Great British Festival 2024 toasts UK-PH friendship with pints, pies, and West End vibes

By Marinel E. Peroy

From a lively pub quiz to West End musical renditions and the iconic fish and chips, the Great British Festival (GBF) 2024 held in BGC, Taguig offered a weekend filled with quintessentially British experiences.

United Kingdom Ambassador Laure Beaufils described the Great British Festival as “fun, innovative, creative, dynamic, and bigger”—a true testament to the growing 78 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Ambassador Beaufils said the festival seeks to raise awareness and interest, promote UK’s high-quality education and people-to-people connection, and strengthen partnerships in business and trade.

The envoy shared that there will also be a UK Alumni Gathering on October 24 (Thursday) and the visit of the UK Minister for Asia-Pacific next week.

“We’re also working increasingly on cyber, maritime security, [and] on those really important cutting-edge issues. So, I would say our relationship is modernizing incredibly fast,” Ambassador Beaufils told THEPHILBIZNEWS.

Meanwhile, British Council-Philippines’ Country Director Lotus Postrado said this year’s GBF marks a significant milestone in having an education pavilion.

“For the longest time, we haven’t done any education fair for the UK universities. The Great British Festival is such a strong indication of the increasing interest of the Filipinos to study in the UK, as well as the UK universities responding to that interest,” said Postrado.

She said the British Council’s efforts extend beyond educational exchanges, as it also facilitates people-to-people, institutional, and government-to-government programs that strengthen the bonds between the two countries.

Chris Nelson, Executive Director/Trustee of the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP), said the growing relationship between UK and the Philippines is manifest in the £2.7 billion total trade in goods and services between the two countries as of October 18.

“The existing trading agreements such as RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership  and DCTS (Developing Countries Trading Scheme) prove the importance of trade between the two countries where businesses can take advantage of the zero or lowered tariffs,” Nelson said, citing BCCP’s key efforts with ARTA and regulatory reform projects under the ASEAN-UK Economic Integration Programme (EIP).

Nelson said 56 companies participated in #GBF2024, a significant increase from last year’s 38.

Beyond business interests, he noted that the festival also featured British literature shows, relating how British literary characters capture the hearts and minds of Filipinos.

Moreover, Ambassador Beaufils expressed her gratitude to the BCCP, British Council, and BGC authorities for their shared partnership, showcasing optimism about making the GBF an annual event.

“That’s our ambition, something we want to continue and do as a celebration of our friendship,” the British envoy said.

Since 2000, the UK-Philippine Friendship Day has been celebrated in October. This annual celebration of the UK-PH friendship showcases the depth and diversity of the bilateral relationship, highlighting key areas of cooperation such as education, culture, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.