2010 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Philip Larkin, poet, novelist, jazz critic, and synonymous with the city of Hull. To mark the event groups within the city came together to fund the £500,00 installation of a "trail of toads", Larkin25 was therefore launched to mark the anniversary in "a way that is worthy of both the poet and the city with which his creative and professional life is most associated." according to their promotional literature.
The festival itself takes place over 25 weeks from 12 June to 2 December 2010. As part of the celebration, Hull has been invaded with 40 huge toads, each one a metre high, and positioned at sites all over the city. Many groups and schools have contributed to the designs of the sculptures, and organisations have sponsored individual toads.
