CowParade 2012
We've teamed up with Asitis Consulting, Derry City Council and ILEX to bring CowParade to Northern Ireland in 2012.
We'll be launching up to 200 cows at the Balmoral Show on Friday 18 May 2012, and you'll be able to see the beautifully decorated cows at various locations in Belfast and Londonderry from June to September 2012.
At the end of the CowParade, the cows will be sold at auction to help raise money for charity.
- What is CowParade?
- Why we're supporting the event
- How to get involved
- Event timeline
- Famous cows
- Further information
What is CowParade?
CowParade is the largest and most successful public art event in the world. Life-size fibreglass cows are brought to the streets of host cities all over the world, where they are decorated by local artists and put on display.The event has been held in over 75 cities worldwide, including Chicago, New York, London, Paris, Taipei and Mexico City and has involved some of the world's premier artists, designers and craftsmen.
CowParade cows have been seen by an estimated 100 million people and,
through their sale at auction, have raised over £25 million for charities worldwide. CowParade NI cows will be sold at auction in Autumn 2012 to raise funds for charity partners, Barnardo's Northern Ireland and Depaul Ireland
Photos and videos
- View photos of CowParade launch at Belfast City Hall
- View photo galleries of previous cows
- View videos of previous cows
Why we're supporting CowParade in Belfast?
We are investing £35,000 in CowParade 2012, and it is estimated that the event will generate £280,000 for our local economy. The cows will be auctioned off for charity after the parade.CowParade will benefit the city by:
- bringing more colour, fun, vibrancy and creativity to our streets during 2012's programme of events and experiences and is part of our City Dressing campaign
- enhancing various areas of Belfast raising awareness of our heritage and future potential
- generating an international media profile and improving visitors' perceptions of our city
- encouraging greater pride in local areas by increasing community participation in tourism projects and engaging the support of local businesses
- giving local artists the opportunity to display their work, with designs developed with the local community.
Get involved
Schools and community groups
School children can get involved in CowParade by decorating Mini Moos through the Cows in Schools initiative. And children's organisations are invited to design Micro Moos for the event.
For more information, please visit www.cowparadeni.com/schoolsCow-Moonity programme
The Cow-Moonity programme invites design concepts from community and voluntary groups across Belfast to decorate 15 cows. The chosen designs will be painted by an artist and the cow will be placed in one of the prime CowParade locations throughout the event. The cows will also be paraded at the official launch at Balmoral Show.We want unique and creative cow designs that reflect the vibrancy and culture of your community and city. In particular, we're encouraging designs based on:
- Belfast’s heritage, 2012 in the city and Titanic Belfast
- community stories and histories
- Northern Ireland: old and new.
If you work with a Belfast-based community group and are interested in securing funding to participate in the programme, CowParadeNI can advise you on potential sources of financial support.
Event timeline
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Friday 2 March | Deadline for submissions to the Cow-Moonity Design competition |
| Monday 12 March | Announcement of winners of Cow-Moonity Design competition |
| Friday 30 March | Appointment of Cow-Moonity artists to work on winning designs |
| Monday 16 April - Friday 4 May | Cow decoration |
| Friday 18 May | Official launch of Cow Parade NI at Balmoral Show, King's Hall |
| June - September | Public display of cows throughout Northern Ireland |
Famous cows
Famous designers
Many cows have been designed by famous names including:- Patrick Hughes
- Di Rosa
- Vivienne Westwood
- Ronnie Wood
- John Rocha
- Radiohead.
Famous owners
The cows are auctioned off for charity at the end of the parade. Some famous cow owners include:- Oprah Winfrey
- Vaclav Havel
- Ringo Starr
- Elton John
- David James
- Princess Firyal of Jordan.



