An apocalyptic future where fire and chaos meets technology
This was the theme for the finale show of the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026. Each year Cirque Bijou work closely with Starlight Design to create the finale for the ‘Drivers Ball’. This is a private event for the organisers, drivers and industry professionals associated with race driving and auto sports. This year we took inspiration from movies like Mad Max and Turbo Kid for a post apocalyptic future.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles. The vehicles take part in various races, activities and events throughout the weekend. The festival is held in Goodwood House, West Sussex, UK in late June or early July.
Click on the link for the Goodwood Festival of Speed website for more information.
This article features behind the scenes photos from one of our rehearsal days and also a video of the finale itself.
The finale show featured fire and sideshow performers from across the UK and Ireland. We also worked with professional vehicle stunt performers like Terry Grant for some precision speed and manoeuvres during the show. Ulik Robotic Circus provided their unique robotic arm for a futuristic centre piece. The acrobat using the robotic arm was brought into our story where he meets our digital bride wearing our signature LED Dress.
Here is a video of the finale show highlights showing how the whole show came together. The fireworks display is a staple part of the event. We love working with The Goodwood Festival of Speed and had a lot of fun on this show especially.
You can see a video of a previous Festival of Speed finale that we were a part of here.
Photos and footage taken by Andre Pattenden.
Video Editing by Stu Freeman