This summer’s arts trail, Unicornfest, will hit the streets of Bristol on Saturday 1st July. This extraordinary event promises to captivate both residents and visitors to the city, as 60 beautifully adorned and crafted unicorn sculptures descend upon the streets of Bristol and the surrounding area.
Expect to see the streets come alive with incredible sculpture paintings and designs by the likes of renowned artists such as Bo Lanyon, creator of the much-anticipated Golden Unicorn, and Holy Moly in collaboration with notable sponsors including IKEA, First Bus and Maserati.
So, what is happening on the 1st July?
Spanning 55 prominent locations in Bristol and beyond, the arts trail will showcase multiple artists and designs in support of Leukaemia Care.
As part of the 650 Years of Bristol celebrations running this year, after the trail’s end on the 3 of September, there will be a Farewell to the Unicorns festival at Propyard from the 23rd to 24th of September followed by an auction of the unicorns on the 5th October with proceeds going to the UK charity Leukaemia Care.
The 1st of July will also see sponsor IKEA, host an exciting and free family fun-day event outside their store in Eastville to spread awareness of the trail and collect further donations. As well as displaying two ‘life-sized’ unicorns, they will also be exhibiting a small herd (or blessing as a group of unicorns is known) of smaller unicorn foals, which have been decorated by local schools.
Families are invited to participate in activities such as face painting, experience the fun of a Victorian fair, unicorn racing, and even seize the chance to get a sneak peek at IKEA’s very own unicorns painted and decorated by artists including Amy Magee.
IKEA’s Marketing and Sustainability Manager, Andrias O Shaughnessy, comments: “We’re so excited to be a part of this amazing project. It’s a great opportunity for myself and the rest of the IKEA team to position ourselves as community partners who are very much involved with initiatives like these, and not just as a corporate company.”
Unveiling the Golden Unicorn
Each unicorn has gone through an incredible journey with its artists and sponsors to achieve the final product.
Among these are sculptures painted by Inkie, Cheba and Silent Hobo and the glorious Golden Unicorn, designed by local artist Bo Lanyon as a mystical creature that shimmers in the sunlight, reflecting the light in a beautiful glow.
Bristol-based artist Bo, shares: “It’s been amazing to be part of this project. Creating this unicorn was an incredible journey as I was able to use different techniques like gilding, an ancient technique stretching all the way back to the Egyptians. It’s a meticulous way of working and converting objects into something precious and special.
I’m excited to see the Golden Unicorn take the streets for everyone to see!”
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