A specially curated ‘Walking with The Snowman™’ Art Trail kicks off Christmas at Fleet Street Quarter
Head to Fleet Street Quarter for a heart-warming seasonal art trail.
As one of the most heart-warming and cherished Christmas stories of our time, THE SNOWMAN™ is a timeless classic, loved by children and adults alike. This Christmas, a Festive Fleet Street Quarter programme of events launches with a magical trail, ‘Walking with The Snowman™’ that plays homage to the animation and the original picture book by the late Raymond Briggs.
First published in 1978 as a wordless picture book by Puffin, The Snowman has gone on to sell over 5.5 million copies. Channel 4 have broadcast the film adaption every year since 1982, which is watched by millions of families who have made viewing The Snowman an integral part of their Christmas tradition.
Families and visitors will be able to discover 12 decorated Snowman sculptures throughout the Quarter in a partnership with Wild in Art and Penguin Random House Children’s. Fleet Street Quarter will host the free festival trail from Tuesday 21 November, encouraging visitors to find the individually painted sculptures - designed by various artists and inspired by the carol, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ - nestled in streets such as Chancery Lane, New Street Square, Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street.
The ‘Walking with The Snowman’ trail will run for 10 weeks to January. The Snowman sculptures will stand at 1.6m tall on recyclable plinths made from waste plastic and have an accompanying plaque to detail the artist and their inspiration for their designs.
Amongst those to be featured is Birmingham based illustrator and designer Jessica Perrin, who takes on Twelve Drummers with a gingerbread-esque Snowman that immediately evokes the sprit (and aroma) of Christmas! A marching band made up of twelve tiny drumming mice are featured on its reverse and is finished with intricate floral and festive symbols in piped white icing.
Alongside Perrin is Manchester based artist Jenny Leonard, whose tribute to Four Calling Birds is a cheeky modern play on words. Featuring the capital's skyline, landmarks and iconic symbols, this Snowman will be right at home in the Big Smoke.
Lucy French, CEO of the Fleet Street Quarter, commented, “Forty-five years after Raymond Briggs’ classic picture book was published, the Fleet Street Quarter is excited to partner with Wild in Art and Penguin Random House Children’s to showcase a number of exceptional artists in this festive way.
“We encourage everyone to walk around the Quarter and discover the Christmas collection of snowmen and after finding all 12, they too, could be walking in the air!”
Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder at Wild in Art, said, “We're really excited to continue our ongoing partnership with Penguin Random House Children’s for this year’s ‘Walking with The Snowman’ trail. Visitors to Fleet Street Quarter will discover the magic of the trail and see how the artists have brought Raymond Briggs’ iconic character to life.”
Izzy Richardson, Global Owned Brands Director at Penguin Random House Children’s said, “Our longstanding and valued partnership with Wild in Art continues to bring the timeless magic of The Snowman to families around the UK. We are thrilled that ‘Walking with The Snowman’ will arrive at Fleet Street Quarter this winter and look forward to seeing the unique and beautifully decorated sculptures in this new location.”
Set amongst a backdrop of beautiful architecture, Fleet Street Quarter is home to a whole host of iconic cultural locations, hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés.
How to get there: The closest stations are Farringdon and Chancery Lane with access from the Central Line, Circle and District and mainland Thameslink lines.
To view the full Christmas programme, please visit www.fleetstreetquarter.co.uk
Notes to editors
About Fleet Street Quarter
Fleet Street Quarter is a major new business Improvement District established in February 2022. Encompassing an area which features Fleet Street at its heart, but embracing fascinating areas such as Chancery Lane, Holborn, Ludgate Hill and New Street Square, the Fleet Street Quarter aspires to shape the whole area into a thriving place to live, work, and visit.
The BID will create a strong business collective, providing a powerful voice for local businesses, enhancing the physical environment, injecting new energy into the area, and creating a safer and cleaner destination for all who live, work or visit the area.
Set amongst a backdrop of beautiful architecture, Fleet Street Quarter is home to a whole host of iconic cultural locations, hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés. St. Bride’s Church, Dr. Johnson’s House and London’s Silver Vaults can all be found in this historic home of journalism. There’s also a great variety of pubs to be sought out in the Quarter, including Editor’s Tap, Old Bell Tavern, Old Bank of England and one of London’s oldest, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, many of which have been known to be frequented by literary geniuses such as Charles Dickens, W.B. Yeats, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr Samuel Johnson, creator of the first English Dictionary.
About Wild in Art
Wild in Art is the leading producer of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy. It brings together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures.
Since 2008, Wild in Art has animated cities across the world including Manchester, Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town and São Paulo, and created trails for the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Historic Royal Palaces and Penguin Random House.
Wild in Art events have:
• Enabled over £23.6m to be raised for charitable causes
• Injected £3.8m into local creative communities
• Engaged over 1 million young people in learning programmes
• Helped millions of people of all ages to experience art in non-traditional settings
wildinart.co.uk | @wildinart | #wildinart
About THE WORLD OF THE SNOWMAN™
The Snowman was created and illustrated by Raymond Briggs as a picture book, narrated entirely through hand-drawn illustrations and first published in 1978. Since then, The Snowman has sold over 5.5 million copies globally and has been translated into 21 languages. Adapted for screen by producer John Coates, the Oscar-nominated animation launched on Channel 4 in its inaugural year in 1982 and has been repeated every Christmas since. The sequel, The Snowman and The Snowdog premiered on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve 2012 and was seen by more than 10 million people over the festive period.
Snowman Enterprises Ltd is a Penguin Random House company. It is committed to growing The Snowman™ brand, with a publishing programme overseen by Puffin and global broadcast, live events and a successful consumer products programme all managed in-house by Penguin Ventures.
www.thesnowman.com | FB: @officialsnowman | IG: @officialthesnowman