Over the past four days, about 30,000 Singaporeans went on a “trip back in time” with the help of the HISTORY Channel. They visited the Viking Village of Kattegat – and saw the fearsome Viking warrior Ragnar Lothbrok and the shield-maiden Lagertham.
HISTORY™’s first-ever Viking Village took place at the Marina Square Central Atrium.
Photo credit: HISTORYTM.
To mark the return of the drama series, Vikings, the Marina Square Central Atrium had actually been transformed into a bustling Viking village, where the public learnt about how the Vikings live and fought. The event took place over four days, from 26 February to 1 March. And it was held to mark the return of the highly anticipated historical drama series, VIKINGS – on the HISTORY Channel.
Highlight was the display of Singapore’s largest-ever wall mural
The highlight of the Vikings event was the display of Singapore’s largest-ever wall mural – built entirely from LEGO bricks. This had depicted a Viking longship crossing the sea. Measuring 5.4 metres by 2.3 metres, the mural comprised of more than 140,000 LEGO bricks and close to 700 Singaporeans had helped with assembling it together. The completed mural was verified by the Singapore Book of Records last evening, in a mini award ceremony – as the largest wall mural made out of LEGO bricks.
This record-breaking wall mural was the highlight of the Viking Village event.
Photo credit: HISTORYTM.
According to Xylvie Wong, 32, the owner of My Little Brick Shop, that had supplied the Lego bricks for the event, the response from the Singaporean public was indeed tremendous – much more so than they had initially anticipated. She explained, “Initially we were afraid that the take-up rate (the number of people coming down to help to make the mural) would not be good enough. But it was great! In fact we were very much done yesterday so today, (the last day) it was just about finishing the last few pieces of the side panels and it was simply about aligning the pieces together. We were honestly worried that we would have to work through Sunday to get it done, but we made it in very good time.”
Making the mural did not come without its challenges
However, this project did not come without its challenges. For example, not everyone who wanted to play their part, had been familiar with building elaborate sculptures with LEGO.
Explained Wong, “There were three layers to making this mural. Not everyone was able to understand the layering of the Lego bricks, so we had to explain that on the ground, engaging both the professional builders as well as the general public at the same time. Of course though, we also assessed the queue as they came forward to pick up their LEGO pieces. The younger kids would be given a slightly easier set and the adults would get something a little more complex to complete.”
Young fans learning about the Vikings through hands-on activities.
Photo credit: HISTORYTM.
Objective was to bring History alive to the masses
How did the HISTORY Channel come up with this innovative idea of creating Singapore’s largest wall mural, in the first place? Said Hazel Yap, 38, the Vice President of Marketing Communications at A+E Networks Asia, which operates the HISTORY Channel, “The objective here was to bring history alive, and at the same time, to engage the general public. The Lego mural encompasses this, because the History channel appeals to the masses, especially males. So it does not matter if you are three years old or 70 years old, guys in general love playing with Lego. In fact, I have two huge Lego fans at home – my husband and my son! So bringing a show like VIKINGS into it, is perfect integration.”
Plenty of other activities to keep the general public engaged
Besides the wall mural, there were also plenty of other activities to engage the general public at the Viking village during the past four days. These gave visitors an insight into how the Vikings lived, fought and conquered. Viking costumes were also flown in from the set itself, and mini LEGO replica Viking ships were on display. Visitors could also brandish Viking swords and take photos with cosplayers, who had been dressed up as Viking warriors. By taking part in competitions too, visitors could also win attractive prizes, such as exclusive Vikings merchandise, LEGO collector sets, shopping vouchers and a trip to Denmark for the ultimate Vikings experience.
I couldn’t pass the opportunity to take a photo with these Viking warriors!
Said Yap, “The team worked really hard to put this together. Besides the wall mural, the event over the past few days is actually about showing the the different Viking villages and we wanted to make learning and the History Channel come alive. As you go from booth to booth, you will learn something out of it. For example, you can see that the costumes flown in from the set, were really beautiful.”
Catch VIKINGS Season 3 in a same day telecast as the USA from 6 March on the HISTORY Channel (StarHub TV Channel 401) at 10pm Singapore time.
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