Castlegate overnight.
Standing at two metres tall, they are illuminated by 98,000 light bulbs, 750m of cables and 69,850 microchips.
The letters have in-built interactive technology to allow them to feature animated digital displays and change colour to celebrate holidays and events.
Aberdeen Inspired, the Business Improvement District, have spearheaded the project that developed from an idea that emerged through Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s Vanguard initiative.
Building a better Union Street
They've appeared just six weeks after the Our Union Street campaign launched, that was set up to generate ideas and action to reserve the decline of the city’s main street.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, believes the letters will broaden Aberdeen's offering and enhance the city centre as a destination for cruise passengers and national and international tourists.
He said: "We are delighted to see the Aberdeen Letters project reach fruition and be unveiled to the public and we hope to see lots of people visiting the letters to snap a photo for their social media channels while they are spending time in the shops, bars, restaurants and taking in a show or exhibition,” he said.
"Many cities around the world already have similar schemes and they have become a ‘must-do’ for visitors but we hope that different animations being displayed from the letters, as well as being moveable, takes the concept a step further and will ensure the letters remain a unique focal point for that perfect Instagram picture.
"As part of our ongoing efforts to support the regeneration of Union Street and the Our Union Street initiative, we are keen to create new reasons to visit the city centre and encourage footfall."
Creating a 'new Aberdeen'
David Edgar, from the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce Volunteer Group, said: "All of the Vanguard team, who helped to shape the plans, are delighted to see that the Aberdeen Letters have become reality on the streets of our city.
"We want these signs to be a bright symbol of the new Aberdeen, helping define our international identity. We’ve seen from other cities, such as Toronto, Gdansk, Amsterdam and Brisbane, that these signs often become a top tourist attraction, because visitors and locals alike want to share a ‘selfie’ in front of them.
"This will help Aberdeen reach places it otherwise wouldn’t on the feeds of the thousands of people visiting our city centre every year.
"The choice of materials for the sign tie very nicely in with the heritage of Aberdeen while the displays on the letters will help promote the cool, modern and vibrant city that we are."
Made by the people, for people
The letters have been created by local firm Luxous Group and have been designed to be detachable and able to be moved to different locations around the city.
Allan Smith, Managing Director of the group, said his team was very proud of the finished product.
"We live in a city that has so many different professionals from a broad range of trades. I firmly believe that if we want the city to come alive again, then we – the locals - need to all chip in and do our bit to bring the energy back.
"We know that there are plenty of cities around the world that have letters similar to these, although there is nothing even close to the Aberdeen letters with the display and animated capabilities. We knew they had to stand out, after all it’s our time to shine – quite literally!
"The lettering can be programmed to create a light show for any occasion and the design ideas are endless. They can be enjoyed by people of any age and are changing constantly so that they are never the same each time you visit the various sites around the city."