WOMADelaide
 |
WOMADelaide 2005 |
First held in
1992,
WOMADelaide is an annual world music and dance festival held in Botanic Park,
Adelaide,
South Australia as part of the
Womad series of music festivals.
WOMADelaide was first run in
1992 as part of the
Adelaide Festival of Arts. It was then run again in
1993 after which it was run every two years in odd-numbered years so as to not conflict with the
Festival which runs on the even-numbered years. In
2003, WOMADelaide became an annual festival. At this time the WOMADelaide Foundation was set up as a non-profit body to present the festival among other supporting activities.
The WOMADelaide festival is held in Botanic Park, which is situated just north-east of the
Adelaide CBD, between the
Adelaide Zoo and the
Adelaide Botanic Gardens. The entire park is fenced off for the duration of the festival which provides an enormous amount of space. The main three stages are set up around a backstage compound with Stage 1 in the middle and Stages 2 and 3 on either side, all facing out from the backstage area. There are a varying number of smaller stages placed around the park, bringing the number of stages to around 6 or 7. There is also a market area, a central food and drink area with several smaller bars at other locations and an area devoted to community groups and charities. All stage areas and the food and drink area are designated smoke free, although this is not heavily policed.
WOMADelaide draws its artists from all over the world. A specific emphasis is placed on traditional music and performances of various cultures although some more popular acts are included. The festival runs from Friday to Sunday, from 6:00pm to 12:00am on Friday and from 12:00pm to 12:00am on Saturday and Sunday. The central stages follow a pattern where an act will perform on Stage 1, followed by simultaneous performances on Stages 2 and 3. The smaller stages run independently of the main stages. This can cause issues of the sound from the main stages interfering with smaller performances. Artists will often do workshops demonstrating and/or discussing aspects of their performances on the smaller stages. There are also artists who do 'roving' performances through the park and installation pieces, such as La Compagnie Carabosse who set up large fire installations at the
2005 festival.
Artists who have appeared at WOMADelaide festivals include:
*
The Cat Empire*
Peter Gabriel*
Shooglenifty*
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan*
Master Drummers of Burundi*
Salif Keita*
Baaba Maal*
Midnight Oil*
Afro-Celt Sound System*
John Butler Trio*
Tiddas*
Zap Mama*
Leningrad Cowboys*
Not Drowning, Waving*
Yungchen Lhamo*
Ozomatli*
Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys*
Crowded House*
The Dhol Foundation*
Miriam Makeba*
Jimmy Cliff* 9-11 March 2007
* 7-9 March 2008
* 6-8 March 2009
*
Official Site
