Categories: uncategorized
Date: 24 August 2009 19:24:43
The BBC four day forecast suggests there could be trouble ahead. Defo looks like a year to pack the boots or flip flops, depending upon which approach you take when it gets a bit mushy underfoot. Personally I'll be going for the walking boots I think, or the sky blue DM's depending upon which look I am going for and which I will be more comfortable with getting wrecked if we do have a muddy one.
However, I am not here to preview the weather and footware...I am here to preview the festival and give a few suggestions regarding what looks interesting having downloaded the Greenbelt Daily Diary 2009 aswell as having had a surf around blog land.
It appears that the festival has expanded slightly this year, with the addition of a big top venue for grown ups and a wine bar, The Blue Nun. Yet, it still looks comfortably familiar with a number of the usual suspects on the programme. Maggi Dawn has been kind enough not just to detail where she'll be over the festival but also to detail a bit about each session she'll be doing. Andrew Jones also looks to have an interesting session, but this happens to clash with when I have arranged to meet some people known as Wibloggers over at the Tiny Tea Tent. Martyn Joseph is, just for a change, going to be playing the festival aswell. Finally John Davies is always worth a listen.
So having looked through what do I want to catch each day when I'm not too busy catching up with people? (Note all info from the guide or blog sites, I take no responsibility if this is wrong).
Friday:
John Bell is always worth a listen and he is doing a session in "Jerusalem" on the subject of "Indebting the Future". On related note his latest book launch is one of the events going on in the Iona / Northern Lights tent.
Dave Tomlinson, (the post-evangelical bloke), is yet another GB regular worth checking out. He is talking on "Church without Boarders" on Friday evening.
Finally worth investigating on Friday, I reckon, is the Ikon session on pyro-theology, which Peter Rollins details a bit about.
Saturday is a bit of a funny one where I am sure I will find lots to do. My personal recommendations include:
Rob Bell, who comes under the same category as Gene Robinson, that is famous people who you have to see at somepoint over the festival - just for the crack.
More importantly as far as I am concerned Saturday afternoon provides the opportunity to enjoy both Beer and Hymns and 100 Philistine Foreskins.
Saturday evening also has an OuterSpace session which looks really interesting looking at the issues for LGB people considering a call to public ministry. They will be following it with a bit of social.
Sunday will start as usual with the communion service which I generally quite like. I am v. aware it's not everyones cup of tea. Yet I believe it is a site of communitas and sums up why I believe going to Greenbelt in some ways is going on pilgrimage.
It is, for me the day of choices. I have a choice of doing Martyn Joseph in the big top and then legging it over to here Maggi Dawn talk on the Emerging Church and the Litergical Year or going to see +Robinson.
Other main choice is later on and I think the Duke Special will win, but the Just Peace vigil has an appeal. Also if anybody who happens to read this wants to say hi, and isn't sorted to catch up with me elsewhere I am doing my community service on Sunday evening (6-8) on the OuterSpace stall. Not sure if anybody I don't know reads this thing, but if you do and you're bored would be good to say hi!
Monday has a line up that seems quite interesting:
Nadia Boltz-Weber is doing a session on emerging and denominational: loyal radicals. She looks interesting.
So it might be that I end up missing Gene Robinson totally in the end as he clashes with Boltz-Weber.
If I do go for emerging and denominational I will probably stay around the same venue to listen to Kester Brewin.
Music wise I intend enjoying The Welcome Wagon, just on the strength of their cover of The Smiths "Half A Person" on their myspace site. Martyn Joseph is also doing a session I don't intend missing. I'm hoping Cornershop will have played A Brim Full of Asher in time for me to leg it over to hear the Ship of Fools "Chapter and Worse".
So there you have it.....my tips for the festival which I note are strangely devoid of most of the headliners. I leave you with two gems that sum up Greenbelt for the uninitiated. The first is a link to Pip Wilson (for those of you who remember GB in the 80's Pip was basically Mr. GB) who has a video worth a watch, explaining why you should join us at this arts festival. The second gem is a You Tube clip of Beer and Hymns.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7rCpGz0YMI[/youtube]