News / Unicornfest
The countdown is on until Unicornfest 2023
There are only days to go until the beginning of Unicornfest which will see dozens of painted unicorns on the streets of Bristol and further afield raising money for Leukaemia Care.
The city’s latest sculpture trail begins on July 1, with the ‘blessing’ of unicorns following in the footsteps of gorillas, and Wallace, Gromit and Feathers McGraw.
Ahead of the Unicornfest map and apps being released, several of the mythical creatures both adult and foal-size were gathered together on Observatory Hill overlooking the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
is needed now More than ever
Unicorn foals have been painted by schools and community groups – photo: Rob Browne
Dozens of artists have handpainted 60 sculptures – photo: Rob Browne
Award-winning children’s book illustrator Paula Bowles has painted a trio of unicorns for the trail: Sandy the carousel horse, Roarsome the tiger and Popcorn the popcorn bucket.
Paula was among several artists painting the sculptures in an empty shop in the Galleries and said there was a real “camaraderie”.
Now based in Weston-super-Mare after moving there from Bristol, Paula said she was “so excited” for Unicornfest to begin and for people to be able to tick off all of the animals.
“After all the hard work, it’s just so exciting for everything to be done and be happening. I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
Paula Bowles’ Roarsome is a tiger-unicorn cross – photo: Rob Browne
The unicorn sculptures will be taking to the streets on July 3 – photo: Rob Browne
Main photo: Rob Browne; videos: Martin Booth
Read next:
- 12 Bristol unicorns you might not know about
- First look at unicorns ahead of festival this summer
- My Bristol Favourites: Jodie Hancock
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