With music pulsating around Roosevelt Center and bustling happy crowds, the Green Man Festival brought a return of joy to Greenbelt in 2022. A cool and damp weekend could not discourage the flowering of the festival.
After the long hiatus caused by the pandemic, Greenbelters were elated to welcome the return of the Green Man along with the Beltsville Garden Club plant sale and the opening day of the Farmers Market. The festival also marks the start of concert season in the center.
Who or what is the Green Man? Common in the British Isles, but also appearing elsewhere, the Green Man is a folkloric image of a man’s face sprouting leaves and vegetation, symbolizing seasonal regeneration as well as human unity with the natural world. The Green Man Festival has been a celebration of nature, the environment, ecology and local entertainment since its origins in 2003. The festival became a project of CHEARS (Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society) in 2008.
Drumming and a drum circle, facilitated by Katy Gaughan, opened the festival. From inside the New Deal Café, performers broadcast a variety of sounds out onto Roosevelt Center. The diverse lineup of musical acts included celebrated singer/songwriters Tom Prasada-Rao and Mike Elosh; acoustic folk performers Melissa Sites and Old Time duo Raincrow; Global Warming; the funky rock-pop of Soulfied Village; and the jazzy worldbeat chants of KIVA, a longtime favorite at the Green Man Festival.
Colorful handmade goods were presented by artist vendors such as BriteCloth TieDye, Gina Mai Denn Pottery, Hillside Cottage Crafts, Root Down Cleansing and The Purple Kiln glass art. Activities for children and the young at heart included building fairy gardens and decorating the center with sidewalk chalk. Local groups such as United Poultry Concerns, Greenbelt Climate Action Network and CHEARS also offered information tables.
