About the show

On your marks, get set...ESCAR-GO!

Is your snail the fastest? Enter your speedy snail in the coolest race ever and win fantastic prizes. Held Sundays at the Holden Street Theatres, the winners will go into the Grand Final on the final weekend of the Fringe. Each week will have guest judges and weekly prizes, so don’t miss out!

Free entry for spectators, with a $2 fee for participants. Enter your competitor now.

Also check out the Bugsnslugs care sheet below on the best ways to care for your snail.

Read more about the Great Australian Snail Race here!

The Great Australian Snail Race

ON THE DAY

11:30am RACES Start and there are as many as needed to race all snails.

(extra races will be held if numbers require)

Times are recorded and the winners from each race will receive a prize. These are presented at the end of each race.

A prize is also given for the best dressed Snail and Jockey awarded at the end of the day.

The best times are listed for the final trophy and announced on the 18th of March. Should there be a draw the snails will be required to race again on the 18th of March at Holden Street Theatres. Winners will be notified by email and or phone.

Pre-registered Applicants will be allotted times first and entrants who apply on the day will be allotted their race on the day.

Jockeys may only enter one snail per race and multiple entrants by the same jockey will be split across races.

ALL Snails will be raced.

Races will be kept to 10 minutes each and those snails still racing will be measured for the closest to the finish line for their placement.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Please no photography of children that don't belong to you. Please be careful not to post other children on social media when posting your own.

A Photo station for you to take a snap of your snail and jockey will be available.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

Please register either in advance at www.holdenstreettheatres.com or on the day at the Race.

A sticker with a race number will be issued so snails can be identified.

Sign up to decorate your snail before or after the event. Decorating the snails is not advised at home as there are a lot of products that are not snail friendly.

Registrations are $2.00 per entrant per race and spectators are free.

You can bring your own snail or register to race one from the ‘Bugs and Slugs’ Snail Stable.Snails can be purchased after the race for $10.00.

All profits will go to the Careship http://www.careship.org/ based in Coonalpyn SA. Careship is a non-profit organisation that aims to establish a (residential) care farm for people living with dementia in Australia.

Snails are required to race from the centre circle of the track to the outside. The circle has a radius of 13 inches. Snails are put in the middle by their jockeys and pointed in the right direction.

Circular snail racing course World Snail Racing Championships Conham, UK

Photo: © Scase News Service Ltd

The Chief Snail Race Caller will start the race with "Ready, steady, SLOW!"

The Racetrack Keeper keeps the course well-watered as snails like damp conditions.

Jockeys can dress up.

The official World record stands at 2 minutes over the 13 inches. It was set up in 1995 by a snail called Archie in the UK.No Australian Record has been set as yet.

Please register either in advance at www.holdenstreettheatres.com or on the day at the Race.

A sticker with a race number will be issued so snails can be identified.

Sign up to decorate your snail before or after the event. Decorating the snails is not advised at home as there are a lot of products that are not snail friendly.

Registrations are $2.00 per entrant per race and spectators are free.

You can bring your own snail or register to race one from the ‘Bugs and Slugs’ Snail Stable.Snails can be purchased after the race for $10.00.

All profits will go to the Careship http://www.careship.org/ based in Coonalpyn SA. Careship is a non-profit organisation that aims to establish a (residential) care farm for people living with dementia in Australia.

Snails are required to race from the centre circle of the track to the outside. The circle has a radius of 13 inches. Snails are put in the middle by their jockeys and pointed in the right direction.

The Chief Snail Race Caller will start the race with "Ready, steady, SLOW!"

The Racetrack Keeper keeps the course well-watered as snails like damp conditions.

Jockeys can dress up.

The official World record stands at 2 minutes over the 13 inches. It was set up in 1995 by a snail called Archie in the UK.No Australian Record has been set as yet.

Circular snail racing course World Snail Racing Championships Conham, UK

Photo: © Scase News Service Ltd

Bugsnslugs Racing Snail Care Sheet

Racing Snails, decorated or undecorated, are common garden snails (Cornu aspersum) (formally Helix aspersa) that are native to the Mediterranean area and western Europe. Whether deliberately or accidentally, humans have spread them to temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. They feed on fungi and rotting vegetation, like leaf litter and will also take cucumber, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower leaves and mollusc mix*.

Provide your snail with an enclosure with moist peat moss** substrate with a layer of leaf litter on top. Ensure that a dish of water is provided and a hide (like a piece of pvc pipe or broken terracotta pot). Garden snails like to be kept at around 15 – 25 degrees. They are better adapted to colder temperatures. They can estivate (shut down) during summer but extreme heat can kill them so you should keep your snail/s in a cool place on hot days. You should remove and replace uneaten food daily and clean and refresh the snails water bowl every day or two.

*Mollusc mix is really not essential for garden snails but it is a great way to feed them when you have run out of their favorite leaves and veg: here’s the recipe we use:

• 1 part rolled oats or museli

• 1 cup grass seeds or bird seed

• ¼ cup koi pellets or guinea pig pellets

• 1 tablespoon vitamin Powder

• 1 tablespoon calcium carbonate Powder, Milk powder or Cuttle bone, ground.

• 1 tablespoon tropical fish food with spirulina or plain spirulina powder

The ingredients are blended into a fine powder then mixed with water and 5ml of liquid vitamin E to form a thick paste which can be frozen and then thawed, as needed. Don’t be too fussy about quantities.

**Coco peat is available in a brick from large hardware stores like Bunnings. You’ll find it in the specialist potting mix isle. The brand we use is ‘Brunnings’ and we are careful to only use the one that does not have any fertilizer added (as this is not good for your snails). Products that contain soil wetter are ok as this is not toxic to snails.

Any questions or problems please don’t hesitate to contact us info@bugsnslugs.com.au

Happy Racing!!!

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