Festival Backdrop at Gunnersbury Park: In the dynamic and visually demanding world of festival branding, few challenges compare to producing high-impact, large-format installations that are both structurally sound and visually flawless. In June 2025, Project Print Management (PPM) achieved just that—delivering London’s largest ever free-standing scaffold wrap, measuring 125 meters long by 10 meters high, at Gunnersbury Park for an open-air music event organized by Krankbrother Events.
Originally envisioned at an even more ambitious 18 meters in height, the banner was re-engineered due to wind-load constraints, requiring expert collaboration between structural engineers, scaffold designers, and PPM’s print and project management specialists. The result was an iconic stage backdrop that not only framed the event space with commanding presence, but also stood as a case study in fast-tracked, high-risk, high-reward temporary structure deployment.
Client: Krankbrother Events
Location: Gunnersbury Park, London
Date: June 2025
Delivered by: Project Print Management
Structure: 125m (L) × 10m (H) mesh PVC banner on bespoke scaffold
Status: Delivered on time, on budget — completed one day early!
Project Background Festival Backdrop
The Gunnersbury Park event in June 2025 was a headline summer festival curated by Krankbrother, known for blending cutting-edge electronic music with striking production values. Central to the event’s identity was the construction of an epic branded backdrop — both a visual anchor for the main stage and a wind-permeable advertising surface large enough to be seen from across the park.
PPM was brought on board not just for its printing capability, but for its full turnkey approach: from concept development and technical feasibility, to print production, delivery, and site installation. From the outset, the vision was clear: make a bold, memorable impact — safely, on budget, and within a tight schedule.
Technical Challenge: 18m High Vision Meets Engineering Reality
The original client brief called for a monolithic mesh banner at 18 meters tall, which would have towered above the surrounding festival structures and delivered maximum visual effect. However, this scale came with severe wind-load implications.
Wind-Load Risk Factors for Festival Backdrop
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Height-to-width ratio significantly increased the lateral wind force.
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Gunnersbury Park is an open urban space with minimal surrounding shelter, compounding wind exposure.
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Scaffold safety and the potential for oscillation or collapse under wind gusts exceeded safe thresholds for a temporary install of that size.
Structural wind-load simulations were done and worked closely with scaffold engineers to test various load distributions. Even using high-porosity mesh PVC (approx. 30% airflow pass-through), an 18m high banner presented too great a risk of structural compromise in wind speeds common for London in early summer.
Engineering Solution: 10-Meter Compromise
After extensive modelling, engineers proposed a viable height reduction to 10 meters — retaining grandeur, but reducing the surface area by 45%, making the project feasible.
Key engineering adjustments included:
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Curved scaffold layout to help distribute lateral loads more evenly.
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Counterweighted ballast towers at regular intervals behind the structure, anchoring the frame without invasive groundworks.
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Increased bracing and tie-ins at all node points, using steel cross bracing and trusses for added stiffness.
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Use of mesh PVC with optimal perforation (around 70/30 print-to-air ratio) to reduce wind resistance while maintaining visual impact.
The design (visible in the attached structural renders) was signed off after passing updated load compliance and safety checks.
Print Production & Material Considerations
The final banner required over 1,000 square meters of digitally printed mesh PVC. PPM specified a high-strength, UV-stable, flame-retardant material to meet both safety and outdoor performance standards.
Printing Process
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Print width: Panels were printed in strips of 5m widths and up to 50m long.
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Colour management: Essential for maintaining consistency across multiple joins.
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Seaming: High frequency welded seams provided durability without compromising aesthetics.
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Reinforcement: All edges were hemmed and fitted with reinforced eyelets for secure scaffold tensioning.
The banner was produced in PPM’s network of specialist print facilities, chosen for their ability to handle oversized prints with strict QC turnarounds.
Scaffold Build: 5-Day Timeline for Festival Backdrop
Time was tight. The scaffold frame — stretching 125 meters in length with structural bracing and ballast systems — was built in just 5 working days.
Site Build Highlights:
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Daily crew of up to 12 scaffolders.
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Modular scaffold sections pre-fabricated and delivered for rapid assembly.
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Central arch clearance allowed for stage equipment access without banner interference.
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Safety inspections at each stage of erection ensured compliance with temporary structure codes.
Due to the nature of the scaffold and uneven ground levels, laser levelling and anchor calibration were conducted daily to ensure true vertical alignment across the run.
Mesh PVC Installation: 3 Days to Completion for festival backdrop
Once the scaffold was signed off, the printed mesh banner was installed by a team of PPM riggers over 3 days — completing one full day ahead of schedule.
Installation Strategy:
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Panels were hoisted using pulley lifts and walk boards installed across the upper scaffold level.
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Banners were tensioned top and bottom using bungee ties and ratchet straps to prevent billowing.
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Mid-installation inspections ensured that every 5m panel met lineal stress tolerances and tensioning specs.
Despite early June winds gusting up to 20mph during install, the tensioning plan held perfectly.
Final Result and Client Feedback
The finished backdrop stood as a dominant feature of the Gunnersbury Park skyline — commanding in scale, crisp in detail, and structurally flawless. The banner’s artwork stating ‘LONDON’ was highly photogenic, becoming a key social media moment across platforms.
The client’s reaction? Overwhelmingly positive.
“The scale and execution were beyond anything we’ve delivered before. The team at PPM were solution-driven and calm under pressure. It landed early, looked incredible, and became the visual centrepiece of the entire show.”
— Mane Staging Production Manager
Lessons & Innovations for festival backdrop
1. Modular Engineering for Temporary Structures
This project showed that free-standing wraps at this scale are viable with modular bracing, ballast anchoring, and material choice — even without permanent foundations.
2. Wind‑Load Modelling as the First Step
The decision to reduce from 18m to 10m came early thanks to robust wind-load forecasting — saving time, cost, and risk downstream.
3. Coordination is Everything
Close coordination between engineers, scaffolders, printers, and PPM’s project managers was essential in compressing the timeline and maintaining alignment across the 125m structure.
Project Print Management’s delivery of London’s largest free-standing scaffold banner for the Gunnersbury Park festival set a new benchmark for outdoor visual branding. Balancing design ambition with technical feasibility, PPM coordinated a vast and fast-paced project with zero compromise on safety, quality, or creativity.
By collaborating deeply with engineers and adapting to real-world constraints, the team helped transform an open park into a high-impact, branded destination — and in doing so, further cemented their reputation as a go-to specialist in complex, large-format print environments.