The Great Waddle of Worcester
Worcester, England. P… p… population: 80. Penguins, that is. The city centre and green spaces have been transformed into a city-wide Penguin Parade filled with 40 big and 40 small penguins that have been creatively decorated by local artists, schools and community groups. Using sculptures from outdoor art experts Wild in Art, the trail has been organised by local charity St Richard’s Hospice and this eight-week event has already made a big summer splash and brought smiles to the faces of locals and tourists alike.
Armed with the very intuitive and easy to use smartphone app (there’s also good old fashioned paper maps on sale for £1) my girlfriend and I arrived in town last Saturday afternoon to go penguin spotting, and we weren’t the only ones. As soon as we walked out of Foregate Street Station we were almost run over by energetic kids eager to log their latest find: artist Jenny Leonard’s Eighties Eddie, wearing a jazzy 80s ski-suit inspired by Eddie the Eagle. This event is super popular with families and kids, but we noticed that we weren’t the only adults on our own, either. Penguins bring out the kid in all of us.
“I see the next one! It’s right up there!” - some kid
The big penguins might be easy to spot from a distance, but most of their charm comes from the surprise you get when arrive at each penguin and see how it’s been decorated. There’s a rocket-man jet pack. A beach holiday outfit complete with flip flops. A pirate with a wooden flipper (peg leg?) and two different penguins wearing festive Christmas jumpers. There are mosaic designs, both painted and tiled. Plenty of floral themes. A lot of local landmarks are represented and the crests and hand prints from many of the schools and students that contributed can be found proudly displayed.
“That’s rather jolly, that one.” - a woman comments on Doodle McZenguin by artist Inner Knowings
The variety is impressive considering there are 80 works on view. I never once found myself thinking: that looks familiar! You’ll find penguins standing in the streets, hiding inside shops and sunning themselves in the parks but my favourite stretch is the 3.5 km round trip walk from Cripplegate Park to Diglis Bridge and back. Sixteen large penguins are scattered along the lush green pathways that line the River Severn, and it’s incredibly silly to see these giant, colourful penguins mingling with the local ducks, geese and swans.
The official website advises that the trail covers 5 miles and takes 2-3 hours to complete. That’s ambitious, even for someone with a fast pace, unless you’re simply trying to tick every one off your list without even looking at them. It took us just under 4 hours to find every penguin (minus four that had been temporarily removed for repair) and even then I felt like we didn’t have enough time to read every explanation or thoroughly examine each artwork. If you’re a Worcester local or live close enough for a repeat visit then I highly recommend breaking it down into multiple trips. It’ll allow you to spend more time with your favourites, and enjoy some of the many other sights and shops that Worcester has to offer.
An event of this size is no easy feat to organise, but everyone involved has gone above and beyond. From the website and Instagram account to the digital app and printed maps and even the penguin feet window stickers all over town, all the info and signage has been super clear and incredibly helpful. The organisers are amazingly quick to attend to any accidental damage to ensure that everyone, and every penguin, is kept safe. There’s even an official pop-up shop located inside Chapel Walk Crowngate where you can purchase branded merchandise (mugs, tea towels, pencils and pens, etc.) as well as penguin Christmas tree ornaments and other penguin paraphenalia. Store sales proceeds benefit St Richard’s Hospice so you’ve got no excuse not to walk away with a penguin in your pocket. And of course, none of this would have been possible or even enjoyable without all of the amazing creativity by the hundreds of people involved in decorating the penguins.
This is how you do an outdoor art trail.
Plan your visit
‘The Great Waddle of Worcester’ runs until 15 September.
Visit waddleofworcester.co.uk and follow @WaddleOfWorcester on Instagram for more info about the trail, including maps and links to download the smartphone app.
Click here to make a donation to St Richard’s Hospice.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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