BIG GREEN GATHERING - 2006 REVIEW

What's on this page www.big-green-gathering.com   Review The Big Green Gathering was held on the same site as last year, although a tree re-planting programme at the farm meant that some parts of the festival had been moved slightly. Once again, there was so much on the programme that it was almost to be able to see everything which was of interest, and the wide range of music venues, talks and discussions on a wide range of subjects, plus a number of cinemas and other attractions meant that there was something for just about everyone during the five days.

The many campaign venues allowed everyone into 'Green', 'Peace' and other important and current issues to come away better informed. Although the BGG focuses on 'Green Issues', those who want to 'get away from it all', enjoy good music in beautiful surroundings will come away with good memories too. Many of the aspects of the BGG were included in our 2005 review which can be read here. As well as the wide range of entertainments there were plenty of vegan and vegetarian food stalls offering everything from snacks to tasty main meals.

The effects of the new licensing laws affected the BGG this year, so that they were forced to employ more security personnel than before, however their presence was lo-key.One other effect was that the BGG are no longer able to get a festival licence without a 'drinks licence'. Therefore for the first time, alcohol was on sale at three bars at the BGG. These proved very popular and were situated in different parts of the site.

Our personal favourite was the 'Farm Bar', which was large, airy with a good 'vibe'. A range of local 'real ales' and ciders were available at £2.50 a pint, served up by friendly 'Young Farmers' staff.

In addition, the farm shop sold locally produced produce at reasonable prices, including vegetables, eggs, milk, cheeses including Goat's Milk Cheeses. The Bread and cake stall in the 'Farm Area' was quite expensive, although their 'specialist breads' and huge chunks of cake were exceptionally yummy and cheaper 'standard loaves' were available in the main BGG shop.

The 'Farm Area' was a place some vegetarians and vegans may have avoided because part of the 'Farm Bar' counter was devoted to serving up Bacon and egg 'butties' and the farm shop also had locally made sausages and burgers discretely on offer.

Also within the Farm Area were demonstrations of hand sheering which delighted adults and children alike and the expert commentary expanded the knowledge of everyone there, so that for those keen to promote 'ethically produced organic meat', this part of the BGG is not as out of keeping with the 'green approach' as it might first appear and it acknowledges that not everyone who 'thinks green' is a vegetarian/vegan. Also to keep things in perspective, this was one very small part of the entire BGG site.

This year's BGG had the largest attendance so far achieved and this is to be welcomed. However, one thing has to be mentioned. This didn't affect visitors to the event, but did cause hassle for a number of people involved in making the festival happen, such as musicians, traders and workers. The general consensus was that there was a definite increase in the number of problems compared to last year. These included names not being on the 'gate' resulting in delays getting on site, some people setting up on site and then being moved to a different location causing wasted time 'taking-down', moving followed by 're-setting up'. Also the rigid 'closed gate' policy meant that workers arriving after 10:00 pm for whatever reason were either delayed for a number of hours, or had to sleep in their vehicles overnight. Given that the BGG has been running for a number of years, these problems really should not happen, especially as some of those affected were disabled, so I hope that it will run more smoothly next year, with a little more co-ordination and flexibility.

Please note: This review has been written by Fee Warner and some parts do not reflect the views of the Festival Eye Editor Andy Smith who is a vegan.

  Photo Galleries

GALLERY ONE 'Out & About' & Starting the Journey Home by Fee Mercury Moon

GALLERY TWO by Fee Mercury Moon

GALLERY THREE by Eleanor Warner