Event specialists Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS) played a key role in the Broad Street funeral procession of the late Ozzy Osbourne.

The event, which took place on 30 July, was led by Birmingham City Council who appointed OPUS to ensure the safe, respectful and smooth delivery of the procession taking in Broad Street, the Black Sabbath Bridge and Bench.

OPUS worked closely across multiple Council departments including events, highways, licensing, emergency planning, and the safety advisory group as well as managing the coordination with West Midlands Police.

The collaboration and delivery of the funeral cortege, led by OPUS, covered:

• Safety assurance, embedded through continuous collaboration with JPC Safety, whose experience of working on Operation London Bridge enhanced the OPUS offer.
• Working with AES to deploy crowd‑control barriers to safely guide foot traffic and preserve buffer zones along Broad Street.
• Traffix implemented traffic management protocols, establishing road closures, diversions, and access plans while balancing resident needs.
• SNSG delivered professional security and crowd‑management services, with skilled stewards and dynamic risk handling in real time.
• Avion TSL supplied bespoke media risers, enabling press and broadcast crews to operate safely and effectively, without obstructing the viewing experience.
• Medical was provided by Immediate Medical Care, providing care to those fans that needed it after waiting for significant time to get a view of Ozzy and the funeral procession
• Integration of multiple Birmingham City Council departments, from Highways and Street Cleaning to Press and Communications.

Caroline Davis, OPUS managing director and event director said: “The tribute to Ozzy was a textbook example of how the right partnerships enabled us to quickly and effectively work closely with Birmingham City Council, our safety advisors, and a deeply professional supplier team meaning we were able to navigate the events complexity with confidence.

“The trust between all partners made the difference — and we’re proud to have been part of it.”

The funeral procession honored Ozzy Osbourne’s legacy while placing Birmingham’s operational capacity firmly in the spotlight.

Katie Brazier, head of events & city centre management of Birmingham City Council said: “A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved, a real testament to the most incredible collaborative, can do partnership working across public and private sector city stakeholders.

“We delivered a day for Ozzy, his family, friends and fans that will hold a special place in their hearts and minds and showed the world what Birmingham is all about.”

The sendoff for Ozzy was a global cultural moment for Birmingham, his fans and the family to be together.

The city garnered widespread international media attention, with live coverage streamed across multiple platforms and viewed by millions of fans worldwide.

Click here to find out more about how OPUS delivered the event.