The popular Green Man festival has today opened for its 24th festival, which will look a little different this year.

Green Man, in Crickhowell, is the largest independent music, science and arts festival in Wales. Tickets sold out within one hour of their release in September 2025, with a crowd of 25,000 people set to enjoy four days of world-class music and arts programming in the spectacular setting of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

It comes after the festival announced that the annual lighting of the Green Man will not go ahead, due to wild fire concerns. The festival has offered 80 free tickets to firefighters from the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue for this year's festival.

The festival opened to those with a Settlemen Ticket on the 17th of August.

Green Man’s 2026 music programming kicks off with Scottish post-rock band Mogwai headlining the Far Out stage. Elsewhere this evening, Charlotte Church’s Pop Dungeon makes a monumental return to Green Man, promising a high-energy performance of pop covers with high camp and good times aplenty; alongside performances from the likes of Lime Garden, Madra Salach and Friko, and an all Welsh lineup at the Walled Garden.

16 stages will offer comedy, science, live interviews, circus and film, with the Last Laugh stage offering its biggest lineup to date. Topping the bill this year will be award-winning stand-up comedian and TV host Joe Lycett; comedian, actor and writer Bridget Christie; Green Man-regular, Stewart Lee and the likes of Josie Long; Garth Marenghi, Kerry Godliman and Jessica Fostekew. In keeping with Green Man’s pledge to platform future talents, the stage will also platform some of the buzziest new names in comedy, including writer, comedian and actor Jack Shep, who recently shot into the spotlight as a cast member on SNL UK

At The Talking Shop, award-winning Welsh investigative journalist Will Hayward will host a series of in conversation sessions with Delyth Jewell, Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health of Wales. Elsewhere Eamonn Forde will speak to Richard Russell, Founder of XL Recordings; and award-winning actress and star of Game of Thrones, Maisie Williams will sit down with Welsh producer and filmmaker Lowri Roberts. On Sunday, The Guardian will host a Guardian Live special session with English actress and musician Samantha Morton, discussing her life and career through music as she unravels her ‘Honest Playlist’.

The iconic Green Man Mountain Stage will open tomorrow, Friday, with a special opening set from Tall Child, the winners of the 2026 Green Man Rising competition. The London-based, Nigerian/Indian musician Zha Gandhi was hand selected by a panel of industry experts, winning the prize of the coveted opening Mountain slot, and will also receive a week’s studio time at Prah Recordings, a live recorded session at the festival and a physical vinyl release with Dinked Edition.

The same stage will welcome Green Man’s 2026 headliners throughout the weekend; with Friday night hosting Jeff Tweedy led US rock-band Wilco, who return to Green Man for the first time since their landmark 2009 headline set. On Saturday night, pioneering British producer and DJ Four Tet will bring his acclaimed combination of house, techno, and experimental electronics; and on Sunday, BRIT Award winning indie-rockers Wolf Alice will top the Green Man bill for the very first time, closing out the weekend with their new record The Clearing.

Further highlights include Cat Power, celebrating the 20th anniversary of her iconic album The Greatest, The Beta Band, visiting Wales as part of their first tour in 21 years, and New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, who stops off at Green Man whilst working on a forthcoming new album. Elsewhere, South London post-punks Dry Cleaning with music from their brand new album Secret Love and North Carolina rockers Wednesday. They’re joined by the likes of Shame, Sorry, The Beths, Smerz, Fcukers and a live performance from Daniel Avery.

The 2026 lineup will also host the likes of Malian rock band Tamikrest; Ghanaian cult icon Ata Kak and South Korean punk-rockers Sailor Honeymoon, alongside the Kongo jazz of Kongo Dia Ntotila and Indonesian psych-groove of Amsterdam-based Nusantara Beat.