Are you looking forward to next year's Big Hoot art trail in Ipswich? There are several art trails in the region to explore this summer.
St Elizabeth Hospice has announced Big Hoot Ipswich 2022 as its next trail around Ipswich, following the success of previous events Elmer's Big Parade and Pigs Gone Wild
The fundraising spectacular, organised together with Wild in Art, is set to run from June to September 2022, with 40 ornately decorated owl sculptures scattered throughout the town.
But first, how about trying these six sculpture trails in the region? And, if you are willing to take a trip to Kent, you can even enjoy another Elmer trail, bringing back memories of 2019.
Several of these events were originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to Covid-19 - and will now make great family days out over the summer holidays.
Octopus Ahoy!, Harwich and Clacton area, until September 5
You can track down a total of 90 octopus sculptures this summer, in Harwich, Clacton, Manningtree and Holland.
The colourful creations provide a public art trail across the Tendring Borough Council area.
The octopus trail is to mark Harwich's Mayflower 400 celebrations and 150 years of Clacton, which have both not been celebrated fully due to Covid restrictions.
Art Around Town pizza trail, Bury St Edmunds, until September 30
Not all art trails are about animals. Pizza boxes are the unusual theme of the Art Around Town project in Bury St Edmunds.
West Suffolk Council gave 300 local artists a 10-inch pizza box and invited them to transform it in their own style to demonstrate what they think makes the town tick.
The varied creations include installations in some unexpected locations, such as the aviaries in the Abbey Gardens. You can pick up a guide at the Apex or visit the @artaroundtownbury Instagram page.
The Way Ahead art trail, Eye, until September 10
This sculpture trail in Eye includes 26 hare and tortoise sculptures, all beautifully decorated by local artists.
Organisers say the trail is designed to represent The Way Ahead as we come out of the pandemic. As well as the main sculptures, it also includes 16 mini animals.
After the trail finishes, the sculptures will be sold at auction on September 16, in aid of the Suffolk-based Blossom charity, which helps people going through difficulties and builds confidence.
For a trail map and more details, visit www.eyesculpturetrail.co.uk
GoGoDiscover, Norwich, until September 11
Like the Elmer and Big Hoot trails, this event comes under the umbrella of Wild in Art. Following the success of the GoGoHares, GoGoDragons and GoGoGorillas trails, this new event has seen 21 Tyrannosaurus Rexes arriving in Norwich.
The event is raising money for the East Anglian children's charity, Break, and coincides with the iconic Dippy the Diplodocus on the final leg of his tour at Norwich Cathedral.
At the end of the summer, the GoGoDiscover dinosaurs won’t fade into extinction. They will return in the Summer of 2022, with even more T-Rex sculptures in the city, while Steppe Mammoth sculptures will take over all of Norfolk.
For more details, visit https://www.break-charity.org/gogodiscover/
Cows About Cambridge, until September 4
This is another Wild in Art event organised with the Break charity - offering the chance to see a total of 44 large cows and 46 "mini moos", all dotted around the city.
The sculptures are inspired by the rare Red Poll cattle which graze on Midsummer Common in spring and summer.
The larger cows have all been uniquely decorated by artists, while, as with the Elmers, smaller sculptures have been decorated by schools, colleges and youth groups
Once their time on display ends, the herd will be auctioned to raise funds for Break.
For more information about the trail, visit https://cowsaboutcambridge.co.uk/
Hares About Town, Southend on Sea, until September 12
A total of 30 supersized hares have arrived in the town, in an event organised by Wild in Art and Havens Hospice. Each hare is 1.6 metres tall, and decorated by an artist.
The hares form a free family trail of discovery and schools, colleges and community groups have also adopted and designed their own smaller leveret (young hare) sculptures.
For more details, visit https://www.haresabouttown.co.uk/
Elmer's Big Heart of Kent parade, Maidstone, until August 22
And lastly... if you fancy taking a trip to Kent, you can recapture some of the magic of the Elmer's Big Parade Suffolk trail, which was a huge hit in Ipswich in 2019.
Maidstone has its own Wild in Art Elmer trail in aid of the Heart of Kent Hospice, with 51 large Elmers and 30 smaller sculptures.
The Elmer team at St Elizabeth Hospice supported Heart of Kent Hospice in the preparations for their new trail, and the concrete plinths that each of the large statues stood on in Ipswich are being used again in Kent.
For full details, visit https://elmermaidstone.co.uk/
Find more things to do through the Head East cultural tourism campaign.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here