Green Man Festival

The Green Man Festival is an independent music, science and arts festival held annually in mid-August in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Green Man has evolved into a 25,000 capacity week long event, showcasing predominantly live music (in particular alternative, indie, rock, folk, dance and Americana). The festival site is divided into 10 areas, hosting literature, film, comedy, science, theatre, wellness and family acts. It is also possible to stay for a week at the festival site, known as the Settlement, and explore the surrounding area.

Green Man Festival
Green Man Festival, Mountain Stage, 2018
GenreFolk music / Psychedelia / Indie / Dance / World Music / Americana / Electronica
Location(s)Near Crickhowell, South Wales
Years active2003–present
Websitewww.greenman.net

The festival has expanded into other ventures, including setting up a charitable wing called the Green Man Trust and launching its own beer range called Green Man Growler. In 2018, headline acts including Fleet Foxes, The War on Drugs and Public Service Broadcasting. In 2019, headliners included Father John Misty, Four Tet and Idles. In 2021, headliners included Mogwai, Caribou, Tirzah and Fontaines D.C.

Awards and press
A woman framed by bubbles at Green Man Festival 2021

Renowned for its non-corporate, ethical approach, the Green Man Festival has won several awards including "Best Medium Sized Festival 2010",[1] and "Grass Roots Festival 2012".[2] In 2015, Green Man won "Best Festival" at the Live Music Business Awards.[2] As Managing Director, Fiona Stewart received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the UK Festival Awards in 2013.[3] It is the largest contemporary music and arts festival in Wales and has been given major event status by Welsh Government due to the festival's positive impact and wealth creation.[4]

Green Man receives regular features and reviews in international, national and local press. In 2021, it was awarded 5 star reviews by the Guardian,[5] NME[6] and iPaper.[7] The Quietus stated that it "stakes its claim as one of Europe's very finest festivals",[8] the Guardian wrote that the 2018 festival "proved again why Green Man is one of the UK's most beloved festivals"[9] and Cosmopolitan stated that "Green Man is the most queer-friendly festival in the UK".[10]

Line-ups

2022

Metronomy, Kraftwerk, Beach House, Michael Kiwanuka, Bicep, Parquet Courts, Cate Le Bon[11]

2021

Mogwai, Caribou, Fontaines D.C, Tirzah, Thundercat, Teenage Fanclub, Django Django, This Is The Kit, Jose Gonzalez, Gruff Rhys, The Staves, Nadine Shah, Black Midi, Shame, Lump, Kokoroko, BC Camplight, Nubya Garcia, Self Esteem, Richard Dawson, Kelly Lee Owens, Ghost Poet, Greentea Peng, Georgia, Snapped Ankles, Goat Girl, Billie Marten, Erland Cooper, Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita, Gwenno, Vanishing Twin, Porridge Radio, Viagra Boys, Working Men's Club, Boy Azooga, Ross From Friends (live), The Orielles, Matt Maltese, Emma-Jean Thackray, Pictish Trail, The Surfing Magazines, Peggy Sue, Yazmin Lacey, Overmono, Los Bitchos, Big Joanie, Jockstrap, Crack Cloud, Giant Swan, DJ Rap, Stephen Fretwell, Hen Ogledd, Alabaster DePlume, Falle Nioke, Liz Lawrence, Wu-Lu, Katy J Pearson, Steam Down, PVA, Sinead O’Brien, Phoebe Green, NewDad, King Hannah, Hak Baker, H.Hawkline, Loraine James, Hannah Holland, Sarathy Korwar, Deep Throat Choir, Broadside Hacks, Fenne Lily, Ed Dowie, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Peaness, Home Counties, Yard Act, The Lounge Society, Wet Leg, Matilda Mann, Gwenifer Raymond, Studio Electrophonique, Tony Njoku, LYR, John, The Golden Dregs, Deliluh, The Cool Greenhouse, Speedboat, Blood Wizard, Bugs, Caroline, Do Nothing, Drug Store Romeos, Duski, Egyptian Blue, Iwan Rheon, The Goa Express, Gonhill, Hanya, Laundromat, Lazarus Kane, Martha Skye Murphy, Melin Melyn, Modern Woman, Nuha Ruby Ra, Panic Shack, Pet Deaths, Prima Queen, Roscoe Roscoe, Sister Wives, Teddy Hunter, Tina, Alfresco Disco, Art School Girlfriend DJ, Big Jeff, Birthday Club, Charlotte Church's Late Night Pop Dungeon, Deptford Northern Soul Club, Dutty Disco, Hot Singles Club

Fleet Foxes, headlining Green Man Festival 2018

2019

A Certain Ratio, Adwaith, Aidan Moffat & RM Hubbert, Aldous Harding, Alex Rex, Alfresco Disco, Amadou & Mariam, Anais Mitchell, Anna St Louis, Arlo Day, Art School Girlfriend, Audiobooks, Avi Buffalo, Beabadoobee, Bess Atwell, Big Thief, Bill Ryder-Jones, Black Country, New Road, Bodega, Bridget St John, Brigid Mae Power, Callum Easter, Car Seat Headrest, Chappaqua Wrestling, Chelou, Chloe Foy, Deptford Northern Soul Club, DJ Big Jeff, Dry Cleaning, Durand Jones & The Indications, Dutty Disco, Eels, Eitha Da, Ex:Re, Ezra Collective, Father John Misty, Fever Club, Four Tet, Foxwarren, George Ogilvie, Greg Wilson, Grimm Grimm, Gwenifer Raymond, Gwenno, Hand Habits, Heavenly Jukebox, Hen Ogledd, Idles, James Heath, James Yorkston, Jerry, Jesca Hoop, Jockstrap, Johanna Samuels, John Talabot, Julia Jacklin, Just Mustard, Khruangbin, Lamb, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Malena Zavala, Mama's Broke, Mapache, Maribou State, Marika Hackman, Meggie Brown, Modern Nature, Molly Payton, N0V3L, Nilufer Yanya, Oscar Lang, Peaness, Penelope Isles, Pet Shimmers, Pictish Trail, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Porridge Radio, Pottery, Pozi, PVA, Richard Thompson, Rosehip Teahouse, Say Sue Me, Scalping, Self Esteem, Sharon van Etten, Shy FX, Skinny Pelembe, Snapped Ankles, Sons of Kemet, Spiritcake, Squid, Squirrel Flower, Stealing Sheep, Stella Donnelly, Stereolab, Steve Mason, Tamino, The Beths, The Big Moon, The Comet is Coming, The Growlers, The Intergalactic Republic of Kongo, The Liminanas, The Mauskovic Dance Band, These New Puritans, The Wedding Present, Tim Presley's White Fence, Tiny Ruins, TVAM, Villagers, Whitney, Willie J Healey, Wych Elm, Yak, Yo La Tengo[12]

Sons of Kemet, Green Man 2019

2018

Fenne Lily, The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Lemon Twigs, Teenage Fanclub, Anna Calvi, Dirty Projectors, The Wedding Present [13]

2017

PJ Harvey, Ryan Adams, Future Islands, Kae Tempest, Angel Olsen, Thee Oh Sees, Saint Etienne, Sleaford Mods, Conor Oberst, Julia Jacklin, Ride, Pictish Trail and The Big Moon.[14]

2016

Her’s, Belle and Sebastian, James Blake, Laura Marling, Wild Beasts, Warpaint, Grandaddy, Tindersticks, Julia Holter, White Denim, Battles, BC Camplight, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Floating Points, Ezra Furman, Michael Rother, Songhoy Blues, Jagwar Ma, Cate Le Bon, Fat White Family

2015

St Vincent, Super Furry Animals, Hot Chip, Leftfield, Slowdive, Goat, Father John Misty, Calexico, Television, Mew, Courtney Barnett, The Fall, Public Service Broadcasting, Temples, The Staves, Charles Bradley, Sun Ra Arkestra, Matthew E. White, Hunck, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, The 2 Bears, Viet Cong, Dan Deacon, Waxahatchee, Hookworms, Marika Hackman, Emmy the Great

2014

Neutral Milk Hotel, Mercury Rev, Beirut, The Waterboys, Bill Callahan, Caribou, First Aid Kit, Slint, Nick Mulvey, The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten, Daughter, Poliça, Real Estate, Mac DeMarco, Panda Bear, Anna Calvi, Georgia Ruth, H. Hawkline, Sen Segur, Memory Clinic

2013

Kings of Convenience, Band of Horses, Ben Howard, Patti Smith, Fuck Buttons, Villagers, Swans, John Cale, Edwyn Collins, Stornoway, The Horrors, Midlake, Beak, Moon Duo, Parquet Courts, Phosphorescent, Jacco Gardner, Jon Hopkins, Sweet Baboo, Grass House, Roy Harper, Erol Alkan, Veronica Falls, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Local Natives, Low, Darkstar, British Sea Power, Intermission Project, First Aid Kit

Stella Donnelly, Green Man Festival 2019

2012

Mogwai, Feist, Van Morrison, The Tallest Man On Earth, The Walkmen, Yann Tiersen, The Felice Brothers, Tune-Yards, Jonathan Richman, Dexys, Michael Kiwanuka, Cate Le Bon

2011

Fleet Foxes, Explosions In The Sky, Iron and Wine, The Low Anthem, Noah & The Whale, James Blake, Bellowhead, Villagers, Laura Marling, Robyn Hitchcock, The 2 Bears, Andrew Weatherall

2010

Doves, The Flaming Lips, Joanna Newsom, Mumford & Sons, Beirut, Billy Bragg, The Unthanks, Tindersticks, Laura Marling, Darwin Deez, John Grant, Fionn Regan, Fuck Buttons, Wild Beasts, Girls, Johnny Flynn, These New Puritans, The Tallest Man on Earth, Summer Camp, Steve Mason, "Metronomy Presents"

2009

Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, Wilco, Bon Iver, Wooden Shjips, British Sea Power, Errors, Grizzly Bear, Peggy Sue, Erland & The Carnival, Andrew Bird, Trembling Bells, Dirty Three

2008

Spiritualized, Super Furry Animals, Pentangle, Richard Thompson, Iron & Wine, The National, Laura Marling, Radio Luxembourg

2007

Joanna Newsom, Robert Plant, Stephen Malkmus, Devendra Banhart, Bill Callahan, Vashti Bunyan, Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time, Battles, Seasick Steve, Gruff Rhys, Vetiver, Tunng, Steve Adey, John Renbourn, The Aliens, The Earlies

2006

Donovan, Jose Gonzalez, Calexico, Bat for Lashes, Micah P. Hinson, Jack Rose, Adem, Marissa Nadler

2005

Incredible String Band, Bonnie Prince Billy, Joanna Newsom, Adem, Wizz Jones, Tunng

History

Green Man Festival was founded by Jo Bartlett and Danny Hagan as a 300-person one-day event at Craig-y-Nos Castle, Brecon, in 2003 . The festival moved to Baskerville Hall, outside Hay-on-Wye, for a two-day event in 2004, and by 2005 it had evolved into a three-day event. The festival was attended by 300 people in 2003, its first year, by 1,000 in 2004, and by 3,000 in 2005 . Fiona Stewart joined in 2006 as joint Managing Director. In the same year, Press Officer Ken Lower was made a non-voting minority shareholder, and the team moved the festival to its current location on Glanusk Park near Crickhowell, in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales[15] and increased Green Man to a 6,000 capacity festival. In 2009 Danny Hagan resigned as Director,[16] retaining his shares, and Ken Lower sold his shares. In 2011 Jo and Danny sold their shares to Fiona Stewart and left the company.[17] Fiona increased the capacity from 15,000 to 25,000 and Green Man is currently the only major independent UK music festival to have a female director with controlling ownership.

The Green Man statue, which is set on fire at the end of each Green Man Festival

In 2012, the festival had a daily capacity of 15,000 people and the headline acts were Mogwai, Van Morrisson and Feist.[18] By 2013, the festival had 20,000 visitors. The 2017 festival celebrated the event's 15th anniversary.[14] In 2018, it had 25,000 visitors, with headline acts including Fleet Foxes, The War on Drugs and Public Service Broadcasting.[19] Bands and DJs play a range of musical styles, including indie, Americana, folk, psychedelia, reggae, and electro. In 2019, the headliners were Stereolab, Four Tet and Idles. Headline acts announced for 2020 were Caribou, Goldfrapp, Michael Kiwanuka, Mac DeMarco and Little Dragon[20] - the 2020 edition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, replaced by a digital version that year.

As well as music areas, the festival has a wellness and spa, children and teen zones, a science engagement area called Einstein's Garden, tents for literature, film and comedy. The festival regularly sells out months in advance and in 2018 contributed £10.4 million to the Welsh economy.[21]

Green Man Festival refuses commercial sponsorship and therefore can focus on local Welsh food and drink providers, rather than being tied into corporate deals.[19] It directly employs its workers, paying a living wage.[22] The festival has a strong ethical and environmental focus, using solar power as much as possible. The food and drink services are required to meet standards such as being Fairtrade, Red Tractor and Marine Conservation Society accredited. In 2019, Help Refugees (now known as Choose Love) and Newport to Calais Aid Collective collected donated tents to be recycled and reused.[23] The festival has never used single-use plastics and encourages caterers to use Welsh produce.[22]

Charities, community work and regional partnerships

The festival is a charitable partner of The Bevan Foundation and Oxfam Cymru, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, RSPB Cymru and Brecon Beacons National Park Authority all host stalls at the festival. Each year 40 stalls (worth over £17,000) are allocated to Welsh Charities and Not-for-Profit Organisations. £20,000 is raised annually for local arts and sports projects through a stall run by the Cwmdu Friends. In 2013 more than £16,000 was raised for a charitable trip to Uganda for students at the local Crickhowell High School. Since 2010, Green Man has raised £250,000 of donations for charities. A 2015 UK Music report, compiled based on research from Oxford Economics, identified Green Man, alongside the Wales Millennium Centre, as a major driver of Music Tourism in Wales.[24] In 2021 Green Man partnered with My Discombobulated Brain, a Welsh mental health charity, to train their stewards in Mental Health Awareness.

Green Man Trust

The Green Man Trust is the charitable wing of the festival, its aim is to create arts development programmes, training opportunities, science engagement and bring about positive change to Welsh communities. The current ambassador for Green Man Trust is Welsh actor and musician, Iwan Rheon,[25] whose work has included Game of Thrones, Misfits and Riviera. As of 2020, it had provided 92 community grants, supported more than 5,000 emerging artists, trained over 2,000 people and funded more than 200 science projects.[23] Training programs have included partnering with Merthyr Tydfil College and the Salvation Army in Cardiff to give training and mentoring to young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2020, the trust pledged an emergency fund supporting Welsh people affected by flooding caused by Storm Dennis.[26] and raised over £20,000.

Other ventures
  • Launched in 2008, Green Man Rising is an annual contest in which an emerging act is chosen by a panel of music industry experts to open the Mountain Stage on the first day of the festival.
  • Green Man Growler is the festival's specially brewed beer, it has been sold at the festival since 2012 and was made available to buy online as a canned beer in 2020.
  • In 2006, Green Man hosted its first annual Boat Party on the River Thames. The event usually featured a line-up of both live music and DJ sets and a bar. The last boat party in 2012 featured performances by Field Music, Three Trapped Tigers and Tom Williams & The Boat. In 2016, Green Man renamed the boat party Green Man Ahoy!. The event took place on 7 May 2016 and featured Slow Club, Gengahr and Palace Winter.[27]
  • In September 2015, the Green Man took its Courtyard bar to King's Cross in London for a four-day celebration of Welsh beer and cider. Over 180 beers and ciders were bought from independent Welsh brewers. Live music came from Ibibio Sound Machine, Stealing Sheep, Boxed In, Meilyr Jones, C Duncan, Cairobi and The Wave Pictures. The line-up on the Sunday was co-curated with Moshi Moshi Records.[28]
  • The Green Man Festival celebrated St David's Day with a special one-day event in London's Cecil Sharp House. It was named ‘Hwyl’ (a lyrical Welsh term for ‘fun’) and was a celebration of Welsh culture, crafts and gastronomy with talks, theatre, storytelling and comedy. In 2015, live music came from Teleman, Georgia Ruth, Stanley Brinks, Sweet Baboo and Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog.[29] HWYL did not take place in 2016.
  • Busk On The Usk was a free one-day festival held in Newport, South Wales at various locations along the banks of the River Usk. The event was The Welsh Contemporary Music's contribution to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and was co-produced by Fiona Stewart. The event featured a program of live music, discussions and lectures, art installations and local food stalls. The event was organised by Green Man with help from the people of Newport along with contributions from a number of Wales’ most important cultural organisations including Sŵn Festival, the Do Lectures, the Laugharne Weekend, the Bevan Foundation, the Centre for Regeneration Excellence Wales, Riverfront Theatre, University of Wales Newport and Arts Council Wales. The music line-up included Scritti Politti, Anna Calvi, Cate Le Bon and Jon Langford. An estimated 6,000 people attended the event.

See also

References
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  2. "Green Man wins Best Festival at Live Music Business Awards 2015 - Green Man Festival". Green Man Festival. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. "Green Man director Fiona Stewart honoured at UK Festival Awards". www.eventmagazine.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  4. "Green Man Festival sells out in a record 3 months in advance". gov.wales. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  5. "Green Man festival review – magical return for this psychedelic carnival". the Guardian. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. "Green Man festival 2021: there's magic in the mountains, and a sense of renewal". NME. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  7. laurie-havelock (23 August 2021). "Mogwai and Self Esteem lead a triumphant return to Green Man Festival". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  8. "The Quietus | Features | Three Songs No Flash | Beacons Of Light: Green Man 2019 Reviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  9. "Green Man festival review – cosmic rock and communal wonderment". the Guardian. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  10. Gilmour, Paisley (21 August 2019). "This is the most queer-friendly festival in the UK". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  11. "2023 Green Man Festival line up". Green Man Festival. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  12. "Line up 2019". Green Man Official Website. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  13. "Line up 2018". Green Man Official Website. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  14. "PJ Harvey, Future Islands and Ryan Adams are headlining Green Man 2017". DIY. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  15. Sherwin, Adam (1 December 2013). "'It's nice to go bonkers in a field': The Green Man music festival's". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  16. "ROOST HILLS LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  17. "Jo and Danny sell Green Man Festival". Brecon & Radnor Express. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  18. "Fiona Stewart exclusive interview - eFestivals.co.uk". www.efestivals.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  19. "Thousands head to sold out Green Man". BBC News. 16 August 2018. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  20. "Green Man festival unveils 2020 line-up". BBC News. 29 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  21. "Green Man 2019: what you need to know". ITV News. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  22. "A Sustainable Mindset: Meet The Green Man's Fiona Stewart". Pollstar. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  23. Stevens, Jo. "Visit to Green Man Festival Site | Jo Stevens MP". Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  24. "Music Tourism : Wish You Were Here 2015 - UK Music". www.ukmusic.org. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  25. "Welsh actor Iwan Rheon announced as Green Man Trust's first Ambassador – Green Man Trust". Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  26. Williams, Luke (19 February 2020). "Green Man pledge £10,000 to help flooded communities". Brecon & Radnor Express. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  27. "In Photos: Green Man Ahoy 2016, London 07/05/16". The 405. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  28. "Courtyard Festival King's Cross by Green Man". King's Cross. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  29. "The joy of the Green Man's day of Welsh music: Hwyl 2015". DrownedInSound. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2017.

51.869°N 3.172°W / 51.869; -3.172

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