Green Man has long been one of the UK’s best music festivals, but in recent years the secret of this Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) spectacular has clearly got out, with the festival selling out tickets quicker than ever before – faster than hot (Welsh) cakes, in fact. Drawing music fans from Cardiff, Bristol and beyond, Green Man is a family-friendly festival that has something for everyone.
The music is probably best pitched at everyone’s favourite category of music lover: Radio 6 Daddies. Think folk, think indie, think electronic, think unusual instrumentation.
Unlike so many other UK festivals, Green Man remains independent – which means you won’t pay £8 for a pint of distinctly average mass-market German lager. You’ll get hundreds of independently brewed beers and ales. So if the music, talks or activities don’t entice you, perhaps the beer will.
Nestled into the stunning Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, the festival is ensconced with green hills on every side. The Main Stage is located in a natural amphitheatre on grassy slopes against a backdrop of Sugar Loaf mountain. Its showpiece is the ceremonial burning of the Green Man effigy on the final night of the festival. Festivalgoers tie messages to the Green Man throughout the festival, which then fills the air with flames on the Sunday night. Definitely worth sticking around for.
Who’s headlining this year’s Green Man Festival?
This year’s Green Man is headlined by the Irish hip hop trio Kneecap, which has courted a great deal of controversy this year for their outspoken criticism of Israel during performances. They’ll be joined by English indie band Wet Leg – whose recent album moisturizer is widely acclaimed – and Underworld, the iconic electronic group who formed in Cardiff in the 80s.
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Highlights of Green Man 2025: the bands you should see
Of the bigger names, Beth Gibbons from Portishead brings highlights from her debut solo album Lives Outgrown, a story of loss and the passing of time, and indie bands Yard Act and English Teacher will undoubtedly garner crowds with their upbeat style and sharp, witty lyrics.
Irish artist CMAT is probably the biggest new voice in the line-up this year, nominated for last year’s Mercury Prize for her innovative brand of camp country pop that perfectly taps into the current public consciousness.
Elsewhere on the line-up is London-based funk fusion ensemble Kokoroko, who are a hit at every festival they attend with their unique combination of funk, neo-soul, West African disco and bossa nova. Crack open a cold one for this one – it’ll be a party.
Greentea Peng and Fat Dog are also coming to the Bannau from the dynamic London music scene, bringing psychedelic RnB and boisterous klezmer-influenced punk respectively.
Kelly Lee Owens might have come from a small village in North Wales – but her music sounds like it comes from the earthy underbelly of Berlin. Her new album Dreamstate was made with Bicep and one half of the Chemical Brothers and is infused with dark, ambient techno. She’ll also be in conversation at the Babbling Tongues tent.
Perfume Genius is a fairly new face on the live UK music scene, despite blazing a trail in the US with his offbeat Americana, which is almost operatic in scale.
From the sublime to the (perhaps) ridiculous, Richard Dawson sometimes opens gigs with a 12-minute a cappella anthem about an 18th-century quiltmaker from his native Northumberland. He’s a songsmith – telling long, weaving stories about mundane, everyday things with ancient voices from the past. Wholly unique, very fun.
Jasmine.4.t is one of those artists that ‘if you know, you know’. She was the first British artist to be signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory Records and has taken the music world by storm with her debut album, You Are The Morning, which follows the trajectory of her coming out as trans, the joy of transfeminine friendships and the heartbreak and harsh truths of street harassment and PTSD. There are very few artists around that tell stories like Jasmine.4.t, so this Manchester-based singer-songwriter is definitely one to add to your list for this year’s Green Man. She hails from nearby Bristol, where she previously co-founded the Breakfast Records label, so is bound to draw a crowd of locals.
Joshua Idehen is another cult favourite whose incredible vocal stylings finally seem to be finding a bigger audience. Expect a mesmerising blend of spoken word and music, and one of the most charismatic performers around. It’s spoken word for people who hate spoken word. An almost religious experience, it’s part-sermon, part-disco.
Gwenno and Ishmael Ensemble are two local acts that we’d recommend checking out this year. Gwenno sings in Welsh and Cornish, with a synthy electropop style, while Bristol-based Ishmael Ensemble blend dense layers of sax, strings, synths and ethereal vocals to create a thick, transportive soundscape.
It’s not just musicians drawing the eye this year. We’d really recommend checking out the all-female Morris troupe Boss Morris, the group at the forefront of the Morris dancing revival. They appeared with Wet Leg at the 2023 BRIT Awards, and are often found in their beautiful handmade costumes prancing around the hills of Gloucestershire, where they are based.
Is Green Man sold out?
Unfortunately the 2025 iteration of Green Man Festival is sold out. In fact, it sold out in an hour – before the line-up was even announced. Its popularity has been on the up in recent years, so if you’re keen to go next year, you’ll have to be quick.
When are 2026 tickets to Green Man on sale?
Tickets for the 2026 Green Man Festival are not yet on sale. They tend to go on sale in September, so we’ll update this page when we know more.
Can you get day tickets to Green Man?
Day tickets are only available to residents of NP8 postcodes.
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