When you reach a significant age and throw a party you want as many people there as possible. But what if everyone can’t make it? What then?
The festival takes a very particular, physical form. We know that’s a large part of what gives Greenbelt its distinctive feel and appeal. But what if that physical form doesn’t work for you, yet you still long to connect with Greenbelt as your community?
Back in 2020 when COVID forced us completely online, we realised that there were a bunch of Greenbelters who still loved the festival and were suddenly able to reconnect with it, (even if they hadn’t been able to make it to the field of dreams for years). And that was wonderful.
Since then, because of our limited bandwidth (pardon the pun) we’ve focused all the efforts of our small staff team into getting the physical festival back up and running in the face of incredible challenges.
But it’s our 50th! And so, this summer, we’re going to try to stream just something of the festival out to those who cannot make it in person but want to connect with it this year.
What we’ll offer will be very lo-fi. We’re looking to create a few virtual touch-points that feel homely and friendly. We certainly won’t be selling tickets for it, or advertising it far and wide. Instead, we’ll be picking just a few moments to offer those of you who would like a little window into what’s going on. So you can see some familiar faces and hear some familiar sounds.
We’re thinking it could look a little bit like this…
Sunday 27th August 2023
- Sunday morning’s Communion Gathering (for an hour at 10am from the Glade Arena)
- Beer and Hymns (for an hour at 12.30pm from The Jesus Arms)
- The OK Chorale (for an hour at 10.45pm from The Orchard Stage)
We’re also going to try to set up a sort of Zoom-room-style experience on the Saturday and Sunday evenings in the Jesus Arms for an hour. We’re also hoping to do a Saturday and Sunday site walkabout, and a few other bits and bobs.
All this is dependent on our broadband connectivity onsite – which is not always as available and reliable as we might like (part of the charm of being there, but also the frustration). So bear with us and please remember that this is all to be confirmed and locked in.
We’ll stream to our Facebook page and Youtube Channel, and we’ll share more definitive news about this in the week leading up to the festival.