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Greenbelt Festival | |
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Genre | Mixed |
Dates | August Bank Holiday weekend (Weekend of the last Monday in August) |
Location(s) | Prospect Farm Charsfield (1974) Odell Castle (1975–1981) Knebworth Park (1982–1983) Castle Ashby (1984–1992) Deene Park (1993–1998) Cheltenham Racecourse (1999–2013) Boughton House (2014–) |
Years active | 1974–present |
Website | Greenbelt.org.uk |
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown out of an evangelical Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young people into its current form, a more inclusive festival attended at its peak around 2010 by around 20,000, including Christians and those from other faiths. [1]
The festival regularly attracts the biggest names of Christian music and many mainstream musicians. Those that have played the festival in the past include both new and established musicians, mostly playing rock, folk and pop music. This list includes The Alarm, U2, Moby, Cliff Richard, [2] Ed Sheeran, Martyn Joseph, Steve Taylor, [3] Midnight Oil, Amy Grant, [4] Kevin Max, Lambchop, Goldie, Jamelia, After the Fire, The Proclaimers, [5] Daniel Bedingfield, Eden Burning, Duke Special, Athlete and Sixpence None the Richer. [6]
Greenbelt is also a venue for teaching and discussion about (but not exclusively within) the Christian faith, and has attracted number of Christian speakers, including Rowan Williams [7] (the former archbishop of Canterbury) who is currently the festival's patron. However, the festival also welcomes anyone who the organisers believe 'speaks for justice', and has had Anita Roddick, Peter Tatchell, Bill Drummond, and Billy Bragg sharing their thoughts.
More recently with its links to the NGO Christian Aid, [8] Greenbelt has become heavily involved in campaigns for trade justice. The festival was one of the main catalysts for the huge Jubilee 2000 movement. Greenbelt is also a Christian showcase for performing arts, visual arts and alternative worship.
Greenbelt is a nomadic festival which has so far been held at seven different locations in England. While the venue has changed, the core event has remained the same: a celebration of faith, justice and arts with a particular Christian perspective.
The first Greenbelt Festival was held on a pig farm just outside the village of Charsfield near Woodbridge, Suffolk over the August 1974 bank holiday weekend, begun by Jim Palosaari, Kenneth Frampton, and James Holloway. Local fears concerning the festival in the weeks running up to it proved to be unfounded, but the festival did not return to the venue.
Between 1975 and 1981 the festival was held in the grounds of Odell Castle in Bedfordshire. The largest audiences for Greenbelt were during its two-year stay at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire, 1982 and 1983.
1984 saw Greenbelt move to one of its longest-serving homes, Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire. While at Castle Ashby, Greenbelt began the practice of adopting an annual theme for the festival. Artists are encouraged to draw from the theme where possible.
Originally the 1992 festival was expected to be held at a new, permanent home on a farm a few miles away in Church Stowe. Greenbelt had finances in place to purchase the site, but met strong resistance from local residents. The plans collapsed and the festival returned to Castle Ashby one last time.
From 1993 to 1998 Greenbelt's home was the grounds of Deene Park, Northamptonshire. Putting the plan to purchase a permanent site on hold, Greenbelt instead negotiated with Deene Park's owner and invested in infrastructure improvements to this temporary site instead.
Following a downturn in audience figures and rising production costs, Greenbelt faced up to the inevitable in 1998: it was no longer financially viable to continue using the Deene Park site. A bold plan was devised. The 1998 event was pitched as the "last Greenbelt of its kind", with two festivals planned for 1999: a youth-oriented event "Freestate" in partnership with Spring Harvest to be held the August Bank Holiday weekend and a more family-oriented "Greenbelt" to be held over the last weekend in July at Cheltenham Racecourse.
In early 1999 plans for Freestate collapsed and its embryonic programme was hastily rolled into the Greenbelt planned for Cheltenham. The 1999 Greenbelt Festival took place at Cheltenham but saw the lowest audiences since the 1970s. It remains the only Greenbelt to have taken place other than on an August Bank Holiday weekend.
Greenbelt emerged from its financial difficulties in the early 2000s with ever-increasing audiences for festivals held at Cheltenham. In its last years at Cheltenham, although audiences were beginning to fall, they were over 20,000, comparable in numbers to those of its "glory days" in the early 1980s. In 2014 Greenbelt moved to Boughton House, Northamptonshire, due to the planned redevelopment of Cheltenham Racecourse, as well as part of the site being unusable after severe weather during the 2012 festival caused flash flooding across parts of the racecourse. Since the move the festival has been scaled back after a drop in numbers and possibly due to the related loss of finances. [9]
At the 2022 festival, Greenbelt announced that from 2023 they would bring the start and end dates forward to coincide with the festival's 50th anniversary. Greenbelt 2023 began with festivalgoers gathering on Thursday 24th and programming running from the morning of Friday 25th to Sunday 27th, instead of Friday evening to Monday evening. [10] The 2024 festival will follow the same pattern of dates running from 22 to 25 August 2024.
Although there is constant tension between its faith-based origins and a more exploratory attitude to engaging with the world, the perspective of the festival remains one rooted in the Christian tradition, and drawing Christian music lovers. [11]
Greenbelt's vision is to be at the collision of arts, justice and faith. With the organisation's blessing, three other events have taken the same blueprint and created festivals along similar lines in other countries. The Solas Festival has been held in Scotland annually since 2010. The following year saw the first Wild Goose Festival in the United States, and in 2013 the Bet Lahem Live festival joined the informal family,
All events are run independently, with their own local flavour while acknowledging inspiration from Greenbelt.
Greenbelt is a registered charity and incorporated at Companies House. It is overseen by a board of trustees/directors who are responsible for its governance. A small staff team is supplemented by a large base of volunteers and a number of subcontractors. [12]
These can be favourable amongst the initiated or quite negative. The Guardian sent Jessica Reed, a self-proclaimed atheist, to see the 2009 festival. Expecting to be turned off from the outset she mellowed to the point of admitting she became almost "quite tolerant of 'post-evangelism'"[ sic ] but finally finding that the evangelism "lurked" under the surface, she left. [13]
A Huffington Post report said, "How progressive politics, music and religion combine to make a festival where the loos are lovely and the people properly nice". [14] The mix of Christians, environmental campaigners, Muslim clerics and atheists make this a heady mix, "The 700 Club at play it ain't." [14]
Festival | Date, venue and theme | Contributors included: |
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GB01 | 23–26 August 1974 | Headliners (Parchment, Sheep, Malcolm and Alwyn, Aleksander John, All Things New, Garth Hewitt, Kevin Gould, After the Fire) [15] - Others (Really Free Band, Narnia, Penryn Jinx, Liberation Suite, Stewart Henderson, Lonesome Stone, Fish Company, George Duffin, John Peck, Jack Filby, Eric Delve, The Living Stones, Cornerstone, Truth Trinity, Steve Turner, 11.59) |
Prospect Farm, Suffolk | ||
GB02 | August 1975 | After the Fire, Arnion, All Things New, Liberation Suite, Fish Co, Patrick Sookhdeo, Jean Darnell, Stewart Henderson, Alexander John, Garth Hewitt. A family service led by Patrick Sookhdeo. Feature film Quo Vardis. |
Odell Castle, Bedfordshire | ||
GB03 | August 1976 | Randy Matthews, Bryn Haworth Band, After the Fire with Ishmael, Mighty Flyers, Chuck Girard, Honeytree, Fish Co, Garth Hewitt, Graham Kendrick, Adrian Snell, Paul Burbridge & Murray Watts, John Peck, Graham Cray, Movement Banned |
Odell Castle | ||
GB04 | August 1977 | All Saints Star Band, Alwyn Wall band, Masterpeace, Nutshell, Kenny Marks, John Pantry, Graham Cray, John Peck, Bill Mason, Wellies, Thin Ice, Power Take Off (PTO) |
Odell Castle | ||
GB05 | August 1978 | Ishmael United, Bryn Haworth, Jessy Dixon, Garth Hewitt, Adrian Snell, Rodney Corder, Giantkiller, Fish Co, Parchment, John Gladwin, Margaret Winfield, Graham Kendrick, Martin Evans, Malcolm Doney, Patrick Sookhdeo, Jim Punton, Riding Lights Theatre Co, Power Take Off (PTO) |
Odell Castle | ||
GB06 | August 1979 | Meet Jesus Music, After the Fire, Cliff Richard, Bryn Haworth, The Fat Band, Randy Stonehill, Larry Norman, John Gladwin, Roy Castle, Margaret Winfield, Chris Aston, Martin Hallett, The Predators, Just The Job, Giantkiller, Solid Rock, Vatten |
Odell Castle | ||
GB07 | August 1980 | Adrian Snell, Famous Names, Larry Norman, Daniel Amos, Jessy Dixon, Beau MacDougall, Just The Job, Jerusalem, Masterpeace, David Porter, Nigel Goodwin, Simon Jenkins, Geoffrey Stevenson |
Odell Castle | ||
GB08 | August 1981 | U2, Tense, Just the Job, The Stares, Crown Agent, Barry McGuire, Joe English Band featuring Bonnie Bramlett, Cliff Richard, Rick Parfitt, Phil Everly, Mike Reid, Pieces of Glass, Garth Hewitt and Network 3, Randy Stonehill, Jerusalem, Norman Barratt, Sheila Walsh, Mark Williamson, Sam Hughes, 100% Proof, Paul Field, Roger Sainsbury, Stephen Timms, Ron Sider, Jim Punton, David Watson, The Predators, Solid Rock |
Odell Castle | ||
GB09 | August 1982 | Noel Paul Stookey, Bryn Haworth, Adrian Snell, The Barratt Band, Rez Band, Servant, Andy Pratt, Talking Drums, Paradise, Maxine and the Majestics, Roger Forster, Calvin Seerveld, Jim Wallis, Patrick Sookhdeo |
Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire | ||
GB10 | August 1983 | 100% Proof, Cliff Richard, Jessy Dixon, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Randy Stonehill, Sheila Walsh, Conquest |
Knebworth Park | ||
GB11 | 22–27 August 1984 | Garth Hewitt, The Larry Norman Band, Philip Bailey, Bruce Cockburn, Sheila Walsh, Leviticus |
Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire | ||
GB12 | August 1985 | Jerusalem, Deniece Williams, Philip Bailey, Steve Taylor, Leviticus, |
Castle Ashby | ||
GB13 | August 1986 | Bryn Haworth, David Grant, Deniece Williams, The Fat Band, Mike Peters, Blood & Fire, the Choir, Gordon Gano, Elaine Storkey |
Castle Ashby | ||
GB14 | August 1987 | The Alarm, Bruce Cockburn, Daniel Amos, Leviticus, Narsh, Steve Taylor, Sheila Walsh, Elaine Storkey, The Predators |
Castle Ashby | ||
GB15 | August 1988 | Martyn Joseph, Cliff Richard, Amy Grant, Runrig |
Castle Ashby | ||
The Fifteen Year Special | ||
GB16 | August 1989 | Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Labi Siffre, Steve Taylor, Fat and Frantic, Eden Burning, Gary Hall and the Stormkeepers, Maggi Dawn, Sublime, Wobegone, Peter Case, Bruce Cockburn, One Bad Pig, Seventh Angel, Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, The Hang, Elaine Storkey |
Castle Ashby | ||
Art and Soul | ||
GB17 | 23–27 August 1990 | Runrig, The Call, Deacon Blue, Russ Taff, Whitecross, Mike Peters, Fat and Frantic, River City People, Lies Damned Lies. |
Castle Ashby | ||
Rumours of Glory | ||
GB18 | 22–26 August 1991 | Galactic Cowboys, Chagall Guevara, Steve Harley, Sounds of Blackness, Amy Grant, River City People, Steeleye Span, Tintagel, The Pineapples, Michael W Smith, This Picture |
Castle Ashby | ||
Wrestling with Angels | ||
GB19 | 27–31 August 1992 | Nine O'Clock Service, Bruce Cockburn, Runrig, Bob Geldof and the Happy Clubsters, Martyn Joseph |
Castle Ashby | ||
Journeys of the heart | ||
GB20 | 26–30 August 1993 | T-Bone, The Prayer Chain, Magnum, James Taylor Quartet, Incognito, Herbie Armstrong, D-Influence, Iain Archer, Tom Sine, James Jones, Tom Wright, Gerard Hughes, Pete Ward, Stewart Henderson, Nigel Forde, Tom Robinson, Samantha Fox |
Deene Park, Northamptonshire | ||
Field of Dreams | ||
GB21 | 25–29 August 1994 | Powerhouse Choir, The Proclaimers, Steve Taylor, Midnight Oil |
Deene Park | ||
Roots, Rhythm and Redemption | ||
GB22 | 24–28 August 1995 | Moby, Bruce Cockburn, Corduroy, Credit to the Nation, Disraeli Gears, Doo The Moog, Pray For Rain, Newsboys, Quick and the Dead, Frank Chikane, Gustavo Parajón, Dave Tomlinson, Lavinia Byrne, Jo Ind, Joy Carroll |
Deene Park | ||
Can these dry bones dance? | ||
GB23 | 22–26 August 1996 | Dakoda Motor Co., Steven Curtis Chapman, Ricky Ross, Moby, Brian Kennedy (singer), Eve & The Garden |
Deene Park | ||
Windows on wild heaven | ||
GB24 | 21–25 August 1997 | Vigilantes of Love, Lamb, Iona, Sneaker Pimps |
Deene Park | ||
Divine Comedy | ||
GB25 | 27–31 August 1998 | Headliners Jars of Clay, All Star United, Carleen Anderson, Delirious?, Fat and Frantic |
Deene Park | ||
The last of its kind | ||
GB26 | 29 July - 1 August 1999 | Bruce Cockburn, Vigilantes of Love, Blind Boys of Alabama, Asian Dub Foundation, Martyn Joseph, Rick Wakeman |
Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire | ||
Deeper and Wider | ||
GB27 | 25–28 August 2000 | Phatfish, Dum Dums, Joan Armatrading, Mal Pope, Tom Robinson with Martyn Joseph |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
heaven@earth.com | ||
GB28 | 24–27 August 2001 | Vigilantes of Love, Dum Dums, Eddi Reader, Courtney Pine, Brian Houston, Martyn Joseph, Sarah Masen, Kato, Jessy Dixon, Kendall Payne, Emmaus, Ben Castle, BottleRockit, Airstar, Steve Lawson, Bell Jar |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Eternal Echoes | ||
GB29 | 23–26 August 2002 | Over the Rhine, Jazz Jamaica, Delirious?, Faith Folk & Anarchy, Steve Apirana, Lies Damned Lies, Ben Okafor, Steve Lawson |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Kiss of Life | ||
GB30 | 22–25 August 2003 | The Polyphonic Spree, Kate Rusby, Umoja, The Tribe, Billy Bragg, Duke Special, Aqualung, Eden Burning, Boo Hewerdine, Kato, Brian Houston, Quench (band) |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Diving for Pearls | ||
GB31 | 27–30 August 2004 | Lambchop, Delirious?, Denys Baptiste, Jamelia, After The Fire, Rob Newman, Rowan Williams |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Freedom Bound | ||
GB32 | 26–29 August 2005 | Iain Archer, Estelle, The Proclaimers, Jazz Jamaica, Corrine Bailey Rae, Ricky Ross, Juliet Turner, Daby Touré, Beth Rowley, Gilles Peterson, Emiliana Torrini, Kendall Payne, Carleen Anderson, Elaine Storkey |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Tree of Life | ||
GB33 | 25–28 August 2006 | Maria McKee, Daniel Bedingfield, My Morning Jacket, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Dave Andrews, Martyn Joseph, This Beautiful Republic |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Redemption Songs | ||
GB34 | 24–27 August 2007 | Billy Bragg, Kanda Bongo Man, Coldcut, Over the Rhine, John Tavener, Delirious?, Rebecca Worthley, Duke Special, Denison Witmer, Chas & Dave, Aqualung, Matt Redman |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Heaven in Ordinary | ||
GB35 | 22–25 August 2008 | Michael Franti and Spearhead, Seth Lakeman, Beth Rowley, José González, Fightstar, Jamie Catto, The Ian McMillan Orchestra, Iain Archer, Linchpin, Martyn Joseph, Starfield, Anathallo, MxPx, Juliet Turner, Matthew Herbert Big Band, Shlomo, Daby Touré, Brian Houston, Steve Lawson |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Rising Sun | ||
GB36 | 28–31 August 2009 | Athlete, Bluetree, Bosh, Cenacle, Cornershop, Duke Special, Eddy Johns, Edwina Hayes, LZ7, Peggy Sue, Röyksopp, Sixpence None The Richer, Stu G, Sway, The Invisible, Tim Hughes |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Standing in the Long Now | ||
GB37 | 27–30 August 2010 | Luke Leighfield, Beverley Knight, Courtney Pine, Shed Seven, London Community Gospel Choir, Ty, Jars of Clay, Foy Vance, Lou Rhodes, The King Blues, The Dodge Brothers, Ugly Duckling, Zic Zazou, Tom Hollander, Kester Brewin, John Bell, Richard Rohr, Maggi Dawn, Mark Yaconelli, Dave Andrews, Cole Moreton, Bruce Kent, Clare Short, John Smith, Jude Simpson, Andy Flannagan, Robin Ince, Martyn Joseph, Milton Jones, Peter Tatchell, Lucy Winkett, Mark Vernon, Stanley Hauerwas, Richard Chartres, Foy Vance, Roger McGough, David Morrissey, Simon Mayo, Linda Marlowe, Mark Kermode, Laurence Freeman, Abdul-Rehman Malik, Riding Lights Theatre Company, Andrew Rumsey, Tony Vino, Bobby Baker, Steve Lawson, Jason Barnett, Nick Park, Gareth Higgins, Cole Moreton, Janey Lee Grace, Richard Harries, Gustavo Parajon, Karen Ward, Pip Wilson, Eliacín Rosario-Cruz, Tom Sine, Francis Spufford, Jo Ind, Catherine Venn, Michael McDermott |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
The Art of Looking Sideways | ||
GB38 | 26–29 August 2011 | Martyn Joseph, Milton Jones, Iain Archer, Show of Hands, Kate Rusby, Idlewild, Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly. Mavis Staples, Billy Bragg, Mark Thomas, Luke Leighfield, Folk On, The Unthanks, Harry Baker, Tony Vino, John Bell, Willie Williams, Methodist Modern Art Collection. |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Dreams of Home | ||
Greenbelt 2012 | 24–27 August 2012 | Speech Debelle, Bruce Cockburn, The Proclaimers, Seth Lakeman, Bellowhead, The Imagined Village, Megson, Thomas Truax, Franz Nicolay, Frank Skinner, Asian Dub Foundation, Robin Ince, Diamuid McCulloch, Harry Baker, Folk On, Nitin Sawhney, Martyn Joseph, Schlomo |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Saving Paradise | ||
Greenbelt 2013 | 23–26 August 2013 | Amadou & Mariam, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lemar, Duke Special, Eliza Carthy & Jim Moray, London Community Gospel Choir, Courtney Pine, Thea Gilmore, Graham Kendrick, Why?, Fat and Frantic, Barbara Brown Taylor, Dave Andrews, Jim Wallis, Eric Kaufmann, Clare Balding, Adrian Plass, Milton Jones, The Sunday Assembly, Folk On |
Cheltenham Racecourse | ||
Life begins | ||
Greenbelt 2014 | 22–25 August 2014 | Sinéad O'Connor, Stornoway, Tinariwen, Luke Sital-Singh, Gilles Peterson, Jahmene Douglas, Boo Hewerdine, Beth Rowley, Lau, Hackney Colliery Band, Bridie Jackson & The Arbour, Emily and The Woods, Gaggle, Samantha Crain, Wara, Winter Mountain, Jason Carter, Dizraeli and the Small Gods, Hobbit, Cathy Burton, Harp and a Monkey, Heather Hind, Levi Hummon, RM Hubbert, The Chaplins, The Cut Ups, Tiny Ruins, Ezio, Josephine and The Artizans, The Jonny Walker Band, Apirana Quartet, Benjamin Blower & The Army of the Broken Hearted, Fischy Music, Flute of Shame, Lotte Mullan, The Claze, Thumb, Vive, The Observatory, Jump Cannon Productions, Berkeley Ensemble, Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies, Hope & Social, The Tombola Theory (with Ben Castle), The Old Plough Folk Club, Atlum Schema, Chris T-T & The Hoodrats, Ellie Rose, Flight Brigade, Folk On, Grace Petrie, Guvna B, Hannah Scott, Jasmine Kennedy, Jess Morgan, Luke Leighfield, Marcus Hummon, Martyn Joseph, Rory Butler, Yvonne Lyon, Stanley Odd, The Travelling Band, Clara Sanabras, Wednesday's Wolves, Harvey Brough |
Boughton House, Northamptonshire | ||
Travelling Light | ||
Greenbelt 2015 [16] | 28–31 August 2015 | The Polyphonic Spree, The Unthanks, Duke Special, Under the Dark Cloth, Shlomo, Kiran Ahluwalia, Zara McFarlane, Josephine Scott Matthews, King Porter Stomp, Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna, Martyn Joseph, Grace Petrie, Marcus Bonfanti, This Is The Kit, Bert Miller and the Animal Folk, Ciaran Lavery, Tom Butler, Worry Dolls, Burning Codes, Gaz Brookfield, CoCo and the Butterfields, Digitonal, King Kool The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, Marc O'Reilly, Sam Brookes, Thea Hopkins, Folk On, Beth Goudie, Boat To Row, Ella and the Blisters, New Portals, Miriam Jones, Matt Sellors, Andrew Howie, Homegrown Collective, Rosalind Peters, Adesuwa Bullen, Danni Nicholls, Fran Smith, The Fruitful Earth, Paul Bell, Speak Brother, Steph Macleod, The Coopers, Joni Fuller, Garth Hewitt, Paul Bell, Sophronie, Oldtime Nursery, Iain Archer, Project Jam Sandwich, LewRey, KARI, Sam Lee & Friends, Broken Brass Ensemble, Pearl Fish, 7PM Soundsystem, Double-0-Denim, Heather Wall, Kimarne Henry, DJ LUMA, Moon passion Flamenco Band |
Boughton House | ||
The Bright Field | ||
Greenbelt 2016 [17] | 26–29 August 2016 | Beth Rowley, Mike Peters, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Hot 8 Brass Band, Nahko & Medicine for the People, Hope & Social's 'A Band Anyone Can Join', Elaine Storkey, DJ LUMA, Gaz Brookfield, The Rubber Wellies |
Boughton House | ||
Silent Stars | ||
Greenbelt 2017 [18] | 25–28 August 2017 | Newton Faulkner, Kate Rusby, Luke Sital-Singh, Wildwood Kin, Sound of the Sirens, Jess Morgan, Martyn Joseph, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Clean Cut Kid, CC Smugglers, Dan Donovan, King Porter Stomp, Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, Jasmine Kennedy, The Rubber Wellies, Will Varley, Jasper in the Company of Others, Zoe Lyons, Paul Kerensa |
Boughton House | ||
M̶e̶, Y̶o̶u̶, Us - The Common Good | ||
Greenbelt 2018 | 24–27 August 2018 | Pussy Riot, We Are Scientists, Ozomalti, Ibibio Sound Machine, I'm With Her, Duke Special, Lowkey, Lewis Watson, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, CC Smugglers, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Pierce Brothers, L.A. Salami, Grace Petrie, Martyn Joseph, Zach Said, Lots Holloway, Xylaroo, The Welcome Wagon, Jack Monroe, Michael Eavis, Kate Raworth, Carol Ann Duffy, Jon McGregor, Harry Baker, Jojo Mehta, Simon Mayo, Vicky Beeching, Lauri Love, Dawn Foster, Robyn Travis, Jonathan Bartley, Eve Poole, Broderick Greer, Lynne Segal, Rants n Bants, Winnie Varghese, Anthony Reddie, Sam Wells, Anna Kessel, Matthew Morris, Paula Gooder, Peterson Toscano, Roman Krznaric, Stephen James Smith, Garth Hewitt, Flo & Joan, Harry & Chris, Tony Law, Bryony Kimmings, Alula Cyr, Milk Presents, Malak Mattar |
Boughton House | ||
Acts of the Imagination | ||
Greenbelt 2019 | 23–26 August 2019 | Russell Brand, Frank Turner, Lucy Spraggan, Fantastic Negrito, Gregory Alan Isakov, Brass Against, SOAK, Nakhane, Paul Mason, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Michael Leunig, Belarus Free Theatre, Extinction Rebellion, The Anti Fracking Nanas, Jamie Bartlett, Grace Blakeley, Kumi Naidoo, Danny Dorling, Safia Minney, Miata Fahnbulleh, Harry and Chris, Folk On, Fischy Music |
Boughton House | ||
Wit and Wisdom | ||
Greenbelt 2020-2021 | Wild at Heart / Wild at Home | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 47th Greenbelt, "Wild at Heart" was postponed a year to 2021. A limited version of the festival took place online, entitled "Wild at Home". On May 4, 2021, it was announced that the festival would be cancelled for the second time in 2021 due to uncertainties over the pandemic. Instead there is to be a very scaled-back camping gathering, in the spirit of the first festival, called Prospect Farm. [19] |
Greenbelt 2022 | 26–29 August 2022 | Kae Tempest, Jeremy Loops, The Magic Numbers, House Gospel Choir, Billie Marten, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Jake Isaac, Beans On Toast, Guvna B, Anaïs Mitchell, Wildwood Kin, Ben Caplan, Ron Artis II & The Truth, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, BCUC, Bonnie Greer, Richard Dawkins, Caroline Lucas, Reni Eddo-Lodge, Brian Eno, Simon Armitage, Angela Saini, Rowan Williams, Shaparak Khorsandi, Terry Alderton, Harry & Chris, The Young'uns, Thea Gilmore, Martyn Joseph, The Reminders |
Boughton House | ||
Wake Up | ||
Greenbelt 2023 [20] | 24–27 August 2023 | Alasdair Beckett-King, All Our Money presented by Stan’s Cafe, Andrew Copson, "Andy Hunter, The Prayer", Angel Arutura, Animal Byproducts, Ann Pettifor, Attenborough and His Animals presented by Clownfish Theatre, Balaklava Blues, Bashar Murad, Beloved Sara Zaltash, Ben Okafor, BERRIES, Beth Singler, bigfatbig, Brian Eno, Bruce Cockburn, Carrie and David Grant, Casting Off presented by A Good Catch and Cluster Arts, Cat Clyde, Chali 2na, Claire Gilbert, Cole Arthur Riley, Daniel Munayer, Dave Andrews, Dave Tomlinson, David Dark, Duke Special, Elanor Moss, Elles Bailey, Elvis in Blue Hawaii presented by Spitz & Co, Eve Poole, Ezra Furman, Fat and Frantic, Fishermen’s Chapel Gospel Choir, Folk On, Fräulein, Fresh, Garth Hewitt, Gordon Brown, Grace Notes, Grace Petrie, Grief Moves: The Loss Project X The Fandangoe Kid, GUTTS, Harry & Chris, Harry Bird, Henry Raby, Holy Moly & the Crackers, House of El, Ida Mae, Indigo Girls, Jack Monroe, Jasmin O’Hara, Jaspreet Kaur, Joel McKerrow, John Bell, Jolyon Maugham, Josie Long, Justin Adams & Mohamed Errebbaa, K.O.G, Kapil Seshasayee, Kathryn Mannix, Laura Mvula, Lee Bains III, Lowkey, Luke Turner, Martin Shaw, Micha Frazer-Carroll, Milton Jones, Mouses, Muna Nassar, Naomi Kelly, Oh My God! It’s the Church, Paul Cookson, Philippa Zawe, Problem Patterns, Rianne Downey, Rick Dove, Roberto Martinez, Ru Callender, Rumba de Bodas, Ruth Pearce, Ruth Valerio, Sadia Azmat, Sambambo, Sekrit, Simon Sharpe, Siskin Green, Sophie Howe, Sorority Grrrls, Stefania Maurizi with Ewen MacAskill, Straight Girl, Sunetra Gupta, Suntou Susso, TAIZÉ, Tawiah, TC & The Groove Family, The Chosen Haram presented by Sadiq Ali, The Deep Blue, The Rabbitts, The Spirituals, Tim Farron, Wilderthorn, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown |
Boughton House | ||
50th Anniversary - Artistry X Activism X Belief | ||
Greenbelt 2024 | 22-25 August 2024 | Corrine Bailey Rae presents Black Rainbows, Bob Vylan, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, House Gospel Choir, The McCrary Sisters, Akram Abdulfattah, Antony Szmierek, DAM, Dizraeli, Elephant Sessions, Flamy Grant, Hamish Hawk, Leyla McCalla, London Afrobeat Collective, Martyn Joseph, Seckou Keita & The Homeland Band, Stornoway, Andrew Rumsey, Baila La Cumbria, Chris Read, Christina Alden & Alex Patterson, Gabi Garbutt, Granny's Attic, John Smith, Katherine Priddy, Lady Nade, Lleuwen Steffan, Luke Sital-Singh, Lunatraktors, Mal Pope, Megson, Nectar Woode, Ruth Lyon, Saied Silbak, Sam Redmore & The Tropical Soundclash Allstars, Sambambo, Siskin Green, SK Shlomo, Sylvan Weekends, Worldwide Welshman, Alien Chicks, Boom Boom Racoons, CHERYM, Daffodildos, Feeble Strength, Generation Feral, Genn, Gum Disease, I, Doris, Knitting Circle, Mouses, Play Dead, Toodles & The Hectic Pity, Ashley John-Baptiste, Ayla Lepine, Beth Singler, Brian Draper, Brian Eno, Brian McLaren, Brooke Prentis, Daoud Nassar, Darren McGarvey, Gail Bradbrook, Guvna B, Jarel Robinson-Brown, Jason Arday, Jaspreet Kaur, Joshua Virasami, Julie Siddiqi, Kate Bottley, Kate Raworth, Kester Brewin, Marie-Elsa Bragg, Michael Mansfield, Paul Powlesland, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Pia Sinha, Rebecca Jane Morgan, Richard Rohr, Roman Krznaric, Sophie-Grace Chappell, Steve Chalke, Vanessa Nakate, Gecko, Harry Baker, Jenny Mitchell, Kirsty Taylor, Lady Unchained, Pádraig Ó Tuama, The Vandal Factory Podcast, Patrick Jones, Paul Cookson, Testament, Toby Campion, Vanessa Kisuule, Lynchpin Theatre, Leeds Studio, Justice In Motion, RougePlay, Samsam Bubbleman, Gandini Juggling, Murray Watts, David Benson, Ramshacklicious & Hijinx, Jon Long, Bethany Black, Dane Buckley, MC Mark Cram, Anastasia Chokuwamba, Loraine Mponela, Dolly Church, Grace Notes, Ooberfuse, Rachel Chaplin, Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir, Taizé, David Benjamin Blower, Wilderthorn, Bobby Baker, Holly Slingsby, John Newling, Kate Genever, Lucy Wright |
Boughton House | ||
Dream On |
Northamptonshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to the south and Warwickshire to the west. Northampton is the largest settlement and the county town.
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amongst other horse racing assets such as the National Stud, and the property and land management company, Jockey Club Estates. The registered charity Racing Welfare is also a company limited by guarantee with the Jockey Club being the sole member. As it is governed by Royal Charter, all profits it makes are reinvested back into the sport.
Cheltenham is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the most complete Regency town in Britain. It is directly northeast of Gloucester.
Daventry District was a local government district in western Northamptonshire, England, from 1974 to 2021. The district was named after its main town of Daventry, where the council was based.
National Hunt racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to France, Great Britain and Ireland, that requires horses to jump over fences and ditches.
The Diocese of Peterborough forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. Its seat is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, which was founded as a monastery in AD 655 and re-built in its present form between 1118 and 1238.
Boughton House is a country house in the parish of Weekley in Northamptonshire, England, situated about 3 miles (4.8 km) north-east of Kettering. It is situated within an estate of 11,000 acres (4,451.5 ha).
Third Way was a British magazine which invited Christian thinkers and writers to analyse or comment on the political, social and cultural issues of the day. Notable columnists over the years included Jeremy Vine, Paul Vallely and Mike Riddell. According to the Times, it was 'noted for giving a serious Christian perspective on topics ranging from the Bible to politics, environment to the arts'. The magazine was not affiliated with either the minor British political party Third Way, or with the centrist 'Third Way' policies of Tony Blair and Bill Clinton. Originally avowedly evangelical in its Christian alignment, it latterly sat comfortably alongside the Greenbelt Festival and the satirical website Ship of Fools.
Hymns Ancient and Modern is a hymnal in common use within the Church of England, a result of the efforts of the Oxford Movement. The hymnal was first published in 1861. The organization publishing it has now been formed into a charitable trust, Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd, and As of 2022 it publishes a wide range of hymnals as well as other theological and religious books and magazines, under imprints including the acquired publishers Canterbury Press and SCM Press.
Eden Burning were a popular Christian band from Cheltenham led by Paul Northup. They originally met as members of Charlton Kings Baptist church, and were active within the Christian music community between 1989 and 1996. The band's name refers to the Biblical tale of Garden of Eden burning down after Adam and Eve are banished. Cross Rhythms magazine described them as "pioneers in the evolution and creative development of British music carrying a spiritual message".
The New English Hymnal is a hymn book and liturgical source aimed towards the Church of England. First published in 1986, it is a successor to, and published in the same style as, the 1906 English Hymnal. It is published today by SCM Canterbury Press, an imprint of Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd.
The Church Times is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays.
North Northamptonshire is one of two local government districts in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. It was created in 2021. The council is based in Corby, the district's largest town. Other notable towns are Kettering, Wellingborough, Rushden, Raunds, Desborough, Rothwell, Irthlingborough, Thrapston and Oundle.
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music. The festivals are characterized by more than just music; many feature motivational speakers and evangelists, and include seminars on Christian spiritual and missions topics, service, and evangelism. They are often viewed as evangelical tools, and small festivals can draw 10 times the crowd of traditional revival meetings. While the central theme of a Christian festival is Jesus Christ, the core appeal of a Christian music festival remains the artists and their music. Critics point out that the dichotomy of business and religious interests can be problematic for Christian festivals. In similar ways as the Christian music industry in general, festivals can be drawn away from their central theme and gravitate toward commercialization and mainstream acts in an attempt to draw crowds.
Hop Farm Music Festival was an annual music festival at The Hop Farm Country Park in Paddock Wood, Kent, England, first created by John Vincent Power of Festival Republic. After its first year it was nominated at the UK Festival Awards with "Best New Festival".
Castle Ashby, often Castle Ashby House is a country house at Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire, England. It is one of the seats of the Marquess of Northampton. The house, church, formal gardens and landscaped park are Grade I listed.
The Gloucester and Cheltenham Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium situated in Longlevens, some 7 miles from Cheltenham and 3 miles from Gloucester, England.
Enid Mary Chadwick was a British artist known for religious art and children's religious material.
Garth Hewitt is an English Christian singer‑songwriter and Anglican priest, active since the early 1970s to the present. His commitment to social justice pervades his music and led him to found the human rights charity Amos Trust in 1985. He continues to raise awareness of social justice issues by recording and releasing albums, and also through writing books and articles.