GOOD TO BE BACK

Green shoots

Greenbelt 2022 will feature a few site changes. Greenbelt’s Derek Hill, managing director, and Jess Jones, event manager, reveal all

This year, Greenbelt finds itself in a similar boat to many other promoters and organisers because when the festival opens it gates in August, it will have been three years since the organising team last said hello to a full capacity crowd.

Like other festival organisers, Greenbelt went digital in 2020 and in 2021, it organised Prospect Farm, a small “paired back” event/ camping experience. These projects kept Greenbelt ticking over. The festival would not be here if it wasn’t for the generosity and good will of its loyal audience that rolled over tickets and donated money to ensure the festival survived.

“We’ve been fortunate,” explained Derek Hill, managing director of Greenbelt, who recognises the different landscape in which Greenbelt now operates. “There’s definitely a different feel. Most of the tickets that we sold for Greenbelt 2020 were rolled over and lots of people donated money. Their generosity saw us through.”

LEARNING THE ROPES

Ticket sales for the four-day festival are “well ahead” of where the festival team would normally be, which is great because Greenbelt is “not driven by music”. The 12,000-capacity festival celebrates arts, faith and justice and relies on hundreds of volunteers. In fact, Jess Jones, Greenbelt’s new events manager, used to volunteer at the festival.

“I’ve worked in events for 10 years, working on student events and Freshers Balls, but this is my first time working in a festival environment,” she said.

Jones joined Greenbelt in January. She is fast learning the ropes and has picked up the baton from Mary Corfield, Greenbelt’s previous event director, who left the organisation in 2021.

Jones and Hill are working hard alongside Judgeday, the event management and festival production specialist, to implement several production and site changes that will greet festivalgoers when they attend from August 26-29.

SITE CHANGES

Beckie Parsons, lead production manager, Chris Hayter, technical production manager, Charlotte Constance-Gooding, production coordinator, and Matt Stone, health and safety officer, are currently planning the festival site and securing suppliers.

The 2022 event will see a few changes. For example, Greenbelt is reducing the number of big tops it uses on site and is instead looking to use a 16-metre stage with a domed roof. The open-air stage will change the site layout, giving Greenbelt a different look and feel and there will be more room for festivalgoers, making the site more “comfortable”.

Jones said: “The change to an openair stage will be a big one. The big top was great, but on a few occasions, it was rammed. In the daytime, it could be quieter, but we don’t want people to feel that they can’t go in and check out what’s happening. With the open-air stage, we’ll be able to control the sound better and there’ll be less sound bleed.”

And it’s not the only stage change. A new stage in the woods, The Rebel Rouser stage, will also feature. It is aimed at 18-25-year-olds and will encourage festivalgoers to explore different areas of the Boughton Estate. Plus, there will be a new alcohol-free bar called The Hope

and Anchor – it is hoped that this will be a “destination point” in the evening – and the Greenbelt team has also developed the festival’s camping offer and travel options.

Jones explained further: “We provide a shuttle bus from Kettering Railway Station and we’re making it free to use. It’s a cost to us but we hope it will encourage more people to use public transport and it will help to reduce our carbon footprint. Also, we’ve expanded our glamping and pre-pitched glamping offer. We’re trialling group camping. We’ve identified an area of our site, which is suitable for church groups and youth groups, where people can pitch their tents and campervans.”

SAFE AND HAPPY

Both Hill and Jones admit that they have experienced supply chain issues. For instance, finding marquees has been hard. But they have found new suppliers to work with too – such as Kaboodle, a new box office provider – and the Greenbelt team continue to look at sustainability measures.

“A massive proportion of our vehicles on site will be electric,” Jones continued. “For example, the production team will use electric bikes.”

The electric buggies were trialled at Prospect Farm, confirmed Parsons, who said they worked well “if you remember to charge them overnight”.

Hill added: “We’re committed to sustainability and accessibility. Whilst we haven’t had a fully-fledged festival since 2019, our commitments remain the same. We’re welcoming of anyone, despite what is happening now and what has happened in the last two years. We want people to be safe and happy at Greenbelt and we can’t wait to open our gates and welcome our audience back.”

SUPPLIERS LIST

Lighting – GLS Lighting Power – Gofer Box office – Kaboodle Audio – Dobson Sound Portable buildings – Qdos Big tops – A&J Big Tops Marquees/structures – Alternative Stretch and All About ME Buggies/site vehicles – Oliver Buggy Hire and Electric Wheels Toilets – Mawsley Events and AndyLoos Trackway – Autotrak Wi-Fi – Etherlive