| Where: | Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire at BA15 1LF and multiple town centre sites |
| When: | A Saturday in mid May |
| Time: | See Helpful Hints links (Formerly From 9 am until 6 pm, with closing Procession 5 pm & Stripping at 5.45) |
The Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival is a free family friendly community event of traditional dance, music, song and folklore throughout the town. Each year they host literally dozens of dance groups (in 2022 it was about 580 dancers and 150 musicians) so this may well be the country’s largest such event; in 2026 the dancing continued but on a smaller scale, and a bigger event is again planned for 2027. The 10 foot tall giant Jack in the Green, accompanied by his partner Jill in the Green and a troupe of musicians (the Ganderflankers), leads the day with dancing at several town centre locations, and often with samba bands, a mummers’ play, a Folk Club stage, a choral and classical concert in Trinity Church, live music in pubs, a kids’ zone including a fun fair, an artisan market, community groups’ hub, a pagan arts and crafts market and more. It’s all FREE!
Helpful Hints
In 2027 the event should take place on Saturday 8th May- full details are yet to be announced but it promises to be more like past years than the smaller event hosted in 2026, with more committee members to share the organisational load.
From the organisers for 2024, this is what was on when the festival was at its height, to give an idea of what to expect:
Experience the Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival, a vibrant, family-friendly community gathering featuring traditional dance, music, song, and folklore throughout the town centre on Saturday 11 May 2024. And the best part is, its free!Witness over 40 dance groups, including 320 dancers and 100 musicians, featuring Morris dancing and diverse European styles.Join the whimsical journey of our 10ft tall Jack in the Green and Jill in the Green, visiting 12 town centre venues with bands and fantasy beasts. You’ll can also discover the kid’s zone, artisan market, community hub, pagan arts and crafts.Groove to a samba band, mummers’ play, Folk Club stage, Wiltshire Music Centre stage, Blues @ The Shoes stage, live pub music, buskers and more!The full programme is available on the BoA Green Man Festival website: boagreenmanfest.orgThe BoA Green Man Festival has something for everyone – so dress up for the day and really get into the swing of things.The festival is from 9am to 5pm. Please use public transport if you can but there will be festival parking at BA15 1LF.
Click here for the event website: http://boagreenmanfest.org/welcome/
Click here for the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BoAGreenManFest/
Thanks to Alfie Windsor for all the information and some of the photos.
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