WOMAD

If your a fan of drums and dancing than WOMAD is the place to go. If you dislike either of these things, here’s my adivce, you don’t know what your missing. Right from the first night of this four day festival drums fill the air around the auditorium, mainly due to the various drumming workshops being held, which from the outside simply look like a rythmn party. 

     WOMAD is a great festival, and this is proven by the mix of people that attend it such as families, young teenagers, and even a few OAP’s. WOMAD’s eclectic taste can be seen in it’s headling acts, with folk pioneers Bellowhead storming the Thursday night slot, Ivory Coast reggae star Alpha Blondy on the Friday, African ambassador Baaba Maal on Saturday and to play it out Gorgol Bordello on Sunday. 

      What makes this festival so special is the mutual respect from the audience and the musicians to one another. You’ll never see any bottle throwing or spitting at this event. This was demonstrasted beautifully when AndaUnion played an early afternoon slot in The Big Red Tent, which as a venue was usually the most raucous. The Mongolian throat singers won the crowd over and recieved defeaning applause as they took a humble bow at the end of their set.