Liverpool’s Arena and Convention Centre hosted a £1.8million outdoor theatre performance which brought tens of thousands of spectators to the city.

La Machine saw a 50 foot tall mechanical spider crawl through the streets of Liverpool to its base at the piazza outside the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre.

The production was the brainchild of French artist, Francois Delaroziere, who brought the streets of London to a standstill in 2006 with the Sultan’s Elephant, a 60ft-high, mechanically propelled moving wooden elephant.

Bob Prattey, chief executive of ACC Liverpool, said: “It is great that Liverpool was chosen to host such an iconic production and we are delighted to have been part of such a phenomenal event. The size and scale of the event was fantastic, the people of Liverpool embraced it with the passion that can only come from this city.”

Nicky Webb, co-founder of Artichoke - the production company behind La Machine, said: “The outdoor event space at ACC Liverpool was the perfect location to base the show.

“The River Mersey proved a spectacular backdrop to the event and the piazza formed a natural amphitheatre, making it an excellent vantage point for the public.”

ACC Liverpool provided catering and use of its facilities to visitors in addition to dressing and rehearsal space for more than 100 performers involved in the production.

La Machine lasted three days and saw the spider make its way across the city to ACC Liverpool on the Kings Waterfront.

The city centre was brought to a standstill as thousands of visitors lined the streets to watch events unfold.