York Maze are celebrating 25 years of The Gruffalo with their design for 2024.
The beloved children’s book character created by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler has featured in print, film, on the stage – and now as a maze.
The Gruffalo 25th Anniversary Maize Maze will be open for visitors to explore from Saturday 13 July to Monday 2 September 2024.
Previous designs have included Star Wars, The Lion King, Mr Men Little Miss, and most recently in 2023, Tutankhamun.
Covering an area the size of eight Wembley football pitches, York Maze is believed to be the biggest maze in Europe and one of the largest in the world.
Farmer Tom Pearcy has cut out over 5km of pathways in his 15 acre field of over a million maize plants near York. When the crop is fully grown by mid-July the maze of pathways will form an image when viewed from the air, a bit like crop circles.
“I used to love reading The Gruffalo to my children, it is something that appeals to grown-ups too,” said Tom.
“My design celebrating 25 years of The Gruffalo has been cut out using GPS technology to plot the pathways. It is nerve wracking because I can’t tell if I’ve made a mistake and put a path in the wrong place until July when the maize plants are fully grown and the final image is revealed.”
When the maze opens in July, families can navigate the maze of pathways in the crop to find the six viewing platforms and the special photo points featuring the animals in The Gruffalo story. Find all the animals and you could win a prize!
YorkMix Radio‘s Breakfast Club Laura, Leigh and DG will once again be the voices of the maze to help you with the clues.
Alex Sanson, senior brand manager for The Gruffalo at Magic Light Pictures said: “The Gruffalo’s Child is also featured in the design as she is marking 20 years this year.
“We hope that families in the local area will love exploring the Gruffalo Maize Maze and enjoy celebrating this special birthday!”
For more details and to book your tickets, visit the York Maze website.
