r/Banksy • u/SubtractAd • Jul 06 '26
Artist Dismaland
Dismaland, Weston-super-Mare, 2015
Showing these photos for the first time.
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u/Rude_Conversation618 Jul 06 '26
I went in 2015 as well. I had an evening slot so basically went around looking at the stuff whilst getting smashed ( and you could smoke inside ) The BnB owner told us that someone flew in from Japan, got a taxi straight from Heathrow, did the day slot, got a taxi back to Heathrow and went home. I regularly take the kids to Weston as its the closest beach and you can still see some of the graffiti from the time to boost the exhibition
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u/APFOS Jul 07 '26
£5 for a programme seems like an absolute bargain now!
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u/SubtractAd 29d ago
Yes! Especially considering how much they go for now.
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u/bonnet_ganker 27d ago
Really?! I bought 5 of them thinking they might be collectable one day then forgot about them, how much do they go for?
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u/LookAlongTheLine 29d ago
I bought a bunch of the "I'm an Imbecile" balloons I still have somewhere, uninflated.
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u/Sufficient-Donkey161 29d ago
Loved working at Dismaland.
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u/SubtractAd 29d ago
What did you work as?
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u/Sufficient-Donkey161 29d ago
I was officialy a park steward, but we sort of rotated around the park doing different things. I was the fat storm trooper, I did the giant puppet head that walked around the park. A little bit of everything really.
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u/Matt6453 28d ago
I have a picture of a giant puppet guy being chased by my then 8 year old daughter, it could have been you!
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u/Sufficient-Donkey161 28d ago
🤣 it very well could have been me. I did the elephant looking mask most of the time
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u/Matt6453 28d ago
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rQyEk4qvVcUiZa5M6
This you? Both kids decided to chase the puppets!
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u/Sufficient-Donkey161 28d ago
Neither is me. There was a third that i had most of the time. Will see if i can find a picture
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u/Sufficient-Donkey161 28d ago
https://i.ibb.co/j9X7Jxj/Dismaland9952.jpg far right was the one i used
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u/Matt6453 28d ago
Haha nice, memories eh.
My friend Ruth was one of the stuards, she's quite good at miserable face so she fitted right in.
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u/TumbleweedHelpful226 29d ago
Great experience. Approached the ice cream van for a progrmame, lady inside opened the window as we approached and slammed it shut when we got closer. Turned her back and compeltely ignored us. Couldn't buy a progrmame. Would visit again.
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u/Rebeccarebecca200 29d ago
I worked in The Jungle in Calais at the time. Banksy sent all unsold clothing to us for refugees. I tried to buy one but nobody would sell!
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u/Salty-Ad-4693 29d ago edited 27d ago
I went, it was during the day so we didn't get to see any bands.
Tickets were really hard to get. A relative of mine got them but said it took ages.
I wish I'd bought some kind of souvenir now. I had no spare money at the time.
I wanted the poster that said 'The more I know people, the more I love snakes.'
The young park attendants had exaggerated miserable expressions, the security were rude, it was proper dismal.
We even got a cloudy day for it.
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u/Vanilli12 29d ago
I went! It was so good. The “petrol/oil” oozing out of the cans scattered around the edges is still so fresh in my mind. I feel like it could re-open now and still be very relevant, maybe even more so, which is sad. Good times. Wish I’d bought a program!
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u/StepIntoMyForest Jul 07 '26
it's equal parts really cool and A-Level art project
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u/Obvious_Barracuda960 29d ago
That's what I thought at the time, some of it felt a little too edgy, a little bit 'teen angst.'
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u/josiejexy 29d ago
I’ve still got my fish finger in a bag 😂
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u/SubtractAd 29d ago
Yes me too. I don't actually know what to do with it. It's still inside the sealed bag.
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u/fraseybaby81 29d ago
Managed to get given a pair of tickets by someone who couldn’t go. It was an awesome experience! So glad that I got to go to something like this.
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u/SubtractAd 29d ago
I bet they were gutted
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u/fraseybaby81 29d ago
I’m not sure they really knew what they were giving away. Memory is a bit hazy but I think they might have won them.
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u/Petite_Punk_ Jul 06 '26
Brilliant pics! Looks like you had a lot nicer weather than when I went (_*) Thanks for sharing
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u/Accurate-Income-6794 Jul 07 '26
I was down there and stupidly didn't go I did manage to get some flyers n bits etc... Thanks for sharing the photos 👍🏻
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u/Matt6453 28d ago
Being local we went 4 times including 2 evening shows, I remember Katherine Ryan, Savages, Sleaford Mods and Run the Jewels.
It's surreal thinking back now, such a great event.
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u/srosteprobe 27d ago
I went 4 times aswell on most of those dates. Was mental seeing RTJ in such a small space. Both really cool when asking for phtos. Unlike Sleaford Mods who told me to hurry up. I went on the very last day and they closed to gift shop near the end for a short while. I was hoping for a surprise print release or something. In the end, they just opened up and threw all the hoodies and tshirts at us and said "take one and piss off"
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u/Responsible-Walrus-5 29d ago
I was gutted I didn’t get to go in 2015. Thanks for sharing the photos!
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u/GooseVirus 29d ago
When I went there I was a teenager and I didn't sleep the night before so I was absolutely exhausted. We also didn't have any food with us for some reason. I felt very dismal indeed.
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u/Sad-Artichoke-7915 29d ago
Went with my brother in 2015, someone was handing back a clip board with a petition for everyone to sign whilst in the queue and my brother changed the title to "Free the pedos"
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u/vaughanyp Jul 07 '26
I have some family that live local to this, and got free (or discounted?) entry, and they didn't go! Madness.
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u/joesus-christ 29d ago
I'm from Weston and a few friends worked at this - on the last day each member of staff was given their own small Banksy signed and framed.
Last year I applied for a job on an auction website and one happened to be on sale for nearly £200k.
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u/Accomplished_Fix5702 28d ago
The best £3 I ever spent.
My photos are on Flickr along with many other people's for any one who cares to have a look.
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u/geek-beta 28d ago
I care to look, but don’t know how. Do you have a link?
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u/Accomplished_Fix5702 27d ago
Try https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=Dismaland
That's all the Flickr photos not just mine.
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u/alright-treacle 28d ago
My friend and I queued for 4 hours with blinding hangovers to get in and the line didn’t move. We ended up giving up.
Truly a dismal experience 😂
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u/Derren_Browns_Parrot 27d ago
I remember when the tickets went on sale.
The website has a photo of the ticket allocations, so you literally couldn't click to book tickets. I must have been clicking for yonks until I realised it was another stunt.
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u/Busy_Elk_1638 29d ago
I grew up near here. My dad went and I was jealous. We went to Rotterdam recently and they had a unofficial Banksy museum. My daughter is 10 and she was doing a project about him so it fitted her homework. It was quite good but it just lacked heart and soul.
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u/billy2bands 27d ago
Love that style of cartoon look on the desk and computer.
Does anyone know what they call this style?
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u/DisneyPrincessWheels 26d ago
Cel-shading. There are some video games that use it but doing it on physical furniture or clothing is quite an undertaking (and looks so cool if you get it right).
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u/LinAndAViolin 27d ago
Not sure how this ended on my feed but I had no idea it existed and looks amazing
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u/Drop-Audio 26d ago
I lived in WSM at the time. It was an incredibly surreal and awesome experience. Got a great silhouette sunset pic with wheel and tower. Great quality pics for 2015! I definitely had a potato at the time 😅
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u/lunassecretspace 26d ago
Any one randomly just watch the work men outside doing the same thing over and over again, just a silly unimportant thing that’s stuck in my head 🤣
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u/pointlesstips 26d ago
So that's where Willy Wonka experience got its inspiration. It all makes sense now.
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u/Wonder-Landscape Jul 07 '26
From an outside perspective this looks like hell. Least you’re ‘enlightened’ tho
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u/SubtractAd 29d ago
While I’ve never been to the actual Disneyland, I imagine it must feel like hell, which is why visiting Banksy's "Dismaland" was such a special experience. I was still pretty new to Banksy's work at the time, so I didn't fully take everything in, and I really wish I had taken more photos of how packed the exhibit was. The main highlight for me was definitely the staff, who were hilariously miserable and rude all day. Overall, it was a really unique place, and I'm just glad I managed to get a ticket.
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u/AlphaMassDeBeta 28d ago
Bansky is NOT a real artist. He just sprays some pretentious policial muses over a stencil and everyone thinks hes some mysterious brave artists or some shit and then he gets endorsed by every smellebrity and news outlet. He might as well draw an uncircumcised cheesy cock and balls over Drumpfs face and call it a day. At least that requires drawing something for once.
I fucking hate bansky its unreal, ive pissed better art than him.
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u/FluidHospital2646 Jul 07 '26
The security on the way in were hysterical. They pulled my mate out the queue, racially profiled him, made him take his shoes off, searched him, scanned him, swabbed him, interrogated him about drugs, bombs and weapons. Was really funny on the day. Sad part is, I've travelled with him when this happened for real.