THIS FESTIVAL IS AMAZING! i worked at green man last year, it was the best week of 2010 hands down…read more Green man started in 2009 so it was quite a small festival compared to the larger more commercial ones out there. Firstly the location! camping in a valley. You can't beat waking up in the morning, stepping out side your tent to be greeted by rolling welsh hills. Secondly, the wide variety of activities, not just music. My favourite tent in particular was the "comedy and literature' tent. Due to working at the festival, not only did i get a free ticket, but also had the privilege of staff showers and toilets. Meaning no queues, hot showers and reasonably clean toilets. Also received a very yummy free meal before each shift. The only downside was having to wake up for work at 6 in the morning. But it was so worth it. The band line up was full of new exciting musicians such as beirut, laura marling, tallest man on earth, mumford and sons, wild beasts and darwin deez. Then the classics such a the flaming lips. there's so much more to fit in but i just don't have time to recall it all!

So August Bank Holiday folks is the date for this lovely little festival. This was my first time…read morehere, but actually it's only been running for 2 years. Tickets cost £40 for adults, and children are £1. Get them quick as it does sell out. This is a family festival, and my friends kids absolutely loved it, and why wouldn't they...... face painting, and arts and crafts...and even a bouncy castle for them...and best of all this was all free. The site itself was clean and had plenty of space for the tents and to sit outside, but then we are talking about around 1500 people. And there was plenty of entertainment for adults and party goers too...from the 5 stages - with acoustic sounds from the Otters Pocket, chill out at the Lotus Flower,or hit the brilliant Dub tent which had some great Reggae, and Drum n Bass blasting out. When the sound systems shut down at midnight, you then get a chance to head to silent disco...where you can party til 3.30am...and potentially back to the lotus flower after that if you're hoping to catch the sunrise. The vibe was fun and friendly...and they have big ideas for the future so this is definitely one to watch. My only criticism would be that there were too many covers bands...but then this is a learning curve...and I have no doubt this will change in future years. A brilliant little festival, and well worth checking out.

Only been the once, during a visit to Hay but loved this place. we'd been walking in the area -…read morewhich is beautiful and were starving. I had the best goulash that I've ever tried!! It hit the spot after our walk. Friendly staff and lovely setting. Worth a visit!

The Globe at Hay offers a small but perfectly formed food menu; in particular their organic burgers…read moreare some of the freshest, juciest and hearty I have ever tried, and of course that is not to mention the range of home-made cakes! I was lucky enough to enjoy the brownies which I had heard a lot about before my visit. On top of its menu, The Globe has a really interesting-looking programme of events and I believe it can be hired out for private events too - definitely something a little bit different, quirky and worth a visit!

Once upon a time this was a small local festival taking place every now and again out back at a…read morepub. Now it's one of the largest folk music festivals in the United Kingdom. It takes place during summer every year, at the beginning of the summer holidays, and is a very family friendly event. This is the ideal festival for those with young children and an aversion to massive crowds, the like you find at Glastonbury. There are many regulars who return year after year, and the festival is becoming ever more popular year after year too. This was the festival that I was taken to as a child. I could probably draw you a map of it down to the last blade of grass. With live music, dancing and a wonderful variety of stalls, this festival can be a little bit of an unforgettable experience. This year the festival takes place from the 22nd-25th of July, and includes acts such as Show of Hands, Bellowhead and many, many others. Quickly, book now!

I literally can't wait for this years' Harbour Festival, I only managed to catch bits and pieces of…read moreit last year as I had only just moved to Bristol. This year, 2010, it'll be going down 30th July - 01st August, and do you want to know the best thing about it? It's freeeeeeeee! Amazingly, it's been going for 39 years, and while I wouldn't want to bore you with trivial statistics and facts, what it means is, this weekend has been running for enough years for them to have worked out what works and what doesn't! There will be not one, not two, not three, but eight, yes eight stages with a variety of music for all tastes. It's generally a great weekend, don't miss it!

This much-loved summer festival sees literally hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Bristol…read morefor a weekend of eating, drinking and wishing we owned a boat. Many of my friends come down specifically for this weekend, usually around the end of July, beginning of August. All the boats in the harbour tart themselves up with bunting and the like and there are plenty of food stalls where you can buy everything from candy floss to wheels of cheese! There are plenty of market type stalls if shopping is your thing and all the bars and pubs around the waterfront are jam-packed with people making the most of drinks promotions and the outside seating. A fantastic weekend of entertainment, and it's all for free! Last year I spent it drinking cider and watching VV Brown play on the main stage in a packed Lloyds Amphitheatre and can't wait to do the same this year.

When the right speech or book signing is on offer its a great day out for all the family and the…read moresurroundings are is beautiful. Check out the website/listings for new shows. Its a shame its only o nfor a few weeks.

A boutique-ish three-dayer that began life in summer 2010 in countryside near the perimeter of…read moreCardiff International Airport, Watusi is an interesting additional to Wales's undersubscribed festival season, from a collective of the region's promoters. Small in scale but big on ideas, the musical policy is on the laidback side, DJs spinning sounds spanning Brazilian, funk, reggae and Afrobeat music, plus live performers dealing in whimsical folk, indie-rock and audio-visual sets. The atmosphere is similarly tranquil - midway between hippy jam and refined middle-class relaxation - albeit sporadically interrupted by its location directly under the flightpath of the nearby airport. It proves weirdly hypnotic, however, as everything from light planes to international commercial aircraft approach to land at regular interviews. You may not be so impressed should your mornings involve sleeping off the previous night's excesses, of course; compensation is a stunning sea view beyond the festival's fences. The drinks are heavy on local brewers, commendably reasonably priced for a festival (ordinarily carte blanche to charge extortionate money for generic drainwater), and the food, while not such fantastic value for money, is hearty with good vegetarian options. If you don't drive, the trip is only a minor inconvenience, less than 30 minutes walk from bus and rail links. Here's hoping Watusi becomes an annual fixture.

This is the best place to view the legendary Severn bore - a large river surge wave, surfed and…read moreadmired by many a happy festival goer. This weekend was my first bore experience - It was dark, there was a crowd of about eighty of us huddled together watching the water, listening out for that particular wooshing rumble...and when it came it was spectacular - eerie, primal, two surfers were riding it with head torches like cyclops beams. The Severn river is special, it has second highest tidal change in the world and this festival, in its second year, was started by Stuart - festival organiser and river lover in celebration of it. Stuart wrote on the festival website: "In travels around the world to other bores I was struck that where ever I went, people celebrated their tides. In China ancient temples are dedicated to the tides and thousands of people line the banks to see the arrival of the 'Black Dragon'. In France, hundreds both surf and watch the 'Mascaret' progress upstream." The Magnificent Severn may be small, but it's perfectly formed. The annual festival takes place on the Severn river. As well as waves there is music - gypsy jazz, folk, rock, kids play area, crepes, warm cider, wood carving, workshops. Amazing value, great fun, sunshine and sunny dispositions, put it in your diary for next year - 10th-12th September

If the regular Carling/Carlsberg/Stella-style options at your local bar are boring your palette,…read moredon't hesitate to head to The Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival, the Campaign For Real Ale's flagship annual three-day drinking fest in Wales. Always rolling out a list of barrelled British ales as long as your arm, with understandable emphasis on Welsh brewers, plus many German beers, every year brings a handful of comedic names - try ordering past example Pheasant Plucker after a couple of pints without accidentally insulting the serving staff. The cider and perry options are plentiful and strong, too. The festivalgoers vary from 14-pint-a-night rugby fan types to stereotypical beardy real ale enthusiasts and though admission is charged that does get you freebies (at the 2010 festival, for example, it was a fiver in with a free beer glass, and under 26s got complimentary beer tokens). The earlier you get there, the better the availability - arrive late on the last day and chances are stocks of most popular drinks will have been drained already. The downsides: the food choices could do with improving, although live entertainment/music will take your mind off any rumbling stomachs. And the venue, Cardiff International Arena, is somewhat grim and lit like a school assembly hall; you'll certainly be left wishing they had an outdoor beer garden. For anybody in doubt over the middling mark: the beer, ciders and perry ranges are as imaginative as such tipples come, it's just the venue makes it more likely that alcohol's depressing qualities will win out if you spend too much time there - and running for 12 hours every day, a serious drinking session is certainly on the cards for those who can last the pace.