Spark-letter - Greenbelt Festival Edition
3 (well, probably more than 3) things that sparked my imagination last week!
Whew! What a weekend! I woke up this morning in my warm bed but I’m still buzzing from a transformational weekend. That may sound hyperbolic but that is the word I keep floating around. I wanted to keep it to 3 things to be in keeping with my spark letters but I may end up chipping in a couple of cheeky bonus ones.
1. The Volunteering Experience
In order to save money, I decided to be a volunteer this year. You get to attend the festival for free in exchange for 2x 3.5 hour shifts a day and you get food vouchers which equates to a free meal a day. There’s also a volunteer’s lounge where you have tea and coffee on tap and they serve soup and snacks too.
Volunteering however went far beyond a transactional agreement of putting in a bit of work and getting free food and entry. As a steward I got to be part of a team and enjoy the buzz of Behind the Scenes life for all areas of the festival. I was able to use my gifts, like being confident enough to dance about saying “let me see those wristbands! woo have a fab evening!” (yes I am really one of those annoying cheery types). I was able to help people find their way and simply be a friendly face and I even got to use a 2 way radio.
One of the really special things about volunteering was having chats with random people at any given time. You’d sit down in the lounge with a tea and the next thing you know you’re talking with an engineer, a chaplin, an architect and a plumber covering a whole gamut of topics from the sacred to the profane. I can’t speak for other festivals but it’s a great way to experience an event if you’re going on your own. We were also really well looked after by the team and had our own pastoral support.
I was asked if I’d want to come back and do it next year and I can say 100% yes. I want to stress, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. It was relentless at times, and I certainly felt run down and overwhelmed, but overall it was incredible. Just next year I’ll pack my own cooker so I can eat better.
2. The overall Greenbelt vibe
It’s so difficult to explain what Greenbelt really is. I hear people say “Christian festival” and it makes me wince. I’ve been to a Christian festival. One where everyone is a Christian and it’s predominantly one type of belief system and worship style, and the only things on offer are worship or talks about God.
That isn’t Greenbelt. Yes there are worship services should you choose to attend them - these range from quaker meetings, to taize, to celtic, to queer, there was even a goth eucharist (one of my highlights!) - but beyond that I’d say the overriding theme is activism and social justice.
As a volunteer I didn’t see everything I wanted to but I did attend a talk about a man’s bisexuality journey using Epping forest as its backdrop, a presentation on the history of drag, a book talk about how Christianity is responsible for and still props up oppressive systems (don’t worry, we all do), and a panel discussion about death and dying and how we can and should talk about it more with the people we love. I also cry danced to Reelin’ In The Years by Steely Dan in tribute to my dad who I am still grieving after nearly 35 years.
Throughout the festival there were discussions about climate change, poverty and the economy, humanism, politics, embodied spirituality. Topics I certainly didn’t see at the other Christian festival. And between the talks and the worship, there were incredible music, theatre and comedy acts. And all sorts of pop-up events like ukelele jams and chess games, and shadow puppetry!
Many people I met were atheist, lapsed christians, something fairly labelless. In the nicest possible way, it was a festival for misfits. For those of us who feel we don’t quite fit into a box of what society or some styles of church expect us to fit into. It creates an amazing tapestry of people, who may not believe in the exact same thing in the exact same way, but who do believe that us mere mortals can make the world better. That there is still hope even if it sometimes feels the world is crashing down around us.
All weekend I was reminded countless times there is space for all of it. While I’ve felt comfortable there was space for queerness at Greenbelt for ages, this time I genuinely felt there was space for a bisexual woman who’s married to a man. I realised there was space for someone who struggles to say the Creed and believe bits (sometimes any) of it. And just when I thought there wasn’t space for the “witchy” side of me (more on that another time perhaps) the Goth Eucharist had me crying as I realised there was a way I can integrate that side of myself and I don’t have to be 7 different people in any given day.
As I say, this weekend has been transformational.
3. I’m going to make the art!
And to bring it back to inspiration from a creativity standpoint (which this newsletter tries to be about) I’ve come home with a new energy of completion. One year, maybe not next year, but we’ll see, I’m going to be a performer/speaker at Greenbelt. One project I’ve had in mind is to establish a classical open mic night in Bristol. I’ll write about that in more detail another day but I can see a space for that at Greenbelt. I’m also going to publish my piano compositions this year and I’m going to start my memoir on childhood bereavement from the perspective of an adult who was too young to remember the person they’re grieving.
I write this down so it’s out in the world. Part accountability, part sharing it with the divine in a prayer to help me do it!
Oh go on… one more
4. Free the Wee!
Woman urinals have been an absolute revelation. I first met Peequal when they were researching opinions with their prototype back in 2020. At the time I remember thinking it was a fab idea, if a little scary the thought of peeing in a hole in the floor instead of a toilet.
They are essentially a toilet area for women and non-binary people (but only number ones not numbers twos!) and as a rural child who loved peeing in the woods I think it woke something in my inner child who only wanted to use these loos for the rest of the weekend, even though many portaloos were closer.
When I saw the neon structures behind a wicker gate I was amazed there was no queue at all and, for possibly the first time at a festival, I was able to pee whenever I wanted and not have to hold it in for hours while I wait for a portaloo! As the weekend went on there did end up being queuey moments, but it was heartwarming to hear the solidarity in the queue. So many people saying “these are brilliant, such a good idea” and chatting like we were all in the toilets of a nightclub - making friends, helping each other out. Who knew a toilet could bring so much joy!
5. And one more… Deep Fried Ravioli!
Absolutely sublime. My personal favourite was potato and mint in a charcoal dough. Inspired!
I hope you found your own inspiration from this week’s spark letter! As I’m sure you can tell I’m very enthusiastic this week so looking forward to taking that with me as I head to school to sort my classroom for the rest of the week. Summer is over, boo!
Have a fab week
Love B x