£120m Government Event Born Of ‘Festival Of Brexit’ has seen just 238,000 visitors

21 comments
  1. So it sounds as though the idea of it being celebratory of Brexit (or indeed Britain) got abandoned very quickly, but on paper the events were a massive pile of wank. Reading the longer piece linked in the above article there’s no real clues as to where the money went?

  2. It was officially called Unboxed. Did this actually have anything to do with Brexit or was it some MPs that declared it that? Quote below is from the article, anyone have further information? Shame if this was just an arts festival that was done over by some overzealous politicians.

    >The project’s director, Martin Green, told The House it had been “unfortunate” the “Festival of Brexit” tag had stuck to the event. He said: “We all must learn from this. Rule one of major events: don’t politicise them. And unfortunately a few chose to politicise it from the beginning.” 

    Edit: For anyone, like me, who is interested, read the link from inside the article, it’s much better and filled with information.

    >“Festival UK”, as it was then known, had first been announced by Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, almost three years earlier in her October 2018 Conservative Party Conference speech. After highlighting Brexit’s many benefits, May had promised a year-long, post-Brexit festival that would put on show “the best of British creativity and innovation, culture and heritage”.

    >Yet in the public imagination, the event soon got another name – “The Festival of Brexit” – inspired by the words of leading Vote Leaver and chair of the Eurosceptic European Research Group Jacob-Rees Mogg. “Upon leaving,” he had once said, “we should drink lots of champagne”.

    It sounds like the people involved wanted to distance the project from Brexit completely, but obviously weren’t successful which is a shame really as it was just about celebrating British art and stuff.

    >Green was cautious. “Can I ascertain it’s not a Brexit festival?” he asked. “You don’t want some kind of jingoistic jamboree?”

  3. I hadn’t even heard of it (beyond the idea of a festival of brexit). I thought it had been delayed.

    Even now I have no idea where it is in all that. (not that I want to go but …. I should have heard of it at least).

  4. tbf some of the bigger exhibits are still to open. The one in Birmingham is still closed, opening on friday, and I assume that’ll see plenty of footfall given its literally just “all of Victoria square”

  5. I hadn’t realised it had started 🤔

    Id rather spend my day with food poisoning than visit the festival of Brexit though

  6. I’d turn up just to say I’m leaving, but then do everything I can to not leave whilst blaming the hosts for making me leave

  7. Does it consist of a middle ages re-enactment society or is it a musical where children sing happy songs working carpet looms with their feet ?
    With posters stating stealing wood from forests is illegal . That sort of thing?

  8. Just went to the Unboxed website to check if there was anything happening locally and there isn’t even a list of events, they just ask you to sign up for their newsletter for details?! No thanks.

    ETA I stand corrected, they’re listed on ten individual pages that are awkward to navigate on mobile. Good job, guys.

Leave a Reply