Salvation tambourine

I've just been to my first outdoor festival, namely the Greenbelt Christian Arts festival at Cheltenham race course. It was brilliant!

Here are some thoughts/highlights/comments.

• Getting up at silly o'clock on Friday to drive in convoy proved worthwhile and we managed to all camp together in an area not too far away from the action.
  
• I walked miles over the course of the week-end.
  
• The site was split into two main sections. The first was based around the main grandstand and facilities it enjoys. The second area was in the middle of the course and was made up entirely of an area of tents, stands and marquees. The main stage was adjacent to the grandstand in a large area where all could comfortably view the acts.
  
• Over the four days I saw (in no particular order) Athlete, Duke Special, Royksopp, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Sixpence None The Richer, One EskimO, Foy Vance, Martyn Joseph, The Apples, Reem Kelani (three times!), Cornershop, Peggy Sue, a classical concert of 13 pieces by Sir John Tavener and Foreign Slippers (including a girl wearing a hat with a tree on it!). That was just the music.
  
• I went to talks, comedy, a film, the pub (The Jesus Arms), drank lots of coffee and managed to eat and share great times with friends.
  
• I had not expected the range of food available to buy.
  
• Rob Bell was great to finally listen to and his talk ("Drops like Stars") and the "in conversation with..." were both excellent. As a liberal Church leader in USA, he said he was amazed at how free-thinking and ahead of the States, he found the UK.
  
• I didn't get to see either of Simon Mayo's items.
  
• The theme of the week-end was "Standing in the long now" which is a Brian Eno phrase and he was at one time keen to attend but in the end unable to be there.
  
• Robert Beckford has shaved off his dreadlocks.
  
• Both Beer and hymn sessions were hysterical. Imagine "Lord of the Dance" a la Chas and Dave!!
  
• We were very lucky with the weather, although waking up at three thirty in the night to put on another layer to keep warm, in August, is surreal.
  
• I decided before the week-end that Reem Kelani's Palestine folk songs were something I could do without but ended up seeing her three times while waiting for other things.
  
• You need to see the film, "the age of stupid". It's very scary re climate change.
  
• It's amazing in a crowd of 35000, how many times you bump into your children.
  
• What did we do before mobile phones?
  
• The toilets were ok, helped by also being able to use the "proper ones" in the grandstand!