Minerva’s Owls of Bath will be flocking together for a Hoot Farewell weekend, giving visitors a unique chance to see all 82 owl and owlet sculptures together for the first and last time.
The beautifully decorated, supersized owl sculptures will be gathered together in one giant ‘parliament’ at the Bath Recreation Ground on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 September.
The Hoot Farewell will be is the perfect chance for visitors to spot any owls they may have missed while following the popular sculpture trail this summer and to say goodbye to their favourite feathery friends before they are sold at the Minerva’s Owls Charity Auction on Wednesday 17 October.
All profits from the Minerva’s Owls public art event will be donated to four local charities – Royal United Hospital Cancer Centre, Bath Young Carers Centre, Roman Baths Archway Project and UK Little Owl Project.
The decorated owls won’t be the only stars of the show during the weekend of hoots and owl related activities. Olympic Gold medal winner Amy Williams MBE will be unveiling her very own owlet design that she has painted for the event, whilst the talented illustrator of the famous Horrible Histories books, Martin Brown, will be giving away a set of Horrible Histories books to celebrate the series 25th anniversary, alongside his writing partner Terry Deary. For younger fans, Bath’s very own Harry Romer, star of ITVs ‘The Voice Kids’ will be performing for visitors around the event.
The event will also include an exhibition of work from the owl artists, owl decorating workshops, food and drink stalls, fun activities such as Bath City FC’s ‘Beat the G’owlie’ and the chance to meet real owls from The Owlery. One of the trail’s beneficiaries UK Little Owl project, will also be at the event with a host of conservation activities for kids.
Official Minerva’s Owls of Bath merchandise will available as a memento of the popular owl trail, including the Owls of Bath book with behind the scenes photos and stories of the flock.
A raffle of exclusive prizes will also be drawn at the event and the winner of The Big Hoot App Prize will be announced for the person who visited the most owls and answered their questions correctly. The amazing prize bundle includes two nights at the Abbey Hotel, exclusive champagne hire of the Thermae Spa Hot Bath, £100 SouthGate vouchers, Best of Bath Hamper, dinner bed and breakfast at the Swan Hotel in Bradford on Avon and a round of golf at Cumberwell Park Golf Club.
Tickets for the Hoot Farewell can be purchased in advance via Eventbrite or at the gate on the day. Tickets are; Adult £6, Child £3, Under 3’s Free, Family Saver (2 adults and up to 3 children) £17.
Megan Witty, organiser of the Minerva’s Owls of Bath event, comments, “The Hoot Farewell will be a great chance for people to see all 82 owls in one location, plus a couple of surprise additions to the flock before they fly off to the charity auction. Based on our previous King Bladud’s Pigs and Lions of Bath preview weekends, we are expecting around 15,000 owl fans to descend on The Rec for this fun weekend of owlery, which will be a hoot for owl fans of all ages!”
For tickets and more information about the Hoot Farewell weekend, please visit the auction page of the website at www.minverasowls.org and follow @OwlsofBath on Twitter and Instagram