Thousands to attend sold-out Green Man festival

Thousands are set to attend Green Man festival over the course of the next four days.

The annual arts and music event gets under way for its 22nd year with a line-up including the British singer-songwriter Sampha and the US indie folk band Big Thief.

About 25,000 people are expected each day at the festival, which takes place in Bannau Brycheiniog, also known as the Brecon Beacons.

Transport for Wales (TfW) said it would be using "all available" trains to help ticket-holders get to the event.

Green Man's managing director Fiona Stewart said the excitement was "definitely building".

Green Man festival is held at the Glanusk estate near Crickhowell in Powys, mid Wales.

This year's event starts on Thursday 15 August and runs until Sunday 18 August.

First held in 2003, over the years the festival has hosted headliners including The Flaming Lips, Mumford and Sons and the Super Furry Animals.

The site is split into 10 different areas, covering arts, music, literature, film, comedy, science, theatre, and wellness.

This year's main headline artists include the US indie folk band Big Thief, who will perform on the Mountain stage on Saturday.

British singer-songwriter Sampha, whose 2017 album Process won the Mercury Prize, is also set to headline the Mountain Stage on Sunday.

English duo Sleaford Mods are set to play on the Far Out stage on Thursday.

Electronic musician Jon Hopkins will perform on the Mountain stage on Friday.

People attending the festival are being encouraged to to use public transport or cycle wherever possible.

The nearest train station is at Abergavenny, with shuttle buses running back and forth from the festival site.

The organisers said connecting trains at Newport could become very crowded, and urged visitors coming from London or the south-east to instead change trains at Hereford if possible.

A TfW spokesperson said it would have "standby buses and crowd management support" at key festival locations.

"We will be using all available train carriages and advise passengers to check their journey travel information on the TfW website, app, or social media channels before starting their journey."

The B4558 will be closed to all traffic heading towards the festival site on the Monday 19 August.

According to the organisers, the festival is inspired by a mythical figure called the Green Man.

The festival features a new Green Man sculpture each year, which is built out of natural materials and then burned as part of the festival's closing ceremony.

There is some rain in the forecast for Thursday, but Friday, Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be warm and dry, with temperatures about 21C (70F).

More detailed weather forecasts can be found here.