INFLATED HOPES

Waterfront fest hopes giant beach balls will prove as popular as last summer’s rubber duck,

It’s no giant rubber duck, but this year’s Redpath Waterfront Festival will feature yet another oversized inflatable installation.

The organizers announced Wednesday that a pendulum installation made of giant beach balls is coming to the Toronto waterfront. Named HTO Pendulum Wave, the custom-made feature is made up of six two-metre-tall beach balls that will swing back and forth while suspended from a large frame.

The entire installation will be 6.7 metres tall, 13 metres wide and 3.6 metres deep, and it will weigh 8,600 kilograms.

More than 12 square metres of PVC material will be used to create the balls.

“With two significant development projects underway (Sugar Wharf and Waterfront Innovation Centre), this sponsorship is particularly meaningful as it further supports our ongoing commitment to the waterfront,” Menkes Developments Ltd., the presenting partner of the installation, said in a statement. “We’re sure this installation will add a fun and playful element to this remarkable event.”

The festival is hoping the beach balls will attract the same number of visitors as last year’s rubber duck. At the time, the provincial government was criticized for spending more than $120,000 on it. But according to a report, the duck attracted 750,000 visitors and had a $7.6-million “economic impact.” Construction on the new installation is already underway.