Behind the scenes with the people of Green Man

Sean Griffiths

Green Man Festival returned for its 23rd edition this summer, with a stellar line-up that featured the likes of Underworld, CMAT, Yard Act and Wet Leg.

Despite offering up expertly curated line-ups year in, year out the real star of Green Man is Green Man. Not the headline acts on the main stage.

Like Glastonbury, Green Man sells out instantly every year before any acts have been announced.

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People come back every year because they know Green Man always delivers. And this year felt particularly special.

The idyllic Glanusk estate, nestled in Bannau Brycheiniog, was bathed in glorious sunshine for four-days straight and the vibes on-site all weekend were infectious.

The beauty of Green Man (beyond its utopian Welsh setting) is how well curated the festival is. You can dip between gentle folk, indie newcomers like Sex Week and Pys Melyn, or booming, euphoric electronica from Kelly Lee Owens and Underworld.

Then there’s everything else the festival offers, from comedy sets from Stewart Lee and Kiri Pritchard-McLean to a talk on the history of Merthyr Tydfil featuring Jonny Owen and Huw Stephens.

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Then there’s wood whittling, river bathing, pride marches and the festival even has its very own beer festival, offering over 40 beers from several Welsh breweries.

Oh, and at the end of it all, you get to watch a giant wooden Green Man burn to cinders like you’ve just stumbled onto the set of The Wicker Man.

Meet the people of Green Man...

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