The first major attractions for the government’s £120m ‘Festival of Brexit’ have been announced – including a “celebration of the British weather”.
The event will also include the largest grow-your-own food project of modern times and will be among the events being staged for a nationwide festival of creativity aimed at bringing the UK together in 2022.
The event is currently known as Festival UK* 2022, however chief creative officer Martin Green says it will be given a new name at the end of this year, once the content has been confirmed.
“It’s a slightly different way of doing things. We’ll let the project tell us the name,” he said.
Festival UK* 2022 will feature 10 commissions designed to “reach millions, bring people together and showcase UK creativity globally”.
These creative projects are being developed by creative minds drawn from science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), working together in new collaborations, underpinned by three values: to be open, original and optimistic.
Organisers of the festival, commissioned by Theresa May’s government and supported by Boris Johnson, announced the 10 teams who had successfully pitched ideas.
Green said the festival was about bringing people together and celebrating creativity in events that are “open, original and optimistic”.
The festival has been called the “festival of Brexit” since the start.
Green, whose CV includes the Olympic ceremonies and Hull city of culture, said the festival was one of a number of big events due to take place in the UK in 2022, including the Queen’s platinum jubilee and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The festival is funded by the UK government but Green said the devolved governments were fully onboard.