Trolls Installation by Thomas Dambo Drew Record Crowds, Left Feb. 17

Brian Postelle, marketing and public relations manager for the North Carolina Arboretum, called Thomas Dambo’s Trolls: A Field Study “an absolute record breaker” after the traveling installation drew surges that officials say pushed visitation to roughly eight times normal levels. Drake Fowler, executive director of the Arboretum, reported more than 100,000 visits by mid-January as the show ran through its scheduled closing on February 17.

The crowds produced operational strain that forced temporary gate closures. At 2:45 p.m. on Feb. 14 the Arboretum posted on Facebook: “Due to uncommonly heavy traffic and for the safety of our guests and those waiting, we have made the difficult decision to close the entrance to the Arboretum until further notice.” A 7 p.m. update said normal hours would resume Sunday, Feb. 15 and warned that staff “expect to continue to see large crowds and potentially extended wait times” while encouraging carpooling. Postelle told WLOS the Arboretum had to stop admitting new arrivals on “a handful of days” during the roughly 90-day run because parking reached capacity, and that traffic backed up along N.C. 191 for more than two miles on at least one busy day.

The exhibit itself featured 12 larger-than-life wooden trolls produced by Imagine in collaboration with Thomas Dambo. The Danish artist, born in Odense in 1979 and now based in Copenhagen, described the sculptures as “Baby Trolls.” Six trolls were placed in the Arboretum gardens and six along the trails; the garden works are wheelchair accessible. The pieces, standing seven to nine feet tall and built from salvaged materials such as fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs, were accompanied by a visitor “treasure map” available at the Arboretum and a Winter Lights component in which six trolls glowed nightly through January 4.

Local tourism organizers framed the installation as a timely boost after Hurricane Helene. ExploreAsheville promoted Asheville as the first U.S. host for this new collection, while Dixparkconservancy noted the Arboretum run was part of a larger state moment that also includes permanent sculptures planned across the Piedmont. Dixparkconservancy pointed to case studies in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and Victor, Colorado where Dambo works spurred daily visitors and increased walk-up tourism; the group also cited Dambo’s global footprint of more than 150 trolls and an estimated 4.5 million annual visitors to his works.

For visitors, the Arboretum maintained that admission to Trolls: A Field Study was included with the regular daytime parking fee, advance tickets were not required, and members park free. With the traveling collection departed on Feb. 17, the Arboretum’s galleries and press materials remain the primary way to view photos and documentation of the installation, and staff continue to advise carpooling and to monitor parking capacity during other peak events to protect guest safety.