‘Festival of Brexit’ announces 10 teams to orchestrate £120m event

Currently titled Festival UK 2022, the event was first announced back in 2018

A celebratory festival to take place following the UK’s recent departure from the European Union is set to go ahead next year.

The £120m event is currently titled Festival UK 2022 with a final name expected to be confirmed later this year.

It was announced during Theresa May’s time as Prime Minister, and is backed by Boris Johnson’s current Conservative government.

Organisers for the festival announced on Tuesday (23 March) that 10 teams had successfully pitched ideas for the event, and have been given the go-ahead to move forward with planning.

The event has often been referred to as the “Festival of Brexit”, a term first used by Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, though organisers are keen to downplay any political aspect to the event itself.

Read more:

• Line of Duty viewers spot worrying Steve Arnott morse code detail
• Every Marvel superhero ranked
• Sanjeev Bhaskar reacts to ‘savage’ Unforgotten ending that left viewers ‘screaming’
• BBC Breakfast presenters ‘spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities’ after Union flag row

Festival UK 2022 will feature a celebration of British weather, and a large-scale grow-your-own-fruit event, among other projects.

Here’s everything to know about Festival UK 2022...

When is the festival taking place?

As suggested by the name, the event will be held in 2022.

Details such as exact dates and locations for specific events are yet to be announced, with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic having left the UK’s live performance industry in a state of uncertainty.

What will the festival contain?

The festival is said to aim to celebrate creativity and foster unity among the British public, with the event’s organiser Martin Green describing the events as “open, original and optimistic”.

A longlist of pitches for different events was just narrowed down to 10, with each of the teams focusing on a different aspect of the festival.

Theresa May first announced the festival during her time as Prime Minister (Getty Images)

Who are the 10 teams working on the festival?

Among the teams preparing for the festival are Glasgow’s Aproxima Arts, which says it is taking “a unique approach to community growing celebrating music, future food technology and sustainable festivals”.

Newsubstance, a Leeds-based company, is working on “a physical manifestation and celebration of the British weather and UK coastline” with “a large-scale installation that addresses global questions, encourages playfulness, elicits joy and presents an experiment in change”.

Others include the kinetic sculptor Ivan Black, video platform Dose of Society and the British Antarctic Survey.

Assemble, the architecture collective who won the Turner Prize in 2015, are orchestrating “an immersive experience exploring the wonder of the human mind through architecture, neuroscience, technology, light and sound”.

Visitors view Assemble’s Turner Prize-winning project ‘A Showroom for Granby Workshop’ in 2015 (Getty Images)

Meanwhile the Manchester-based Walk the Plank are basing an event on the UK’s natural beauty.

Why is the festival controversial?

Though organisers have downplayed the festival’s association with Brexit in the time since its initial announcement, it is still being widely referred to as the “Festival of Brexit” among members of the public.

Critics have accused the event of being a political one, with the high cost of the festival also cited as a reason for concern.