‘A Village Festival’ can be seen as the result of when Brueghelmania hit the Netherlands. Due to widespread prosperity at the beginning of the 17th century, the range of art patrons expanded significantly. Just as today’s nouveau riche might decorate their hall with a studio-produced Damien Hirst, having a Brueghel was considered a status symbol of good taste and wealth. The Brueghels were an entrepreneurial family and Breughel’s son and his workshop produced cheap copies of a somewhat patchy quality, based on the original compositions by his father.

The painting depicts a Dutch religious festival held in honour of the village saint's birthday. However, the festivals were also synonymous with merrymaking and excessive behaviour.

The picture is diagonally divided into two triangles, separating the sacred and the profane. The upper right-hand section takes in the procession and the church, while the lower left-hand section includes a catalogue of sinful behaviours from debauchery to gluttony and lust. We are encouraged to laugh at the peasants’ Bacchic behaviour. Whether they are dancing, drinking, or vomiting, they have all been depicted in vibrant colours with the same short and chubby figure. The panoramic viewpoint detaches the viewer from the less pleasant activities, enhancing the comic mode. One can imagine that the painting, which (literally) looked down on the peasants, reinforced the patrons’ new social position.

Although the painting encourages us to study it more closely, doing so highlights the poor quality of the paintwork and execution, a reminder that it is a copy, and a mediocre one at that. If the work is taken on its own merits then it is easy to find enjoyment in the brightly coloured buffoonery. However, when compared to an original by Brueghel the Elder, it is evident that the quality of detail and expression has been lost along the production line along with the charm. Perhaps ‘A Village Festival’ is best admired in passing.