About NGG

Welcome

 

We are a 100% renewable energy and volunteer run festival up north!

 

Our Story

We started our journey in 1997 with a small green gathering. At the time there were very few festivals in the North, everyone went South. We wanted to help build up a Northern network of festival providers. We chose to keep our events small enough to allow community and close relationships to thrive. Embedded in our ethos of accessibility we have kept tickets and traders fees low, however we run on volunteer time and goodwill, so if you can’t pay but have a skill to share you can still gather with us. We have always had an open door policy so as many people as possible could feel empowered to take part. 

Until 2002 we ran events annually.  From 2002-08 we took a few breaks and allowed things to scale down in size but went on the road, contributing a ‘Green Festival’ space to other events. We then ran at Lime Tree Farm in North Yorkshire 2008 -10, then Fell Edge Farm, an organic farm near Skipton in 2011 and 2012.

In 2014 we moved south, to Bradley Nook Farm, an organic livestock farm in the Derbyshire Dales. The farmers, Jay and Katja, after meeting and connecting with the Vegan Society at NGG 2015, established a plan to divest from the meat industry and move to organic vegetable farming. In 2016 they decided to give away their herd of beef cattle to Hillside Animal Sanctuary, a move which gained significant media coverage after the documentary 73 Cows, based on their story, won BAFTA Best Short Film. This left Northern Green Gathering in search of pastures new.

Scholey Park in Lincolnshire was our happy home for 2021 & 2022 and Ben was an amazing host!

We had a break in 2023 to find a new site in Yorkshire, closer to our original roots.. After much searching, we are pleased to announce that we’ve found an awesome space in Wakefield and are re-energised and ready for NGG 2024!