It’s fair to say that Theresa May’s announcement that the government is proposing to hold a Festival of Brexit Britain in 2022 hasn’t been universally well received.
At the weekend the prime minister said £120m would be spent on hosting the event, which is aimed at marking what May described as a “moment of national renewal”.
She said: “Almost 70 years ago the Festival of Britain stood as a symbol of change. Britain once again stands on the cusp of a new future as an outward-facing global trading nation. And, just as millions of Britons celebrated their nation’s great achievements in 1951, we want to showcase what makes our country great today.”
Social media users almost immediately leapt on the announcement, demonstrating the scale of the task ahead if the event is truly to reunite the nation.
Richard Littler, whose Scarfolk website is a treasure trove of satirical fake public information posters, has created a poster for May’s event, based on the 1951 Festival of Britain original. It captured much of the spirt of the social media response.
The Festival of Brexit Britain.
— Richard Littler (@richard_littler) September 30, 2018
My poster based on the 1951 original. pic.twitter.com/APZwCM5JBc
People were not short of ideas what some of the key attractions could look like:
Taster of the state-of-the-art entertainment on offer at Mrs May's fun-packed Festival of #Brexit Britain. Other rides - and power - unavailable due to cutbacks. pic.twitter.com/g2lKDzUOd5
— Paul Carnahan (@pacarnahan) September 30, 2018
Inevitably comparisons were made with Banksy’s Dismaland theme park:
The Tories' Festival of Brexit Britain sounds like a great idea.😋
— El Christo (@ElCorbynista) September 30, 2018
Here's a sneak preview. #festivalofbrexitbritain #DisMayLand pic.twitter.com/xZsM4pTVD8
Others recalled the annual news staple of Winter Wonderland attractions that turn out to be anything but wonderful:
The Festival Of Brexit... It’ll be like one of those winter wonderland fiascos, where the most interesting thing is a goat with antlers stapled to its head, or watching the parking attendants fighting each other in the quagmire car park. £25 per head, and no Santa.
— Alistair Kerr (@akpimages) October 1, 2018
Steve Bullock, who co-hosts Brexit podcast CakeWatch, produced a long list of possible activities that could be planned for the event, including games of pin the blame on a remainer, workshops on cooking chlorinated chicken and buying unregulated medicine on eBay, and the presence of an innovative jam pagoda.
Exclusive: initial planning for PM’s Brexit Britain Festival leaked:
— Steve Bullock (@GuitarMoog) September 30, 2018
-deport-a-foreigner tombola
-pin the blame on a remainer
-experts in stocks
-othering tent
-hate pavilion
-raffle with prizes including a months supply of insulin, basic food, or an exit visa
-Morris dancing 1/
And in the spirit of a more environmentally caring era, there was an excellent suggestion that the venue for the event could be recycled.
There is no better location for the Brexit Festival than the abandoned Mr. Blobby theme park. pic.twitter.com/ehwGyiWWS5
— Simon Renshaw (@SiRenshaw) September 30, 2018
Labour MP David Lammy described the entire proposal as “historically illiterate”. He said: “The Labour government’s 1951 Festival of Britain marked a new era of growth and international cooperation. The opposite of where this Tory government is taking us.”
The proposed date for the festival, 2022, is also the date of the next general election due to be held under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.
Some imagined that the queues were already building up in the post-apocalyptic post-Brexit Britain.
Revellers set out early for Theresa May's 'Festival of #Brexit Britain'. pic.twitter.com/33zj1cWDEY
— Paul Carnahan (@pacarnahan) September 30, 2018
And some had interesting ideas about the kind of people who might attend.
Guests are already starting to arrive for Theresa May’s Festival of Brexit pic.twitter.com/rQEBFuvQ1k
— Tim Walker (@ThatTimWalker) September 30, 2018
The bleaker humour revolved around the fact that money had been found to hold this festival during an era of austerity-based cuts to the arts.
Every arts producer I know is saying "lol I'd never work on a Festival of Brexit Britain" as though we're not pretending arts funding won't run out by 2020 and we'll take any job we can get
— Laura Brown (@MsLaura_Brown) September 30, 2018
While Mogwai guitarist, Stuart Braithwaite, has already definitively ruled out the Scottish band making an appearance.
Mogwai will not be playing at The Festival of Brexit
— stuart braithwaite (@plasmatron) September 30, 2018
There was speculation about how the event itself might climax.
Theresa May announces the Festival of Brexit Britain. #Marr #Peston pic.twitter.com/THaZyJ0jIJ
— J Calvert (@oddballwoofwoof) September 30, 2018
And the creator behind the @Coldwar_Steve account offered their services as creative director.
Dear @theresa_may. I hear that you are looking for a creative director for the Festival of Brexit?
— McFadden's Cold War (@Coldwar_Steve) September 30, 2018
But given the way that he has recently been using newspaper and television interviews to put himself in the frame to replace Theresa May, there was only ever going to be one choice of an official mascot piñata for the event:
Theresa May reveals Festival Of Brexit Britain mascot piñata pic.twitter.com/vhraFq83DZ
— Mr Roger Quimbly (@RogerQuimbly) September 30, 2018
