Cows about Cambridge: Tens of thousands cow-nect with art trail
Residents and visitors are coming out in droves for the Cows about Cambridge art trail – with app data suggesting people visited the individual sculptures more than 20,167 times with their family and friends in the first week alone.
On the trail there are 90 cows, including 44 life-size cows and 46 mini moos, which have been decorated by artists, schools and community groups. The event began on Monday, June 28, and runs for 10 weeks and is supported by the Cambridge Independent.
It has been brought to Cambridge by event producers Wild in Art, in collaboration with Break charity, principal partner Cambridge BID and official travel partner Thameslink.
“What wonderful artistry from all those concerned,” enthused Jackie on social media, while Suzanne said: “A brilliant fun trail for both adults and children. A great way to see the sights of Cambridge.” Charlie appreciated that many of the sculptures “raise awareness for the environment”.
Grazing in locations across the city centre, the cows can be found via the interactive map on this site, by picking up a free trail map from shopping centres and other locations, or by downloading the trail app – a percentage of profits from each £1.99 purchase goes to Break charity.
Not only does the app act as a geo-locator, it also enables users to ‘unlock’ each cow or mini moo cluster they visit, vote for their favourites, post selfies, and collect rewards offered by local businesses.
Hey Diddle Diddle is the most collected cow to date, having been visited at least 365 times during the first seven days – and that’s counting only those visitors using the app. Designed by artist Sally Adams and sponsored by Aspiration Europe, this sculpture celebrates the classic nursery rhyme with bold, animated characters set against a night sky twinkling with stars.
MooMoo-o-Tron111, created by the Dinky Doors duo and sponsored by Cambridge BID, is emerging as a favourite on social media, and has been voted ‘best in show’ 38 times. Complete with a lift door in the hoof, the metal-plated design features friendly aliens looking out for their supreme leader.
App-using trail-goers have covered an udderly fantastic 1,289 miles during the first week and collected 14,593 rewards. On average, each visitor has unlocked 27 cows and walked four of the trail’s 11 miles. Already, 734 photos have been submitted to the app gallery, and the team at Cows about Cambridge looks forward to sharing the best selfies on social media over the weeks ahead.
Charlie Langhorne, managing director and co-founder of event producers Wild in Art, said: “It’s great to see the trail encouraging people to moo-ve round the city.
“It’s a Covid-friendly way for people to socialise, support local artists and a local charity, and enjoy some gentle exercise in the fresh air. So many reasons to smile!”
Visit cambridgeindependent.co.uk/whats-on/cows-aboutcambridge/ for a full guide - and don’t forget to share any funny pictures you take on the trail with us. You can email newsdesk@iliffemedia.co.uk, or share it with @CambridgeIndy and @CowsaboutCambs on Twitter, using #CowsAboutCambridge.
Read more
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Cows about Cambridge 2021: Interactive trail map featuring every large cow sculpture and mini moo
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