Farewell weekend to see final appearance of Oor Wullie statues

Thousands expected to pack out Slessor Gardens for trail’s farewell

Tayside could be set for a surge in visitors as Oor Wullie’s two-month-long Big Bucket Trail is given a final farewell.

Thousands of people are expected to flock to the city’s Slessor Gardens for one last glimpse of the beloved sculptures which have been found across the city this summer, before they go up for auction.

Taking place on Friday September 13 to September 15, the Farewell Weekend gives the public a selfie opportunity or a final chance to collect sculptures they may not have had a chance to see.

Similar curtain call events for the first Oor Wullie trail in 2016, and the Maggie’s Penguins trail last year, saw more than 20,000 people celebrate.

All 36 large Oor Wullies sculptures and 33 wee statues, created by local schools and community groups, will be on display together.

The newly-created Wandering Wullies will also be present before being auctioned the following day.

Like previous events, the finale weekend, sponsored by Zero Waste Scotland, will give each of the charities involved another opportunity to raise funds.

Tickets will be issued in hourly time slots to give visitors time and space to see each Oor Wullie in detail, while being able to enjoy children’s entertainment.

Sarah Johnston, fundraising manager at the ARCHIE Foundation, said: “We’ve had so much fun this summer and it has been fantastic to interact with the public.

“The Farewell Weekend will be one big celebration of the trail and a final chance to see the unique sculptures before they are auctioned raising vital funds for the ARCHIE Foundation.”

Similar farewell events will also take place in the other bucket trail cities on the same weekend.

The trail features sculptures placed on the streets of Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh from June 17 to August 30.

The auctions will raise cash for the ARCHIE Foundation, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

Tickets are available to purchase online at oorwullie.com/events or from Dundee Box Office.

“

We’ve had so much fun this summer and it has been fantastic to interact with the public. SARAH JOHNSTON

Picture: Kim Cessford. A picture from the last farewell event at Slessor Gardens in 2016.