MUST DO: Courtyard Festival, King’s Cross

So what the devil is it all about?
Courtyard is a hugely popular area of the Green Man Festival, which offers over a hundred of the very best Welsh beers and ciders from independent brewers. It was too good to keep to ourselves so we thought we’d uproot it right into Lewis Cubitt Square in King’s Cross, so Londoners can have a chance of quaffing tasty Welsh grog. It’s completely free to attend; you don’t need a ticket, just turn up on the day. But it’ll be busy so get there early.

Ace. Any choons too?
Of course. On the Courtyard Stage will be acts as diverse as The Wave Pictures, Stealing Sheep, Huw Stephens and Ibibio Sound Machine – all set to entertain everyone for free. Our mates at Moshi Moshi Records will be hosting Sunday’s entertainment too.

I’ve never been to Green Man. Can you sum up what it’s like?
In many ways it’s how festivals used to be – an outdoor celebration of wonderful music, great experiences and having a laugh. It has a friendly, free-spirited atmosphere and is located in the beautiful setting of the Black Mountains, Wales. And as a family-run independent festival (one of the only ones) we like to make it as inclusive as possible. We keep a bit of a distance from uniformity and corporate affiliations so we don’t have any sponsorship or VIP areas. We include all the things that we are really passionate about and want to share with the people who come – from music to theatre, comedy, cinema and tasty food and drinks because we’re gluttons at heart.

Why King’s Cross – and why now?
We’re Camden people and King’s Cross is literally walking distance from where we live. We’ve been hearing about the development for the last 30 years and watched as the area evolved into something pretty amazing. Both Granary and Lewis Cubitt squares are incredible spaces with massive potential. You feel a connection, not just to the rest of Britain, but also to Europe, which is unique.

London used to have an inspiring, thriving alternative arts culture – with a lot of that based in Camden. But over the last 20 years alot of that’s been taken over by venues in east London. Now even those areas are getting tired and corporatized. The word ‘boutique’ has had its day. We don’t like the beige that’s creeping into London, so doing something that no one has done before at a connected, fresh space which is also part of Camden is really exciting.

What shouldn’t readers miss?
The beer! We have 140 different types of beer and cider at the moment and that’s going up daily. You really can’t drink this kind of beer in London, so please come and have a few pints with us while watching some incredible music for free. We’re offering some online deals, with a reduction on the price of drinks. These are available now with a massive take-up so get in there quick as it’s a limited offer.

Any other tips? Get a programme as it has all the information about what is on throughout the weekend. Our brewer friends are passionate enthusiasts who like nothing more than to discuss their creations, and will be around if people want to know more. We also have an extensive workshop programme and some really entertaining street theatre.

Finally, any scran to soak it all up?
Of course. There’ll also be some amazing Welsh streetfood, which will absolutely knock your socks off.