DESPITE the continuing economic gloom, Crickhowell's Green Man 2011 music festival has sold out a month in advance - bucking the trend in a tough year for UK festivals.

With even corporate mainstream festivals like Reading and Leeds struggling to attract hard-up music fans in the recession, the award-winning Green Man has sold out all 13,000 tickets for it's ninth annual summer shindig which starts next Friday at the beautiful Glanusk Park in Crickhowell.

Fiona Stewart, managing director of Green Man, said, "We are proud to announce that Green Man has completely sold out for the third year. Who says the UK festival industry is going under? It's just that the great festival-going British public want to spend their money on something authentic that they can believe in, especially in times of hardship."

The news comes amid growing fears for the future of the UK music festival, a staple of British culture, in an increasing crowded and competitive marketplace.

Last month Michael Eavis declared that Glastonbury Festival is "on the way out", citing apathy and the dire state of the economy, while it is believed that up to 40 per cent of tickets for Reading and Leeds remain unsold. In 2010, weekend tickets for the dual-site event sold out in March.

Womad and Latitude have also struggled to attract numbers this year, the latter announcing it had finally sold out on July 14 – the first day of the festival.

Fiona said, "Festivals should not be singled out - they are like many businesses at the moment struggling in the recession. Green Man has had to deal with its fair share of problems and had to change to address them. Other festivals may have to do that too, but that doesn't mean that they will disappear."

Green Man started in 2003 day event for 300 family and friends by husband and wife team Daniel and Jo Hagen. Fiona Stewart, former manager of the Big Chill Festival, became partners with Danny and Jo in 2006; moved Green Man to a bigger home at Glanusk Park and changed it into a fully fledged music festival.

She said, "The 2006 and 2007 events were very successful, but like many developing businesses Green Man didn't adapt to its initial success. It hadn't freshened up its promotion and content to keep it interesting. Ticket sales started to fall in 2008, but with reserves in place and careful planning it was going to be a tough but ok year."

Or so they thought. Just three months before Green Man 2008, reeling as the World Banking Crisis took hold, Lloyds Bank refused to advance Green Man's ticket income. With £700,000 of unpaid bills, the festival was plunged into a catastrophic cash flow crisis.

"It looked inevitable that Green Man would fold," said Fiona. "I started ringing round to cancel all our contractors, telling them Green Man was over. But one by one they all rang back offering credit until after the festival was over, and Lloyds released our ticket income. All the contractors knew what a risk they were taking. This wasn't business - this was something a lot more moving."

Contractor Ian Turner, director of GLS Lighting, said, "Fiona and her team are pure festival in the old fashioned way – they really know what they're doing. They are a creative bunch and know how to put on a great show. In the end it's down to gut instinct and wanting to support the people who deserve it and would do the same for you.

"Green Man truly is an independent family-run business. When we heard what had happened we all felt the same. We were never going to let Lloyds finish it off."

Fiona's nephew insisted on loaning her a further £200,000, using money inherited following the death of his mother from cancer. At the last minute, Green Man 2008 went ahead, albeit at a heavy financial loss.

In 2009, drastic action was needed. Many industry insiders thought Green Man was dead in the water. Daniel Hagen resigned as a director and returned to full time education while Jo Hagen continued to book Green Man's music acts.

In a bid to slash overheads, she moved Green Man out of its offices, running the company from home. Favours were asked and friends work for free. New bookers were taken on board and the festival underwent a radical rebranding to attract new fans.

With a widened programme of live music, dance acts and DJs, film, comedy and literature, Green Man grew organically to establish itself as one of the most eclectic and original highlights of the European festival calendar.

Last year it sold out in record time, winning Best Medium-Sized Festival at the UK Festival Awards 2010.

Fiona said, "After all our hard work, winning that award at the O2 in London was a real endorsement. The story of Green Man is one that many people can relate to. It shows that adaptability, creativity and imagination - plus support from friends and family - can work real miracles, even when things are really dire financially."

She added, "Brands and bands are important, but we understand that festivals are about all the people who attend and the magical experience that only festivals can offer. Green Man continues to sell out because we do our best each year to offer something honest and authentic. The wonderful people who continue to come to Green Man year on year seem to trust in that too, recession or not."