this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2026
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[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 79 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Wow. There's a part of me that feels sad, because any empty event is a weird empty liminal space. There's a much larger part of me that says who did you make this for and maybe that's why.

Pride parades have been hugely attended. Interesting what happens when everyone feels welcome and accepted.

Then also, I had never heard about this until after it started. Where was the marketing team for this? Heard more about the redneck brawl-ma-geddon bs than I heard about this.

[–] Melobol@lemmy.ml 87 points 1 week ago (3 children)

There was a fair planned with bipatrisan support by Smithsonian. Trump pulled it and gave money to his friends and you got this.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 19 points 1 week ago

Honestly, good. Wouldn't want the Smithsonian putting on an actually good event during this shitshow of an administration. What you see here is far more representative of the state the country is currently in.

Happy 250th, ya filthy animal!

yeah that tracks with exactly how it ended up

[–] Rothe@piefed.social 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

He transferred the amounts which had been set aside for the other event to this one. Except clearly this event didn't cost the $126million which was earmarked for this. So he pocketed at least $100million of those taxpayer funds for himself.

[–] Melobol@lemmy.ml 56 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have seen pumpkin patches having bigger turnout than this single ride State Fair.

[–] disregardable@lemmy.zip 21 points 1 week ago

yeah people love pumpkin patches. who doesn't want to pick a pumpkin?

[–] socsa@piefed.social 48 points 1 week ago

One thing people aren't talking about is the insane security perimeter they have which bans basically everything other than a cell phone. No backpacks, cameras, laptops, "pointy umbrellas," hard water bottles, etc. Its made it basically impossible for a normal tourist to bring in normal tourist kit. And obviously no locals want anything to do with this.

No other event in DC does this. Street fairs, events on the mall, parades - none of them have this kind of security. It's very clearly a bunch of oddly paranoid fascists buying their own conspiracies about Antifa vandals or whatever.

[–] FrChazzz@lemmus.org 38 points 1 week ago

Crowds like I've never seen!

Seriously, I've never seen smaller crowds than this for something in DC. Like, when I lived there the number of people just loitering on the mall on a random Tuesday was bigger than what I've seen from this event.

[–] Jerb322@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Good times, had by a dozen people.

[–] DrakeAlbrecht@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] socsa@piefed.social 9 points 1 week ago

Freedom 250 doesn't even have a ball pit!

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Not even good times from all accounts. The whole thing is utterly and completely lame.

[–] jontree255@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Do you have to pay to go to this or can anyone just walk up? Because that’s fucking nobody for being on the national mall.

[–] kgbbot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 1 week ago

We're all fucking paying for this pathetic asshole to do this

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You need to go through a TSA style security check, including "clear plastic bags", but it's free...

[–] jontree255@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That’s what I thought. Means people are actively avoiding it. I’m sure the heat is deterring people but the Mall is usually very crowded this time of year.

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Are you saying there is less people than there would normally be?

[–] FrChazzz@lemmus.org 16 points 1 week ago

Yes, they are saying that. I used to live in DC and summer is when I would avoid the National Mall because of all the tourists. It's also brutal humid. But lousy with tourists in summer.

[–] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What else do you think they are saying? Seems pretty straightforward to me.

[–] logi@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

That does seem to be what they're saying they think they're saying. Straight and forward.

[–] slowmolaggins@thelemmy.club 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is wildly embarrassing for the ones working and those that set it up. I wouldn't go to THIS one, but if I heard about a giant state fair with no one in it, I'd be like, "fuck yeah that sounds awesome!"

Setting up local celebrations across the country is apparently what America250 is about, but Trump wanted to do his own thing and so he played up the "Freedom250" events that he largely controls as the official celebration instead.

Fun fact about the Freedom250 fair: states are not reimbursed in any way for their participation, which as you can imagine is very expensive, so many of them simply decided not to show up because it was not worth it.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Turns out not many people want to be associated with felons, rapists, or pedophiles in any way, shape, or form.

[–] o0evillusion0o@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Was there a TRUMP-EPSTEIN FILES (TM) kiosque?

[–] logi@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

That etymology is pretty cool. And chiosco is my new (or reminded) Italian word for the day.

[–] Themosthighstrange@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Never heard one bit about this fair prior on tv or the.internet till i started seeing pics of a empty fair on lemmy

[–] Luisp@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 week ago

Windows wallpaper

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Gonna be a lotta leftover corndogs.

[–] black0ut@pawb.social 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I've read somewhere there weren't any corndogs

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

[sigh] Great American? No corndogs? Even the name is a lie.

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

No wonder it's so empty...

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

its funny how we are the backwards country bumkin nation again.

[–] Aetherial@nord.pub 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You're wildly and arrogantly assuming you never were. Lol fucking Yanks.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 4 days ago

yeah. we's dumb. like we would see the word again and not think it could imply a way of being in the past.

[–] aramis87@fedia.io 6 points 1 week ago

You should head over to Arts & Industries for the Folklife Festival!

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago
[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (3 children)

To be fair, Wednesdays aren't typically going to see the biggest turnouts.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Especially with a heat index well over 100

[–] Bbbbbbbbbbb@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

To be unfair, fuck em

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

A country with over 350 million people and they can’t find a few hundred people to take the day off. Lmao.

I think that you greatly overestimate the number of days the average American has to take off.

[–] achsonaja@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Is the PR flag Puerto Rico?

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 4 points 1 week ago

It seems less like a state fair and more like a state poor.

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.cafe 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

They'd never have majority again if they did. But then again it's all the same team