Gloucestershire Tourist Guide - Articles

From Sir John Tavener to Kanda Bongo Man – and everything in between. From Sir John Tavener to Kanda Bongo Man – and everything in between. Greenbelt Festival takes place from the 24th to the 27th August.

The Greenbelt Festival is opened on the Friday night with a headline set from Billy Bragg (also staying on to debate the benefits of a new Bill of Rights the next day). Kanda Bongo Man will headline the Saturday night mainstage. One of the most famous exponents Soukous music, Kanda is sure the shake Greenbelt with his irresistible and infectious blend of rhythm and African guitar. Sunday headliners will be legendary DJ-VJs Coldcut with their stunning audio-visual set ‘Journeys by VJ’, ably supported by the hottest young star of UK Jazz hybrid music, Soweto Kinch. The Festival tops out on the Monday with anthemic Christian stadium band Delirious? And earlier that day, in the tradition of all things eclectic at Greenbelt, Chas & Dave will bring us their inimitable rockney knees-up.

On the smaller stages are Sufjan Stevens’ mates Rosie Thomas and Dennison Witmer, along with the likes of Willard Grant Conspiracy, Lleuwen, Beth Rowley and Hummingbird (Cathy Burton, Amy Wadge and Edwina Hayes).

But Greenbelt is not just about rock music, and this year we are honoured to be joined by SirJohn Tavener as part of our Classical programme. Sir John will discuss his work and hear some of it performed by world famous Soprano Patricia Rosario – and the Greenbelt Scratch Choir.

Nor is Greenbelt just a music Festival. It boasts a talks programme with some of the finest thinkers an activists on the planet giving over 100 talks and panel debates over the course of the weekend. Featuring:

YMCA England CEO Angela Sarkis, social campaigners Ann Morisy and Ann Pettifor, black theologian Anthony Reddie, Bishops Nelson Onono-Onweng of Uganda and Cray of Maidstone and Baines of Croydon, Christian thinkers and doers Ched Myers, Professors David Ford and Keith Ward, Morna Hooker, Mark Yaconelli, John Smith and James Allison, Jewish theologian Marc Ellis and Muslim journalist Naima Bouteldja, writers and broadcasters Rhidian Brook and John Bell, children’s hospice pioneer Sister Frances Dominica, Friends of the Earth Director Tony Juniper, and Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Development.

Besides this, the Literature programme includes best selling children’s author GP Taylor and poets Micheal O'Siadhail, Gillian Allnut and John Haynes.

The Performing Arts programme showcases daily performances from Bassline Circus with their political form of urban circus show ‘Advertigo’ with swinging trapeze, counterweight abseiling, bungee-jumping, break and popping, Chinese pole, juggling and silks. All set against a backdrop of street arts, digital graffiti, and a thumping soundtrack fusing hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass and live MC. There’ll also be lots of great walkabout, together with set-piece performances and workshop activities, too.

The Visual Arts programme includes Cheltenham artist Jake Lever’s ‘Centre and Circumference’, Giles Perry’s ‘Pope Beats’, Rory Macbeth’s ‘Thought Bubble’, and an all-age participatory piece called ‘Heaven in a Box’ in which Greenbelters will bring a piece of art with them in a tiny cardboard box and build these together into a cumulative community piece.

There’s lots to do for children, young people and families, too, as Greenbelt consolidates its reputation as one of the most welcoming and all-age Festivals around. With Miller’s Ark Mobile Farm and Tropical Inc. onsite and lots of events programmed for all ages to enjoy together – and spaces for them to relax and be – Greenbelt is geared up to accommodate the widest of demographics.

At the heart of, and underpinning, the event is Greenbelt Festival’s Christian vision and inspiration. And the Worship programme is as wide ranging and diverse as ever – attracting groups from all over the country and beyond, and from all traditions and denominations to come and share in a feast of Christian expression and experience. Not least, Greenbelt gathers for Sunday morning communion and this year expects more then 15,000 to share in that time.

As Festival Chair, Karen Napier, says: “We are as excited about our 34th Festival as we have ever been. Each year the hard work of our massive volunteer community and programme group (numbering some 1,500 souls in all) comes together about now and that sense of slog and graft switches to one of anticipation and expectation. We can’t wait to celebrate again. And we hope you’ll join us to. Ticket sales are very strong again this year, despite the recent flooding in Gloucestershire, and we are expecting 20,000 to be at Greenbelt this August Bank Holiday weekend.”