In June this year, 44 large cows appeared on the streets of Cambridge for 10 weeks as the city held its largest public art event. Sponsored by national and Cambridge-based businesses, the cows had been decorated by artists, many based locally.
The cows have captured the imagination of residents and tourists, at a time when people wanted a safe, family friendly event to reconnect with people, providing some much-needed colour as we came out of lockdown. Over 4,000 people have downloaded the event app and unlocked 185,000 cows and claimed over 120,000 rewards. Over 100,000 trail maps have also been picked up from around Cambridge to find the cows and tick them off.
The event organisers Wild in Art have been delighted with the engagement and the way the cow sculptures have encouraged tourism and visitors to do the trail. Cambridge BID reported that the trail has helped the local economy and encouraged people to enjoy the many activities that are available in Cambridge.
The event has also been complemented by 46 smaller ‘mini-moos’ painted by over 10,000 local school children, who have had their work proudly exhibited within the trail. Very soon these mini moos will be returning to the classrooms of Cambridge for future generations to enjoy.
So, what happens next? The large cows will meet again for one final ‘Hurrah’ at The Grafton over the weekend of 17-19 September and this will give people the opportunity to tick off any cows that they have missed during the summer. Tickets are available on the website here.
On Thursday 23 September all 40 large cows will go under the hammer by celebrity auctioneer, Charles Hanson, to raise money for Break, the charity which helps disadvantaged young people and children in care. All funds raised for Break will go towards its work in Cambridgeshire.
If you would like to purchase a cow, head over to the website here, where you can register to bid online or get tickets to attend the Charity auction and bid in person. Tickets are priced £35.