Planning is crucial!
With over 100 giant bees, and lots of “mini” bees, there is a lot of ground to cover. If you want to “capture” all of them, plan a route. Check the opening times of any venues that are the temporary beehives. The official app is helpful, but we have found that a decent sat-nav is almost essential.
A bottle of water is reccomended!
Actually, 2 bottles would be better. It could be hot during the daytime, and if you are walking around the city centre, salford quays, heaton park etc you’ll be grateful for a drink. Some of the signs / plaques detailing the artist etc are already starting to get muddy, so a splash of water is needed if you want a photo of the information.
Get the app!
The official Bee in The City app for mobile phones has all the bee locations marked. Whilst we are finding that the app isn’t perfectly designed, it can be very useful to find the exact location of a particular sculpture. Heaton Park is spead over 600 acres, and is the home to 3 bees. Without the app, finding the bees would have taken far longer than the 40+ minutes spent walking around.
Check your rewards!
Enter the 4 digit code for each bee into the app to unlock great rewards. Some rewards are discounts in nearby businesses (10% off a meal etc) but some rewards are fantastic free gifts. So far we have already claimed a lovely pot of honey, and a limited edition print!
Batteries!
If you are using the app, and taking photos with your mobile phone, a fully charged battery is crucial. In fact, I’d suggest investing in a portable battery bank too.
Bee Polite
It’s likely you are not going to be the only person trying to capture the same sculpture. Certain bees were extremely popular on our first day out, and I can only imagine it will get more hectic as the summer holidays continue, and word spreads. Be prepared to wait for a chance to take the photos you want, and if need be, stand back for a few moments so that others can take their photos.