Green Man: Tears and joy as festival returns against Covid odds

When tickets sold out in minutes for a festival in the Welsh mountains in May, the organisers had no idea if it would be able to go head due to Covid rules.

Now thousands of people are heading to Crickhowell in Powys as Green Man begins.

Fiona Stewart, managing director, said staff were crying as they welcomed festival-goers back after such an uncertain time.

"I've been blubbing the whole way," she told BBC Radio Wales.

In May, tickets went on sale despite no news from the Welsh government on whether Covid restrictions would be eased in time for it to go ahead.

Mass gatherings - including festivals and gigs - had been banned in Wales since the first lockdown began in March 2020.

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It was only on 14 July, just weeks before the start of the festival, that the Welsh government announced limits on outdoor gatherings were being scrapped.

Festival organisers had no idea whether it would be able to go ahead

"We only knew four weeks ago we were going ahead," Ms Stewart said.

"To get from there to here in that time is just astounding."

Weeks before it was due to go ahead the Welsh government scrapped outdoor gathering limits

Ms Stewart had previously said up to 5,000 people could have been hit if the festival, nestled in the Black Mountains, had to be cancelled.

She said then she had held back on spending the usual millions of pounds, so if they had been forced to cancel they would not have been ruined.

On Thursday, as the first day of the festival began, Ms Stewart said people were turning up very early in the morning.

She said staff had burst into tears seeing people turning up at the ground.

"Everyone was roaring with laughter and clapping, and there were big cheers," she said.

As visitors started coming through the gates staff burst into tears, the director says

"It's been very emotional, the whole thing - quite a lot of people are meeting family and friends from Wales and other parts of the country."

Ms Stewart said support from the community and people in the events industry had been "incredible".

"Staff have shown what they made of - we have even been getting messages from other events who can't believe we have done this," she said.

Green Man has been estimated to contribute £15m to the Welsh economy each year

Now in its 19th year, Green Man has been estimated to contribute £15m to the Welsh economy each year.

While the majority of Covid rules have now been lifted in Wales, Ms Steward said it would be up to individuals if they wanted to wear masks, and tents would be open so there would be no indoor spaces.

What makes Green Man different from many music festivals is that it's privately owned and doesn't have a corporate backer.

That has made the decision to go ahead even more risky.

Undecided five weeks ago, Fiona Stewart acknowledged that if she went ahead and then had to cancel it would have dire consequences for the festival's future.

It been calculated that it generates £15m for the Welsh economy by spending as much as it can locally. For instance by retaining the pouring rights in the bars, beers from hundreds of independent brewers are sold as opposed to brands from multinationals.

The Green Man Trust supports artists as well as training young people and refugees to help them get employment - as well as supporting young musicians and artists.

Powys council says that the festival helps tourism in Mid Wales because it attracts people into the area, they spend locally and return for holidays.

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