How the UK's Green Man Festival has managed to stay independent

Euronews

6 days ago

Amid the tranquil verdant hills of the Brecon Beacons in south Wales, one of Europe's most special music festivals finds its home.
While many festivals might turn their sites into cacophonous blurs of hedonism and noise, Green Man Festival is a little different.
Sure, there's plenty of noise. After all, this year's line-up includes Northern Irish rap group Kneecap, electro legends Underworld and indie rockers Wet Leg... But what sets apart Green Man is its community-led independent focus.
Ahead of the sold-out 2025 edition (14-17 August), Euronews Culture caught up with festival director Fiona Stewart.
Started in 2003, the festival saw Stewart come on board in 2006. She has seen the festival's profile grow to one of the most acclaimed in the UK. All 25,000 tickets sold out within 35 seconds when they went online in October last year.
About a 10th the size of Glastonbury, fans of Green Man come for its curated line-up of artists, its family and queer-friendly atmosphere, and its stunning placement in one of Wales' most picturesque national parks.
'I love looking at people's faces,' Stewart says of the Green Man audience. 'We spend all year thinking about things which are going to entertain them and surprise them, so actually seeing them react to it and enjoy it. I get such a massive kick out of it.'
What fans might not know is that Green Man is one of the biggest festivals that can still claim to be fully independent.
While other major music events have been bought out by large companies, Green Man is run entirely by its own team. Keeping Green Man independent has always been of great importance to Stewart, whose title isn't just Director but also owner.
Prior to Green Man, Stewart worked for The Big Chill, and she learned from her experiences with the English festival.
'That was a lovely festival. A really, really beautiful festival,' she tells Euronews Culture. 'And I saw that become very damaged over time.'
Indeed, The Big Chill went into voluntary liquidation in 2009 and was then sold to Festival Republic, who cancelled the festival outright after its 2011 edition.
Festival Republic owns multiple major UK festivals including Reading and Leeds, Latitude, Wireless and Download, as well as Longitude in Ireland and Germany's Lollapalooza. Between 2002 and 2012, they also were the operators of Glastonbury.
Part of Live Nation Entertainment – the entertainment company that has been criticised for its widespread control of music venues and ticketings – Festival Republic runs efficient, enjoyable but, crucially, profit-driven events.
'They're about market share and shareholders and investment, and it's not their fault. Legally, they have to be generating money. And they do some amazing events. They do lots of things I couldn't do, and they employ a lot of people, so it's not all bad, but it's run in a very different way,' Stewart says.
Stewart still has to make sure Green Man is profitable enough to continue running, but without the same shareholder chain-of-command of a mega corporation like Live Nation, she's more free to make decisions that benefit the atmosphere of the festival.
Fundamentally, being independent allows Green Man to court the artists they please, choosing quality and experience over established star power. Discovery is at the heart of the experience, wandering between the charming walled garden stage into tents to find the next Self Esteem or Michael Kiwanuka.
For many acts across the weekend, Green Man is a potential launchpad.
That doesn't mean to say they don't attract big names. This year's line-up also includes heavy hitters like Beth Gibbons, Perfume Genius, Panda Bear and CMAT, as well as critically acclaimed emerging talents like Nilüfer Yanya, English Teacher and Been Stellar.
Stewart doesn't handle the curation directly ('I'm too old, quite frankly') but entrusts it to a team of curators, each covering music, spoken word, comedy, performing arts and more. They are all totally immersed in their areas with great relationships in the industry.
'I just say, as long as we can afford it and you and it's not gonna cause a problem, then you can book it.'
Opening the weekend this year, Northern Irish rap group Kneecap have been the only source of a potential problem.
The group have been at the centre of multiple controversies after footage emerged of them allegedly calling for MPs to be killed. Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was also charged by the Metropolitan Police with a terror offence after allegedly displaying the flag of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a gig.
The Welsh government condemned their actions, but many artists – including those on this year's line-up – have signed letters in favour of Kneecap's freedom of expression. Ó hAnnaidh, known by his stage name Mo Chara, is set to next appear in court on 20 August, three days after Green Man Festival finishes for 2025.
Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, Green Man declined to comment on Kneecap's inclusion on the line-up.
Green Man's silence still puts the festival at odds with other festivals and venues. Kneecap were quickly dropped from line-ups at German festivals Hurricane and Southside, Hungary's Sziget festival, as well as multiple dates in the UK - including TRNSMT in Scotland.
Line-up aside, Green Man's independence also gives Stewart and her team the opportunity to tailor the experience more directly to people's tastes. They haven't been forced to sell their pouring rights to a major alcohol brand, so can run a locally sourced Welsh beer festival within the grounds.
At a grassroots level, Green Man supports local businesses and provides jobs to people in the area as much as possible. It's all part of a community aspect that feeds the unique atmosphere.
Inclusivity is also a priority, from the annual Pride March to receiving the gold standard in accessibility.
However, there are downsides to their independence.
While major corporations can insure themselves against trouble, when there's a crisis it's much harder for an independently-run organisation to keep afloat.
COVID-19 comes to mind.
'I lost about £800,000 (€920,000) that year because we sold out early and like lots of businesses, I tried to buy everything early to get prices down. So we lost that money completely,' Stewart says.
As festivals are ephemeral and without a solid asset, she struggled to get a loan to ensure success. It was the exact situation that led to many other events selling their trademarks to the big corporations. However, Stewart was able to keep Green Man running and independent, thanks in part to government help that took a long time to be given.
Since the pandemic, insurance, artists, and utilities have all gone up in price. Yet Green Man still remains - all without the major backing of companies like Live Nation.
Green Man's continued support of emerging artists over single big-ticket headliners, support of local businesses, and prioritisation of people's experience has kept it as one of the top events of the year.
2025's Green Man Festival takes place from 14 – 17 August - Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, Wales.