Green Man Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Green Man Festival |
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Green Man Festival, Mountain Stage, 2018
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| Genre | Folk music / Indie / Dance / World Music / Americana / Electronica |
| Location(s) | Near Crickhowell, South Wales |
| Years active | 2003–present |
The Green Man Festival is a super cool yearly event in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. It's a big party that celebrates music, science, and art! Imagine a whole week of fun! About 25,000 people come to enjoy live music, especially alternative, indie, rock, folk, dance, and Americana styles.
The festival site has 10 different areas. Here, you can find exciting things like literature talks, film screenings, comedy shows, science experiments, theatre performances, wellness activities, and even special acts for families. Green Man also does good things outside the festival, like having its own charity called the Green Man Trust and selling its own special beer called Green Man Growler. Many famous bands and artists have played here, such as Kraftwerk, Bicep, Laura Marling, Van Morrison, and Fleet Foxes.
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Why Green Man Festival is Special
The Green Man Festival is known for being different. It doesn't have big company sponsors, and it cares about doing things in a fair and ethical way. Because of this, it has won many awards!
- In 2010, it won "Best Medium Sized Festival."
- In 2012, it was named "Grass Roots Festival."
- In 2015, Green Man won "Best Festival" at the Live Music Business Awards.
Fiona Stewart, who owns and runs the festival, even won an "Outstanding Achievement Award" in 2013. The Welsh Government sees Green Man as a very important event because it brings a lot of good things and money to Wales.
Newspapers and magazines often write great reviews about Green Man. For example, The Quietus said it's "one of Europe's very finest festivals." The Guardian called it "one of the UK's most beloved festivals." And Cosmopolitan said it's "the most queer-friendly festival in the UK."
A Look at Past Performers
The Green Man Festival has hosted many amazing bands and artists over the years. Here are some of the groups that have performed:
Top Acts from 2023
In 2023, the festival featured Devo, First Aid Kit, Self Esteem, Spiritualized, Slowdive, Young Fathers, The Walkmen, Confidence Man, Goat, The Comet Is Coming, Squid, and Lankum.
Highlights from 2022
The 2022 lineup included Kraftwerk, Michael Kiwanuka, Beach House, Metronomy, Bicep (live), Parquet Courts, Low, Kae Tempest, Cate Le Bon, Ty Segall, Ezra Furman, and Dry Cleaning.
Memorable Performances from 2021
In 2021, fans enjoyed Mogwai, Caribou, Fontaines D.C., Tirzah, Thundercat, Teenage Fanclub, Django Django, This Is The Kit, Jose Gonzalez, Gruff Rhys, The Staves, Nadine Shah, and Black Midi.
Who Played in 2019
The 2019 festival saw performances by A Certain Ratio, Aldous Harding, Amadou & Mariam, Big Thief, Bill Ryder-Jones, Black Country, New Road, Bodega, Car Seat Headrest, Eels, Father John Misty, Four Tet, Gwenno, Idles, Julia Jacklin, Khruangbin, Lamb, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Maribou State, Marika Hackman, Modern Nature, Nilufer Yanya, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Porridge Radio, Richard Thompson, Say Sue Me, Self Esteem, Sharon van Etten, Shy FX, Sons of Kemet, Squid, Stealing Sheep, Stella Donnelly, Stereolab, Steve Mason, The Beths, The Big Moon, The Comet is Coming, The Growlers, The Wedding Present, Tiny Ruins, Villagers, Whitney, Willie J Healey, and Yo La Tengo.
Artists from 2018
In 2018, the main acts included The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Teenage Fanclub, Anna Calvi, Dirty Projectors, and The Wedding Present.
Performers in 2017
The 2017 festival featured PJ Harvey, Ryan Adams, Future Islands, Kae Tempest, Angel Olsen, Thee Oh Sees, Saint Etienne, Sleaford Mods, Conor Oberst, Julia Jacklin, Ride, and The Big Moon.
Bands from 2016
In 2016, you could see 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, and Michael Rother.
Who Played in 2015
The 2015 lineup included 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, and Sun Ra Arkestra.
Acts from 2014
In 2014, the festival welcomed 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, and Anna Calvi.
2013 Lineup
The 2013 festival featured Kings of Convenience, Band of Horses, Ben Howard, Patti Smith, Villagers, Swans, John Cale, Edwyn Collins, Stornoway, The Horrors, Midlake, Beak, Parquet Courts, Phosphorescent, Jon Hopkins, Sweet Baboo, and Roy Harper.
2012 Performers
In 2012, the main acts were Mogwai, Feist, Van Morrison, The Tallest Man On Earth, The Walkmen, Yann Tiersen, The Felice Brothers, Tune-Yards, Jonathan Richman, Dexys, and Michael Kiwanuka.
2011 Lineup
The 2011 festival included Fleet Foxes, Explosions In The Sky, Iron and Wine, The Low Anthem, Noah & The Whale, James Blake, Bellowhead, Villagers, Laura Marling, Robyn Hitchcock, and The 2 Bears.
2010 Acts
In 2010, you could see Doves, The Flaming Lips, Joanna Newsom, Mumford & Sons, Beirut, Billy Bragg, The Unthanks, Tindersticks, Laura Marling, Darwin Deez, John Grant, Fionn Regan, Wild Beasts, Girls, and Johnny Flynn.
2009 Performers
The 2009 festival featured Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, Wilco, Bon Iver, Wooden Shjips, British Sea Power, Errors, Grizzly Bear, Peggy Sue, Andrew Bird, and Dirty Three.
2008 Lineup
In 2008, the main acts were Spiritualized, Super Furry Animals, Pentangle, Richard Thompson, Iron & Wine, The National, and Laura Marling.
2007 Acts
The 2007 festival included Joanna Newsom, Robert Plant, Stephen Malkmus, Devendra Banhart, Bill Callahan, Vashti Bunyan, Battles, Seasick Steve, Gruff Rhys, Vetiver, Tunng, Steve Adey, and John Renbourn.
2006 Performers
In 2006, you could see Donovan, Jose Gonzalez, Calexico, Bat for Lashes, Micah P. Hinson, Jack Rose, Adem, and Marissa Nadler.
2005 Lineup
The 2005 festival featured Incredible String Band, Bonnie Prince Billy, Joanna Newsom, Adem, Wizz Jones, and Tunng.
The Story of Green Man Festival
The Green Man Festival started small in 2003. It was created by Jo Bartlett and Danny Hagan as a one-day event for just 300 people at Craig-y-Nos Castle in Brecon. It quickly grew!
- In 2004, it became a two-day event.
- By 2005, it was a three-day festival.
- The number of visitors jumped from 300 in 2003 to 1,000 in 2004, and then to 3,000 in 2005.
Fiona Stewart joined the team in 2006. That same year, the festival moved to its current home at Glanusk Park near Crickhowell, in the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park. The festival grew to host 6,000 people. Fiona later took full control of the festival and increased its size to 25,000 people. She is the only female director with full ownership of a major independent music festival in the UK!
By 2012, the festival could host 15,000 people each day. In 2013, it had 20,000 visitors. The 2017 festival was a special celebration of its 15th birthday! In 2018, 25,000 people attended. The music played at Green Man includes indie, Americana, folk, reggae, and electro. The 2020 festival had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they held a digital version instead.
Besides music, the festival has many other cool areas:
- A wellness and spa area for relaxing.
- Special zones just for children and teens.
- "Einstein's Garden," a science area where you can learn and explore.
- Tents for literature, film, and comedy shows.
The festival often sells out months before it even starts! In 2018, it brought over £10 million to the Welsh economy. Green Man Festival doesn't take money from big companies for sponsorship. This means they can focus on supporting local Welsh food and drink businesses. They also make sure their workers are paid fairly and care a lot about being ethical and good for the environment. They use solar power and make sure food and drink providers meet high standards, like being Fairtrade and using local produce. They never use single-use plastics!
Helping the Community and Environment
The Green Man Festival works with many charities and local groups. They give free spaces to 40 Welsh charities and non-profit groups each year. A local group called Cwmdu Friends raises about £20,000 every year for local arts and sports projects through a stall at the festival. In 2013, they even raised over £16,000 for students from Crickhowell High School to go on a charity trip to Uganda. Since 2010, Green Man has helped raise £250,000 for charities!
The Green Man Trust
The Green Man Trust is the charity part of the festival. Its goal is to help with arts projects, offer training, encourage science learning, and make positive changes in Welsh communities. A famous Welsh actor, Iwan Rheon (from shows like Game of Thrones), is an ambassador for the Trust.
By 2020, the Trust had:
- Given 92 grants to communities.
- Supported over 5,000 new artists.
- Trained more than 2,000 people.
- Funded over 200 science projects.
They've also worked with colleges and charities to help young adults from difficult backgrounds get training and support. In 2020, the Trust even created an emergency fund to help Welsh people affected by floods.
Other Fun Green Man Events
Green Man Festival isn't just about the main event! They have other cool projects too:
- Green Man Rising: Since 2008, this is a yearly competition where new bands can win the chance to open the main stage at the festival.
- Green Man Growler: This is the festival's own special beer! It's been sold at the festival since 2012 and you can even buy it online now.
- Green Man Ahoy!: The festival used to host fun boat parties on the River Thames in London, with live music and DJs. The last one in 2016 featured bands like Slow Club and Gengahr.
- Welsh Beer and Cider Celebration: In 2015, Green Man brought its bar to London for four days to celebrate Welsh beer and cider. They had over 180 different drinks from Welsh brewers and live music.
- Hwyl: This was a special one-day event in London to celebrate Welsh culture, crafts, and food. It had talks, theatre, storytelling, comedy, and live music. "Hwyl" is a Welsh word that means "fun"!
- Busk On The Usk: This was a free one-day festival held in Newport, South Wales, along the River Usk. It was part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and featured live music, discussions, art, and local food. About 6,000 people came to this event!
See also
- List of music festivals in the United Kingdom
