I had my first outing to Greenbelt two years ago, in a group and I wasn’t too sure what to make of it.
This year, lovely wife and I went by ourselves, for the day. And it was a completely different experience.
Back in 2007 we were trying to make arrangements with others to be in certain places at certain times, and I’ve come to find that that’s not how best to do a festival. It’s better to be chilled, to have very flexible plans, to make it up as you go along.
This year we missed – but then later caught on MP3 download – Messers Bell and Bell (Rob and John). But we did take in:
- Jasper Fforde in the literature tent
- Lots of interesting stuff in the information tent
- A cool Christian Aid exhibition using piles of rice to represent populations and groups of people
- A not-particularly impressive or inspiring Climate Change workshop
- A quick Jive class (which later got a bit too busy)
- A surprise appearance by Agents of Future that totally caught us off guard – a wacky but AMAZING live act that we saw in the music shop tent (think 10 people on stage with mostly improvised instruments, singing their hearts out with boat loads of passion – of noise, but a joyful one!)
- Athlete, who’s latest album is pretty good (if you like that sort of thing) and who’ve become a pretty good live act.
And probably some other stuff too. We ate well, we had coffee with friends on the spur of the moment. We enjoyed it! And I’m inspired to go back next year for the weekend again, and if anyone else wants to come then I’ll see you there. But I ain’t planning anything!
[Thanks to CMS and JackHarryBill for taking photos where I didn’t]