Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge became a picnic ground covered in grass from pylon to pylon on Sunday October 10 as the second Breakfast on the Bridge event took place as part of the Crave Sydney Festival.

This year the event featured a football theme of ‘Come Play’ to coincide and support the Australian 2022 FIFA World Cup bid. More than 7,000 people were expected to dine on the 11,000 square metres of fresh green grass.

This year the event featured a football theme if Come Play in support of the 2022 Australia FIFA World Cup Bid
image courtesy of David Clare

Fourth Wall Events was enlisted by Events NSW and The Football Federation of Australia to help highlight the Australia 2022 World Cup Bid by creating colourful moments for the world’s media.

Working closely with Community Engagement and Events Division and Events NSW, who delivered Breakfast on the Bridge, the Fourth Wall Events team designed a 4 metre in diameter 2022 branded soccer ball as the central piece for the Premier of New South Wales, the Socceroos and the Matildas to push along the bridge.

Surrounding the ball were twenty floating soccer balls and all white balls with more ‘Come Play 2022’ messages printed on them, controlled by young local soccer players from around New South Wales. The children were selected by the Football Federation of Australia from across New South Wales and had the experience of a lifetime.

At the South End of the bridge the team painted a scaled soccer pitch with additional branding of ‘Come Play 2022’ which was framed perfectly by the bridge’s pillars.

“Watching the ball roll along the bridge with the children and their floating balls, the Premier and the Socceroos and Matildas following behind with the world’s media covering the whole moment was surreal and a magical moment,” said Fourth Wall Event’s Jeremy Garling.

Premier Kristina Keneally, Minister for Major Events, Kevin Greene, Football Federation Australia Chairman, Frank Lowy, Football Federation Australia CEO, Ben Buckley, and the Socceroos and Matildas players then joined thousands of picnickers for the Breakfast on the Bridge.

“Breakfast on the Bridge is great way for thousands of lucky ticketholders to enjoy an early morning Sunday breakfast with friends and family,” Premier Keneally said. “It showcases our beautiful harbour to the world with images beamed around the globe.

An view from above as the soccer balls roll through the bridge
image courtesy of David Clare

“This year’s Breakfast on the Bridge was even more popular than the inaugural event last year with a more than 200,000 people registering for their chance to be a part of the event –an increase of 11 per cent on last year’s registrations.

“The soccer theme for this year’s event is part of our campaign to secure the 2022 FIFA World Cup for Australia.

“Sydney is the major events capital of Australia, and as a soccer loving nation we want to put our best foot forward for the World Cup bid in 2022.”

Football Federation Australia Chairman Frank Lowy said: “It is terrific to see that one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, has been transformed into a football pitch to show our nations united support for our bid.

“I am delighted to see so many football supporters here today to send a strong message around the world – we want to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A FIFA World Cup in Australia will be fun, relaxed, safe and secure,” he said. “We want the world’s greatest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, come to our shores. We invite the world to Come Play!”

Additionally, Workshop Events (recently re-named from the James Gordon Workshop) were also commissioned to design and produce a 100-metre-long park installation, which served as the entryway for those attending the breakfast event.

A 100 metre park installation was designed and produced by Workshop Events for the bridge’s breakfast attendees
image courtesy of Workshop Events

Located at the North Sydney end of the bridge, the installation began with impressive custom-built gates, which were unlocked and officially opened by Premier Keneally, to reveal the spectacular urban park.

Picnickers passed through an avenue of large topiary trees, framed by lush green lawns where Tai Chi was being demonstrated.

Further along, park benches and pastel-coloured ice-cream vans flanked a large, fully-operational fountain, powered by a portable generator concealed within the base. A mobile water tank was brought in to fill the fountain. Also featured was an oversized chessboard, a mini skate ramp with skaters and BMX bikers performing tricks, and a children’s playground, all surrounded by dozens of leafy trees and beds of colourful tulips framed by white picket fences.

The park installation featured a playground, ice cream vans, a mini skate ramp and much more.
image courtesy of Workshop Events

Workshop Events worked with a quick turnaround time of just five weeks to design and produce the park experience. Set-up on the day took a team of 50 staff three hours to complete, in pre-dawn light between 2:00am and 5:00am.