Fiona Stewart, owner and Managing Director of Wales’ Green Man, was honoured by the festival industry at London’s O2 Arena at the annual Access All Areas (AAA) live industry celebration and conference.
The AAA Awards celebrate excellence in the live events industry, with the Editors Award being the top award offered. This year’s 2024 AAA Editor’s Award was awarded to Fiona in recognition of her contribution to the festival industry. Fiona collected the award, previously won by Glastonbury Festival’s Emily Eavis, in front of an audience of 2000 festival and live event industry peers at the prestigious Indigo at The O2 in London.
Upon receiving the award Fiona thanked Access All Areas for the award and added: “Any success is due to the team you have around you, and I am so grateful for the support of the many gifted and passionate people who have worked with me over the years, especially my son Ben, Nush and Mike. Their hard work and talent has made so much possible.”
She continued: “I also want to thank the people of Cymru and the welcome you bring to visitors year on year – this award is for you.”
Green Man Festival welcomes 25,000 visitors a day annually to the Black Mountains, Bannau Brycheiniog, Cymru and is one of very few remaining large-scale independent festivals. The 2024 edition sold out in less than an hour with the lineup yet to be announced illustrating the immense influence of the brand. The festival has received many awards over the years including Best UK Festival on 5 separate occasions, also awards for accessibility, design, tourism, sustainability, food and ale demonstrating the expansive range of the brand.
Fiona has spearheaded some of the UK’s most innovative live event legislation and initiatives and has advised government for more than 30 years. Her expertise in crowd psychology played a key role in shaping the 2003 Event License legislation. Additionally, her work has informed the British Council and Foreign Office in evaluating safety standards for emerging touring destinations in China, Eastern Europe, Brazil, and India during the early 2000s and more recently developing economic and cultural engagement opportunities in Cuba and Kyrgyzstan.
In 2001, Stewart introduced the Festival Control Method, first implemented at The Big Chill, which has since become a standard across the festival industry. She has also held the position of chair of the Business Group advising the fulfilment of the UK and Welsh Government’s £120 million Mid Wales Growth Scheme. Prior to this Fiona was the first woman to be awarded the top festival accolade Outstanding Contribution to UK Festival’s in 2016, previously awarded to Michael Eavis and Peter Gabriel.
Access All Areas content director Christopher Barrett said: “Fiona Stewart is a festival industry pioneer, someone who has been hugely influential while steadfastly sticking to her principles and creative vision as an independent operator. Since taking on the management of the Big Chill in 2001 and launching the Control Method, Fiona not only paved the way for the rise of boutique festivals but safer events internationally.
“Fiona’s undiminished spirit of creativity and innovation has seen her build the Green Man into one of the world’s biggest and best-loved festivals. A strikingly unique event, Green Man is one of the very few major festivals to remain truly independent. When considering who should win the Editor’s Award, Fiona came instantly to mind – she is in a field of her own.”
