Green Man Festival – Wales’ largest music festival – came to a triumphant close on Sunday 17th August after four sun-filled days of music, performance and arts, with a thrilling headline set by The War On Drugs, before festival goers made their pilgrimage up the hill to witness the burning of the Green Man.
Green Man this year sold out in record time and the festival delighted and surprised 20,000 returning Green Man fans and newcomers at the foot of the stunning Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons.
Fiona Stewart, owner and director of Green Man said:
“Green Man 2018 has been a magical event. Every year we do this we say it’s the best one yet, but it really does just keep getting better and 2018 will go down as one of my favourites so far. Everywhere I’ve been across the beautiful Brecon Beacons site, I’ve seen happy, smiling faces and people enjoying themselves.
“To see people taking such joy in every part of a festival that we have all been working so hard on throughout the year is a real inspiration, and makes us want to do more each and every year. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who took part or attended Green Man 2018.”
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The final day of Green Man began with the Mountain Stage bathed in glorious sunshine to the tunes of Lost Horizons. Australian breakout stars Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever took to the Far Out stage later in the day, and the inimitable Anna Calvi returned to Green Man after last performing in 2015 to perform songs from her forthcoming highly anticipated new album.
Over in the Last Laugh arena, Phil Wang and Tom Wrigglesworth were among the host of comedians keeping the Sunday crowds entertained. The legendary Peggy Seeger took to the stage at Talking Shop to discuss her extraordinary life and career – covering over sixty years as her time as a folk icon and activist – as well as a detailed look at the Sunday Times and Telegraph’s Book of the Year, her memoir First Time Ever.
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Saturday had seen festival goers treated to a triumphant headline set from Seattle’s Fleet Foxes. They were preceded by storming shows from John Grant and returning Welsh hero Cate Le Bon, who was joined onstage by Grant as she enthralled the crowd at the Mountain Stage at her only festival performance this year.
Scottish indie legends Teenage Fanclub played a career-spanning greatest hits set at the Far Out stage, and were followed by a mesmerising set from Simian Mobile Disco accompanied by Green Man Festival favourite Deep Throat Choir. RobDeering, Jess Forteskew and George Egg were amongst a host of comedians keeping the crowd in stitches on the Last Laugh stage.
Elsewhere, a host of 2018’s breakthrough stars, including Phoebe Bridgers, Sorry, Goat Girl, Jade Bird and Wales’ ownBoy Azooga performed rapturously received sets across the site.
Friday saw the unforgettable first ever festival headline performance from Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Their phenomenal set closed the stage that had earlier been officially opened by the winners of the Green Man Rising competition, Park Motive, and also seen shows by the always compelling Joan As Policewomanand Dirty Projectors, who brought their brooding art-rock mastery to the Brecon Beacons once again.
There were also magnetic performances by nineteen year old American rising star Snail Mail, and Susanne Sundfør, whose mesmerising vocals transfixed the audience in the Walled Garden.
Away from the music stages, the festival’s pioneering science and education area, Einstein’s Garden, celebrated its tenth year, showcasing discussions, stalls and experiments, including The Vagina Museum, The Unifying Theory of Gay and The Mathematician’s Daughter. Green Man once again welcomed a unique programme of Visual Art including spellbinding installations from Carlo Bernardini and Flow Conceptions.
This year’s jam-packed Cinedrome schedule included the UK premiere of the acclaimed The Miseducation of Cameron Post, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, and the worldwide premiere of Huw Stephens’ film Anorac, as well as showings of acclaimed films, including The Shape of Water and Whitney.
The Little Folk children’s area continues to pioneer family-centric fun at UK festivals with a broad programme of entertainment and interactive exhibitions. Families were the first to stream into the site when the Settlement opened on Monday, for 5,000 enthusiastic festival goers (up from 3,000 last year) who turned their festival experience to a 7-day holiday in Wales.
The Settlers warmed up for the festival with a programme of workshops, guided walks, bike riding, canoeing and adventures in the mystical Welsh countryside.
The Welsh Beer & Cider festival in The Courtyard kept festival-goers lubricated with the finest local beverages, with more than 100,000 pints being sunk across the weekend.
