For over 50 years, Roald Dahl’s children’s stories have delighted kids around the world. Full of extraordinary magic, scrumdumptious food and some pretty nasty individuals, the books and their characters have become a part of literary legend. 
This year marks 100 years since Roald Dahl was born and as the birthplace of the author, the city of Cardiff celebrated the date with a huge experiential event.
Entitled the ‘City of the Unexpected,’ the city-wide pop-up event remembered the much-loved author in a truly magical way. For two days only, Cardiff’s city centre was taken over by some of Dahl’s famous creations. 
The spellbinding festival featured a fantastical schedule of music, acrobatics and theatre, including tightrope-walking foxes and even a wedding between a fireman and a ladybird!
Other unusual sights included books hanging from lamp-posts, giant cutlery tied to trees and dancing umbrellas lining the walls of a car park. But the most stupendous activation of all was when a giant peach ‘crash landed’ in the city centre. An event which culminated in a public ‘rescue’ of a boy from inside the peach in front of Cardiff Castle.
The City of the Unexpected was created by the Wales Millennium Centre and the National Theatre for Wales and involved more than 6,000 people from across Wales and beyond.
If you liked this literary-themed experiential activation, then you’ll love the National Literacy Trust’s experiential book benches and Penguin Books Australia’s ‘Dial-a-Story’ campaign.