As a veteran of some 13 years of the Greenbelt Festival I have observed steady changes over the years in this venerable arts, spirituality and thought festival. It is inspired by, but by no means limited to, Christian good causes and general benevolence. Causes always at the forefront are those such as Fair Trade, global poverty, inequality, human rights, empowerment, environmentalism and so forth.
The only natural enemy of Greenbelt is the weather. I remember that on the last occasion it was held at its former Cheltenham race course base, 2013 I think, it was washed out by heavy rainfall. So washed out that many people lost wellington boots in the thick mud. That was the last time it was held at Cheltenham!
Friday
This year 2024 has seen high winds cause chaos on day one as much of the festival happens in big tents and marquees. These are susceptible to being blown down. Several venues were closed. Even the perennial art trail was closed - it being an exhibition of various works of art and installations which are in tune with the general wordiness and wickerness of the festival. The pleasant wooded part of the festival site was also closed as the organisers fear that some of the huge mature deciduous trees might be blown down on top of marquees or festival goers.
Despite the winds by early afternoon on Friday most venues had opened and the talks and performances were flowing.
First stop for me in 2024 was a play in the 'Playhouse' theatre marquee, which seats 700 people. The play was excellent - about young people falling victim to county lines gangs.
Greenbelt always features some modern art and in 2024 we had an 'art tour' with some interesting works on display.
I talked to the artist Susan Williams and the point of this artwork apparently is that we march on and things subtly change. The change is graduated like the colour of the shoes. Also the shoes change as one views the work from one end to the other, with old fashioned shows at one end and new shoes at the other. In its way it is a clever work. Art based on an idea.
This fascinating work was a collection of jelly moulded shoes - maybe it makes a point that we are all moulded to some extent?
Here we have some textile work which captures the essence of Greenbelt - 'Love is the answer'!
Boughton House is a fascinating place to visit from the festival grounds. Here we see traditional English stately garden ware and a well manicured lawn.
Here we have some more textile work and in the background an image by an artist who likes to make pictures of herself wearing long gowns.
Greenbelt is all about belief, and not just faith. It is about what we believe and what we are told to believe, and those who would have us believe certain things.
Greenbelt values action more than words and speakers at the festival are often people who go out and do.
Greenbelt has had the 'Canopy' music venue for several years. I saw a superb set there by Beth Rowley a few years ago. So this time I listened to an acoustic set by John Smith, a rising star on the British folkie and acoustic scene.
For Saturday I looked forward to some time in the 'Hot House' venue with some interesting speakers lined up.
Saturday
Mr Weather gave us a morning of rain. Hopefully it will subside, as the forecast says it will.
I am in the cafe tent of the United Reform Church, which always has a good programme of talks from various speakers. In the wake of the recent riots caused by migration, many of the speakers speak against hate and violence.
I miss the Christian Aid food tent of several years ago. There was always space to sit down and speakers to listen to while one ate. The URC did their best but the tent was too small.
One speaker makes a good point about recent government policy which has seen the use of 'austerity' to gut many communities including the disposal of many community spaces. This affects artists quite badly as there is often nowhere to exhibit unless they are 'well connected'.
My major interest at Greenbelt is ideas. I like to be exposed to new ideas. So I head to the ‘Hot House’ tent where ideas are discussed. I listen to a talk by Kate Raworth the donut economics guru. The talk was somewhat dumbed down with inflatable props but we all got the message that untrammelled growth is not compatible with good environmental outcomes.
In 2024 the Hot House venue is opposite the Glade music stage which had loud rock music. This somewhat spoiled the talk by journalist Luke Harding about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He painted an appalling picture of the Russian invasion - murderous, barbaric, wasteful of lives all round and especially of Russian lives.
Harding dodged a question from the audience which compared the recent military actions of Israel and Russia. Apparently he had turned down an opportunity to cover Gaza - he thought two ongoing major conflicts were too many to cover at once.
Next was some food then a good acoustic set by musician Katherine Priddy. After that more music from Rachel Chaplin. Hers was a light spiritual set appropriate for a summer evening at Greenbelt.
As darkness fell, on the main 'Glade' stage we watched a very noisy set by Bob Vylan. There was some colourful language from Bob with many children still in the audience. Also some aggressive talk which might land some lesser people in trouble, but evidently not him. I am too old to appreciate his music.
The Greenbelt audience seems more diverse this year, something that the organisers have worked on for several years. There is a balancing act here in that trying to make something popular can simply mean dumbing it down, which would spoil Greenbelt and in my opinion endanger it.
Sunday
After the rain on Saturday, Sunday was a return to summer form with lovely warm sunshine. The ground began to dry.
As is traditional at Greenbelt there was a Sunday morning Christian service. I am not a particularly religious man but my partner is a believer and I enjoy the friendliness of our local church.
The service was cosmopolitan with a live feed from a Palestinian farmer and his family who live in the disputed West Bank territory. Their farm is apparently increasingly encroached upon by settlers and possibly tough times lay ahead. Despite that they remain positive and try to avoid hate. Hate, we all know, is energy intensive and exhausting.
At midday we saw a stage musical by Leeds Studio called 'Chisholm for President'. This was about Shirley Chisholm, the first black female congresswoman in the USA. The songs and spoken dialogue reflected the struggles and concerns, during turbulent times, of this remarkable woman.
Cambridge University's youngest professor, Jason Arday, was the next speaker we listened to in the 'Pagoda' venue. He talked of his life as a very late developer who progressed to become a professor. He outlined his views on how education can be opened up for more people, and who might be the determined opponents of such a policy.
Back to the 'Canopy' in early evening for some more acoustic music from Megson, a duo whose forte is thoughtful and soulful compositions and harmonies. Very pleasant music to wind down the last evening of the festival.
The final event of the evening for me was 'Requiem - Remembering Gaza' which featured harrowing testimony about the war in Gaza and the lives ruined or terminated. Arab musicians played traditional instruments to accompany segments of the audio-visual narrative. There was a feeling of hopelessness for the Palestinians and their situation.
Hamas should never have launched that brutal and stupid attack against Israelis in October 2023. Having said that the sometimes indiscriminate Israeli reaction has cost tens of thousands of Palestinian lives. It is time to stop the violence and talk.
So that was Greenbelt 2024.
