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!

Hay-on-Wye is one of my favourite places to go even when there's no festival gracing us with its…read morepresence. A small village tucked away in the rolling Welsh countryside, filled to the brim with bookshops of all descriptions and twinned with Timbuktu; this is a unique find. But once a year this little town becomes even fuller with excitement and literature. The Hay Festival of Literature and Arts is a mecca for anyone with a love of words and the secrets that can be entangled within them. With writers from all walks, such as Jasper Fforde, Salman Rushdi, Bill Bryson, Martina Cole and Quentin Blake, there really is something for everyone. Each performance, discussion or lecture is individually priced, from £4-£10, and intensive three day courses for £375. This is a week-long festival with an incredibly large selection of activities to take part in. It may well be hard to choose where to go and who to see, but that's about the only problem you'll have should you come to this festival.

Hay literature/literary/book festival (delete as appropriate according to your level of comfort…read morewith intellectualism) is an annual, original, event in a small Welsh town on the edge of the Black Mountains. Set in neatly organised marquees in fields outside the town, it's a big-time publishing love-in, that attracts anorak-wearing book worms, country types called Georgie or Bubbles, earth-mother families and the odd American ex-president. This years event was good for me. I avoided fiction and focussed on behavioural economics, natural capital, craftsmanship and graphic novels. Where can you hear such a varied roster of genres? I came away with ideas for my own work, pleasure and purpose. Just one day at this event will inspire, or do as many more indulgent readers do, and camp out nearby each year with those relatives you don't really like, but are ideally placed for a yearly Maytime visit. I love looking around and seeing a sea of readers, sat in deck chairs, ignoring their friends and just reading. From real, hard bound, books. It's a small, well organised festival with activities and facilities for all, and affordable. If you're a publishing nerd, it's nirvana.

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.

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!

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.

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.

The Big weekend is an annual 3 day music festival in the city that encompasses a range of different…read moremusic types and aspects for families as well as the adults. Last year The Zutons and The Lightening Seeds were headlining and this year you can see Chaka Demus and Pliers (I'm excited about that!) as well as Welsh rockers The Blackout and Feeder. There's also a funfair, fireworks and the whole town comes to life.

The summer counterpart to the annual Winter Wonderland, Cardiff's Big Weekend is an event that…read morebrings the whole city to life. Sponsored by Admiral, the Weekend is an annual three day festival based in the heart of the city, completely swallowing up the civic centre and the museum area with its fairground rides, games stalls and massive stage. Every year, the festival puts on three nights of gigs from a selection of local talent, old stalwarts (such as this year's fantastic Chaka Demus and The Pliers) and major contemporary bands such as The Zutons or Athelete, all for free. The atmosphere is always loud, lairy and happy with most people being there just to have a good time. There are the occasional problems amongst the teenage crowd, loaded up on adrenaline and this can put a damper on small pockets of the area, but nothing that isn't resolved quickly. Everyone's too busy thinking of what to do next to stay mad for long.

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.

The absolute highlight of summer in Cardiff to me is and always will be the Cardiff International…read moreFood & Drink Festival. If you're a foodie in Cardiff, attending the International Food & Drink Festival is an absolute MUST! -- TIPS: -- ~ Make sure you have plenty of cash on hand way before the event. Nearby ATMs will have a massive queue of people getting cash out. If you can get cash out somewhere else before attending, you can avoid the mad rush to the ATMs. ~ Bring your own bottled water / soft drinks. Drinks here are really expensive, and while meandering around the food stalls trying all the different things, I found myself getting really thirsty and forking out over £2 for a standard bottle of Diet Coke. -- ATMOSPHERE: -- I really enjoy the atmosphere here. You're surrounded by a bunch of other folks who love food as much as you do - what could be better? However, if you're not a crowd person, you might hate it. Try to get there extra early right around opening time, the crowds may be a bit less then. -- FOOD: -- There's a decent amount of variety of food here. The only thing is that I'm hesitant to say that the variety fits the name of it being 'international'. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some international choices (I loved the paella stand!) the vast majority of places were definitely Welsh/British cuisine. However, there should still be something for everyone here. Again, go and get the paella - amaziiiiinnngg! Not only can you get hot foods here, but you can also check out the Producer's Fayre or Farmer's Market for goods to take home such as regional cheeses, chutneys, and chocolates. Well worth the browse. --- I'm really sad that I have to wait a whole year to come back to the Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival. Definitely a must-go if you're in South Wales for the summer!