Expo Winter City Scenic Prop Refurbishment and Fabrication in Dubai

Restoring Expo Winter City’s Festive Scenic Collection

Expo Winter City in Dubai required an extensive collection of Christmas scenery and oversized decorative props to be restored for continued seasonal use. The original project record identifies decorative islands and oversized baubles as principal elements within the refurbishment scope. Decorative islands were repainted and re-flocked, while damaged baubles were repaired and given paint touch-ups.

Evolution Scenic and Evolution Prop Shop delivered the work together. The project photography shows a much broader collection of festive scenery. This included a gingerbread village installation, illuminated reindeer, clustered baubles, a giant bauble seating pod, a realistic reindeer prop, stacked gift structures, an illuminated snowflake and a conical Christmas tree framework.

All of the photographed elements formed part of the refurbishment programme. Most received repainting, while individual pieces required different levels of structural and decorative repair.

Some new scenic elements were also fabricated.

Assessing a Mixed Collection of Scenic Assets

Seasonal scenic collections rarely deteriorate uniformly. A painted bauble may have impact damage or chipped coatings. A flocked scenic island may remain structurally sound but require the decorative finish to be completely replaced. A sculpted prop may need local repair around vulnerable projecting details, while a large illuminated structure may require careful handling to avoid damage to its frame or decorative lighting. The Expo Winter City collection combined all of these requirements.

The workshop team assessed the pieces individually and selected an appropriate repair sequence for each one. This was necessary because the scenery was constructed from mixed materials and no single treatment could be applied across the complete collection. The confirmed process included cleaning, removing damaged finishes, completing structural repairs, filling, sanding, priming, repainting, removing worn flock and applying new flocking. This sequence ensured that the new decorative finish was supported by a repaired and correctly prepared substrate.

Repairing Before Repainting

Surface preparation was a central part of the refurbishment.Applying fresh paint directly over cracked, loose or uneven coatings would not have produced the required finish. Damaged material was therefore removed before repairs were made to the underlying forms.Filling compounds restored chips, dents and repair joints. Sanding blended these areas into the original surfaces and recreated the smooth profiles required by the oversized ornaments. Primer then created a consistent base for the new paint layers.

This was particularly important for the baubles. Their curved forms and reflective finishes could reveal even minor imperfections once placed under external and decorative lighting. The repaired surfaces were repainted in the collection’s established festive palette. Reds, greens, whites and metallic golds were used across the baubles, gift structures and gingerbread installations.

Reconstructing the Gingerbread Environment

The gingerbread scenic island was one of the most compositionally detailed pieces within the collection. The installation brought together a large gingerbread house, stylised trees, candy-cane structures, gingerbread characters, present props and a decorative perimeter fence. Each element used its own profile and graphic treatment, but all needed to read as one workshop-built environment.

The house combined gingerbread-coloured walls with white icing lines, green window details and red decorative features. The surrounding trees used matching biscuit tones and snow-like edges, while striped candy props introduced stronger red-and-white contrast. Wrapped presents added blocks of red and green to the centre of the installation. The perimeter fence repeated the gingerbread and icing treatment, visually containing the entire scene. Refurbishment required careful colour control across these individual elements. The work needed to restore the definition of the details without losing the handmade scenic quality of the original design.

Restoring Oversized Baubles

The bauble collection included ornaments of different sizes and finishes. Some were installed as individual features. Others were arranged in clusters, while the largest red ornament incorporated an open side and internal seating area. Broken pieces were repaired before repainting or localised touch-ups were completed. This restored the continuous curved form of each ornament and reduced the visibility of previous impact damage.

Decorative motifs included snowflakes, trees, stripes and solid metallic treatments. Caps and hanging-loop details reinforced the scale of the ornaments, allowing the pieces to read clearly as enlarged Christmas decorations. The large bauble seating pod required particular attention because it combined scenic appearance with a functional interior. The opening edge, curved shell and internal surfaces could all be inspected from close range. Grouped baubles were returned as complete compositions. Colour and graphic variation were retained while the overall finish was brought to a consistent standard.

Illuminated Reindeer and Snowflake Features

Several scenic elements used illumination as part of their visible construction. The reindeer silhouettes consisted of open sculptural forms filled with warm-white decorative lights. Individual bases provided the visual and physical connection between the figures and the paved installation area. The illuminated snowflake used a similar open-frame method. Its broad geometric arms created a recognisable outline while the internal lighting defined the structure after dark.

These pieces required controlled workshop handling because the scenic frames and lighting components were visually interdependent. The electrical refurbishment scope has not been confirmed. No claim is therefore made regarding replacement lights, rewiring, testing or control systems. From a scenic perspective, the work focused on maintaining the shape, surface condition and complete visual presentation of the illuminated structures before they were returned to site.

Refurbishing Sculpted and Freestanding Props

The collection included a realistic freestanding reindeer prop. Unlike the graphic silhouettes, this element used a fully sculpted body, head and antlers. Painted tonal variation defined the coat, face and hooves, while the red harness, metallic details and bells completed the seasonal character. Projecting antlers and legs are naturally more vulnerable during storage and transportation than broad scenic panels. Any damaged areas therefore required repair that preserved both the strength and the original sculpted profile.

The workshop setting allowed the prop to be inspected and repaired before its decorative finish was reinstated. Other freestanding pieces required the same relationship between structure and finish. Repairs first restored the form; scenic paintwork then concealed the intervention.

Gift Structures and the Conical Tree

A large illuminated gift tower was assembled from stacked present forms. The boxes varied in size and were arranged into a tapered vertical structure. Warm internal lighting created the primary visual effect, while red ribbons and bows defined the individual gifts. The project also included large freestanding gift-box props finished in patterned red, green, white and gold treatments.

Dimensional ribbon forms and bows gave the otherwise geometric boxes a stronger scenic profile. A tall conical Christmas tree framework provided another large-scale installation. The open structure incorporated multiple star forms and terminated in a prominent star topper. The transparent construction allowed the outline and internal geometry of the tree to remain visible. The precise framing and mesh materials have not been supplied.

Combining Refurbishment with New Fabrication

The project was not solely a restoration programme. Some new scenic elements were fabricated to support the required festive collection. This allowed existing assets to be retained while additional pieces were introduced where repair alone could not satisfy the scope.

Specific records identifying the newly built items were not supplied. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe any one photographed installation as new rather than refurbished. The combined approach is nevertheless significant. Refurbishment and new fabrication use related workshop skills, but they begin from different conditions. A new element can be developed around a controlled construction sequence. A refurbished element requires the team to understand and work with an existing structure, including previous finishes, wear and historical repairs. Delivering both within one package required consistent scenic finishing so that newly fabricated and restored items could operate as one collection.

Workshop Delivery and Installation Planning

The refurbishment and fabrication were completed within the Evolution workshop. The controlled workshop environment supported cleaning, repair, sanding, priming, painting and flocking without relying on public installation areas for production work. Once completed, the props were protected and prepared for transport.

Large ornaments, sculpted features and open illuminated structures each required suitable handling. The route from workshop to final position had to account for the dimensions and vulnerability of the pieces as well as the preservation of the new finishes. Delivery took place through phased access.

Lifting equipment was used where required to move and position the larger scenic structures. The exact lifting equipment and individual prop weights are not recorded in the information supplied.

Floor protection was installed during placement. Public-area controls were also used so that the installation activities remained separated from surrounding venue operations.