Banksy's next exhibit is a huge dystopian theme park called 'Dismaland'


Have you ever thought The Happiest Place On Earth is overrated? Are you tired of the "sugar-coated tedium of the average family day out"? Does "entry-level anarchism" sound like a selling point to you? Perhaps it's time to get yourself over to Weston-super-Mare in the U.K. for a visit to Dismaland, the dystopian theme park that's the work of the legendarily subversive and secretive street artist Banksy.
The theme park, which acts as a pop-up art exhibition curated by Banksy and featuring the works of some 50 artists from around the world, offers such delights as a sculpture of a dead Cinderella in a grotesque pumpkin carriage crash, an "oil caliphate-themed golf course," and a real portrait artist who specializes in drawing only the back of your head in great detail.
Of course, visitors are subjected to a TSA-style security scan constructed out of cardboard before they are greeted by disinterested, pink-coated Dismaland park workers inside, some of whom hold dozens of black balloons emblazoned with the words, "I AM AN IMBECILE."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I guess you'd say it's a theme park whose big theme is — theme parks should have bigger themes," Banksy explained.
Dismaland will be open to the public for a limited five-week run starting this Saturday. See more photos at Colossal.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?
Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Thought-provoking podcasts you may have missed this summer
The Week Recommends Check out a true crime binger, a deep-dive into history and more
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play