When Cabot Circus needed a last-minute way to lead Christmas shoppers to Wallace & Gromit: A Cracking Christmas Experience, Upfest took the answer straight to the streets.

The ticketed Aardman experience was taking over The Friary Building in Quakers Friars, a brilliant space, but tucked away from Cabot Circus’ busiest shopping routes. Working with our long-standing client Cabot Circus / Hammerson, we created a bold Wallace & Gromit pavement trail that did two jobs at once: grabbing the attention of passing shoppers and promoting the experience, while giving ticket holders a brilliantly simple route to follow all the way to the door.

Using Wallace & Gromit’s instantly recognisable yellow branding, a trail of footprints, paw prints, arrows and messaging was painted directly onto the paving through Cabot Circus, turning functional wayfinding into part of the experience itself.

With the project landing at very short notice, we worked quickly to test paints and application methods on the centre’s flagstones, making sure the installation would withstand Christmas footfall while still being completely removable afterwards without leaving a trace. The full trail was then installed overnight, minimising disruption to retailers and shoppers and appearing ready for visitors the following morning.

A simple intervention with a big job to do, the trail helped connect Cabot Circus’ main footfall with a less-used part of the destination, while extending the personality of Wallace & Gromit: A Cracking Christmas Experience beyond the walls of the attraction and out into the wider shopping centre.

The experience went on to welcome 9,000 visitors over 27 days, with footfall in Quakers Friars increasing 5% year-on-year. .