Pride of Portsmouth: 45 lions to find across the city

Portsmouth has spent the last few weeks slowly filling up with lions, and there are now 45 of them to find. The Pride of Portsmouth is a free art trail that landed on 13 July and runs until 13 September, and it is part of Portsmouth100, the year-long programme marking a century since the city was officially granted city status on 21 April 1926. The sculptures are scattered across the city's streets, parks and landmarks, so the whole thing is built around having a wander rather than following a set path.

There is a free Pride of Portsmouth app that does a lot of the legwork for you. It tracks down the 45 lions, follows a roaming unicorn that moves around the city, gives you the story behind each sculpture, its artist and sponsor, and lets you unlock and claim rewards as you go. If you would rather have something in your hand, printed maps are available from Portsmouth Libraries across the city: free for library card holders, or free if you sign up for a card on the spot, and £2 for everyone else.

The lions themselves are worth a proper look. They take their cue from the city's crest, its people, the coastline and its heritage, and the artists behind them are a real mix. Louise Braithwaite, a well-known local artist, created the hero lion, Leonardo Da Pompey, which will be on display at Southsea Library from Wednesday 5 November to Tuesday 25 November to keep the trail's spirit going after it has closed. Or Misgav, a recent arrival to Portsmouth, made a lion that turns data from the people of the city into a love letter to the place. November Tan, who moved here for her PhD, drew on the city's libraries and literary spots, with her team running a travelling booth across four libraries to collect stories about favourite places to read. Amy Palmer, connected to Portsmouth through university, looked to the city's wildlife and species, and Anjana Gadgil and Hannah Walsh represent the South of England. Between them, the trail turns a normal walk into a bit of a scavenger hunt.

The organisation behind it is Wild in Art, which has been putting on public art events since 2008 and has worked across four continents, from Sydney and Melbourne to Nairobi and São Paulo. They have put out more than 5,400 sculptures across more than 135 events, reached more than 12 million participants, and their learning programmes have engaged over a million young people. They have also worked on routes for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, and they run Wild in Art World, a virtual trail with 162 designs where you can download templates and upload your own.

As part of the wider Portsmouth100 programme, which launched on 1 January 2026 with an open-air event at Castle Field and includes the 100 Things to See and Do brochure and 100Habitats, the trail is one of the more hands-on ways to mark the centenary. Council leader Steve Pitt described it as bold, joyful and deep-rooted in community spirit, which about sums it up: 45 lions, one roaming unicorn, a free app and a couple of months to find them all before they vanish in September.