Greenbelt Festival's faith-fuelled line-up looks set to be a dream ticket

Belief, faith, spirituality and worship are threaded throughout the Greenbelt Festival programme. It’s the reason it started. Founded by a restless, creative bunch of Christians in the early 70s, keen to make a space - like they’d seen at Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight - where they could explore and experience their creativity and their yearning for social justice hand-in-hand with their journeys of faith.

It’s always sought to platform and champion artists and activists whose faith energises and informs their work – as well as those whose values overlap with the festival’s. That’s what makes Greenbelt unique. As the manifesto says; “there’s a spark that kindles and grows at Greenbelt, call it God (but you might call it the gin talking, and that’s fine too!)”.

Greenbelt’s Christian faith is one that embraces rather than excludes; offers a safe space where everyone is welcomed, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, disability or background. It’s somewhere artistry meets activism, the secular meets the spiritual, politics meets positivity. It’s somewhere to dream up a better world and somewhere to dance, debate, pray and party.

Over the years Greenbelt has welcomed critically acclaimed performance artist, writer and activist, Bryony Kimmings; gospel singer and civil rights activist, Mavis Staples; feminist protest and performance group art group, Pussy Riot; and singer songwriter activist, Billy Bragg.

This year is no different; Greenbelt is bringing a wealth of diversity and faith perspectives to the fields of Boughton House. A Christian festival like no other. Where else can you..?

Dance the night away to electro-influenced alt-pop songwriting duo Ooberfuse; be immersed in the extraordinary sounds of singer and multi instrumentalist, Lleuwen Steffan and her lost Welsh folk hymns; and raise the roof with the uplifting London-based Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir?

Worship at the LGBTQ+-affirming OUT Eucharist; join the contemplative, quiet alternative communion; find your people at the Goth Eucharist; attend Catholic Mass; be part of a Quaker Meeting; experience the profound, meditative simplicity of Taize chants; and listen to musician and activist Brian Eno explore his ideas of ‘What Does the Future of Religion Look Like?’

And that’s not forgetting Greenbelt’s worship centre-piece: the beautiful Sunday morning Festival Communion Gathering where triple MOBO Award-winning artist, rapper, author, broadcaster and criminal justice campaigner Guvna B, Palestinian activist Daoud Nassar of the Tent of Nations, and drag legend Flamy Grant, will be playing a central role.

It really is this summer's most surprising, unexpected, uplifting, and inclusive ticket. It’s time to dream on!

HERE’S THE DEVOTIONAL LINE-UP IN MORE DETAIL…MUSIC

Billed as one of the hottest acts at this year’s festival, Ooberfuse is one not to be missed. Loved everywhere from DJ magazine to BBC Introducing. They’ve made a Christmas record with Snoop Dogg about homelessness and even the Pope is a fan.

Their latest release is an achingly gorgeous charity single, Dying Son, a result of a recent trip to Jordan to work with Palestinian musicians. The single is out now with all the money raised going to the Friends of the Holy Land charity.

Ooberfuse’s unique sound is an eclectic, enigmatic mix of pure, giddy Euro-Pop and cult underground worship band. They perform all over the world making devotional music that is disarmingly direct and incredibly catchy.

Ooberfuse

Introducing the remarkable singer and multi instrumentalist, Lleuwen Steffan and the Lost Welsh Folk Hymns. Unpublished and unheard Lleuwen came across old recordings of Welsh hymns in the sound archive at St Fagans National History Museum in 2012. These hymns were not in the official hymn book.

Amazed, she dove into further research and found that many were not in the older editions either. Possibly because they delve into the world of addiction, mental illness and the dark side of the psyche.

These hymns have been waiting to be heard for decades. Excluded by the hymn book committees of years gone by they became lost with time and secularisation. Until now. Lleuwen has met and worked with the descendants of those who originally sang them to create Tafod Arian (Silver Tongue). She has breathed new life into these poignant, haunting songs with her soulful vocals and guitar.

Lleuwen Steffan

Enter the utterly uplifting, soul-soaring sounds of the brilliant Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir. Raising the roof at this year’s Greenbelt this London-based choir is committed to creating contemporary gospel of the highest, awe-inspiring standard and performing it as widely as possible. Especially in the places where gospel’s power to raise the human spirit is most needed.

Soul Sanctuary regularly bring their exhilarating, joyous gospel sound to church ministry (especially prisons), festivals, weddings, memorials, BBC Children in Need and Grenfell.They are on a mission to share the beauty and transforming quality of gospel music.

Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir

WORSHIP The festival’s Sunday morning communion is the moment where, since 1974, everything else at Greenbelt stops. It’s when everyone gathers to break bread together and celebrate their common life in God. The money raised at communion each year is given to good causes that share the festival’s DNA.

This year sees triple MOBO Award-winning artist, rapper, author, broadcaster and criminal justice activist, Guvna B, Palestinian Daoud Nassar from the Tent of Nations, and drag-legend Flamy Grant playing a central role in the Communion service.

BRIAN ENO ON THE FUTURE OF RELIGIONJoin musician, producer, visual artist, activist, and Greenbelt favourite, Brian Eno on ‘What Does the Future of Religion Look Like?’ Together with Unitarian priest Liz Slade and others from his Hard Art network, Brian will imagine what a church service for those who don't want to go to church might look, feel, and sound like.

Brian Eno

LGBT+ OUT EUCHARIST & QUIET COMMUNIONWhere you can be you in front of your family, friends and God.

Expect a very special service of holy communion for LGBTQ+ people and friends, where you don't need to hide from yourself, each other or God. Everyone is welcome. Greenbelt is proud to be an LGBTQ+ affirming space, and OUT is a volunteer team who help the queer community and our allies get the most out of the festival.

Meanwhile, the quiet communion is a safer space for all of those who would like to share around the table in a way that is compassionate, multi-sensory and embracing of neurodiversity. Come to sing, share, eat, drink, pray, wait and act together. It serves as a much-needed, calmer and quieter alternative for those who can't face the huge mainstage Communion Gathering, where thousands meet and celebrate.

MORE NAMES COMING… Keep an eye on Greenbelt’s socials as the festival still has a few cracking names, artists, activists, musicians, thinkers and performers yet to announce! But for now, here’s its first official line-up poster to whet your appetite even more!

WHO ELSE IS ON THIS YEAR’S BILL? You can check out the festival’s already-announced names here: a fantastically heady mix of headliner and Grammy-winner Corinne Bailey Rae, writer, columnist and hip-hop recording artist, Darren McGarvey, the epic 14-strong big band infusing jazz with UK garage, Dutty Moonshine Big Band; one of the world’s greatest contemporary circus acts, Gandini Juggling; and icon of the British arts scene and one of this year’s ‘artists in residence’, Bobby Baker. What a line up!

Now in its 51th year Greenbelt has witnessed the birth of future global artists such as Ed Sheeren, Corinne Bailey Rae (back this year!), as well as the mighty U2 who played Greenbelt in 1981 when they had only released their first album. It’s always been a trailblazer, welcoming acts such as Pussy Riot, Sinead O’Connor, Kae Tempest, Gordon Brown, Laura Mvula, Bonnie Greer, Ezra Furman, Brian Eno and Mavis Staples, to name but a few!

Newly released day tickets are now on sale, as well as full weekend tickets . If you’re one of those people who wants to experience Greenbelt in day-sized bites, day tickets are available from Adult £76 I Concession £40 I Under 18s £20 I Under 5s free.

WANNA BE PART OF THIS YEAR’S DREAM TEAM?This year Greenbelt wants to encourage festival-goers to be bold, embrace creativity, and find inspiration. It’s time to be the change and create the world you want to live in.

The festival’s creative director, Paul Northup comments, ‘“Dream On” is often seen as a throwaway phrase, something used to play down hope and possibility. But we want to invite you to reimagine it. Instead of the “yeah, right…dream on” like that’s-never-going-to-happen, we want to own it as an imperative, a call to action, as it were.’

Greenbelt works with a handful of partners, associates, sponsors and funders at the festival and beyond. From main partners such as Christian Aid, who strive for social justice and pursue our vision of a world without poverty; to charities like Trussell Trust who support a network of more than 1,200 food bank centres, it aims to deliver a festival rich in diversity, great artistry, courageous activism and open-hearted belief.

HOW DO I GET A TICKET?Greenbelt Festival is rolling out its radical and inclusive pay-what-you-can ticketing pricing structure for a second year, where those who can pay – do – and those who can’t – have the opportunity to pay what they can. Even better, you can spread the cost with Greenbelt’s monthly installment plan, interest-free, up to July 2024. Day tickets are now available from Adult £76 I Concession £40 I Under 18s £20 I Under 5s free.