Green Man festival will reveal what makes people gay as part of 2018’s line up

Folk dancing on rolling hilltops, heartbroken singers breaking new hearts with acoustic guitars and an area earnestly devoted to scientific discovery.

Green Man festival is so lushly creative it’s in danger of becoming a parody of itself.

Alongside the music, the summer festival, located in the Brecon Beacons in south Wales and now in its tenth year, has a line-up devoted to thrilling educational discovery.

The festival has announced its Einstein’s Garden talks and events line-up, alongside a giant cast of musicians including The War On Drugs, Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear.

Einstein’s Garden has a line-up of intriguing alternative talks and debates which this year features a talk by queer scientist Cerys Bradley provocatively called: “What makes people gay?”.

A Unifying Theory of Gay gets under the topic’s skin. The festival say: “For decades, science has been fascinated by the LGBTQ+ community. What makes gay people gay?”

“How does sexuality affect one’s behaviour, appearance, or ability to raise children? Join scientist Cerys Bradley, a part time comedian and full time gay, as they look at the science conducted in answer of these questions”.

Einstein’s Garden will feature interactive workshops, installations and talks alongside comedy and music with a particular focus on youth engagement. Some of its partners have included the universities Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and Imperial, and institutions including Cancer Research, Crick Institute and the Wellcome Trust.

For its tenth birthday the Garden has compiled “an exclusive guest list of old and new, and a new set of party games to keep spirits soaring over the weekend”.


The “guest list” is thrillingly eclectic. Experts from the fields of science, space, mathematics, sports, topology and nature convene.

KT Cooper, “the mathematician’s daughter,” will make maths fun while Jon Spooner will talk space travel. Drink cocktails and discuss the latest advancements in astrophysics with The Astroholic or discard the programme and just see what you bump into.

Other music acts on the bill include American singer-songwriter John Grant, art rock duo Public Service Broadcasting and indie rockers Dirty Projectors.

Green Man festival takes place August 16th – 18th in the Brecon Beacons and tickets are on sale now