Bristol Unicornfest organisers explain why large parts of city have no sculptures

The organisers of the Unicornfest arts trail have issued a statement on why large parts of Bristol have no sculptures at all.

More than 50 unicorns will be located across Bristol for the trail that begins tomorrow (July 1) with the beautifully-crafted sculptures appearing outside shops, attractions and parks across the city and the wider region.

But people living in some parts of the city have highlighted on social media that certain areas have been left out, and it can also be seen on Bristol World’s interactive map of the trail. Areas that have been neglected when it comes to the sculptures include Southmead, Brislington, Stockwood, Lawrence Weston, Kingswood and Hartcliffe.

A spokesperson for Leukaemia Care said: “The location choices were chosen by the sponsors who were keen to ensure high footfall so their unicorns could be seen by as many people as possible.

“This inevitably led to a focus around tourism venues associated with Bristol’s heritage and family activity venues such as city farms, We The Curious, Bristol Aquarium, Airhop, M Shed, Bristol Aerospace and Riverside Garden Centre. Sculpture sponsorship was open to anyone, anywhere in the Bristol region and they were welcome to choose any location for their sculpture.

“These public art sculpture trails depend on businesses and other organisations sponsoring the sculptures to make the events fiscally viable so only some of the locations are chosen by the organisers. Most locations were those already cleared by Bristol Council for previous trails although we do have unicorns in St Paul’s, St Philips, Staple Hill, Horfield, Bedminster, Southville and Downend.

“We also had the challenge that some locations weren’t suitable due to the size of the unicorns. For example, we looked at Arnos Vale, but the unicorns were too large to fit in the cafe and access roads to Hartcliffe city farm were too narrow for installation truck.

“We hope that Bristolians and visitors to the city of all ages will enjoy following the trail this summer and discovering new places around Bristol and beyond that they may not have visited otherwise.”

The unicorns have been painted by local artists having been sponsored by people and organisations, with proceeds going to Leukaemia Care. The trail follows similar events with gorillas and Wallace and Gromit.For the launch day, IKEA in Eastville will hold a family event outside the store with face painting and a Victorian fair.

There will also be two unicorns on display, as well as a small herd of smaller unicorn foals decorated by local schools. The event will end on September 3 with a Farewell to the Unicorns Festival at Propyard from September 23 and 24.

An auction will follow of the unicorns on October 5, with proceeds going to Leukaemia Care.For more information, go to the official website here.