Womad

Womad
Name	Womad
Location	Various
Years active	1980–present
Founders	Peter Gabriel, Thomas Brooman, Bob Hooton, Robert Plant
Genre	World music, multicultural festival

Womad Womad is an international festival and organization that presents music, dance and culture from around the globe. Founded in 1980, it brings together artists, promoters and institutions to showcase performances, workshops and collaborations that span continents and traditions. The event has influenced festival culture through links with major venues, broadcasters and cultural organisations.

History

The festival was established in 1980 by Peter Gabriel, Thomas Brooman, Bob Hooton and Robert Plant, drawing on connections to Real World Studios, Charisma Records, Harvest Records, Virgin Records, and patrons from the British Council and Arts Council England. Early editions featured collaborations involving artists associated with World Circuit (record label), Nonesuch Records, ECM Records, and broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel 4. Tours and editions forged relationships with institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, UNESCO, European Cultural Foundation, and promoters including Live Nation, SFX Entertainment, and independent promoters active at venues such as Glastonbury Festival, Reading Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Isle of Wight Festival, South by Southwest, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Roskilde Festival and Melbourne International Arts Festival. Key figures who curated line-ups collaborated with managers from Peter Gabriel (band), agents from William Morris Endeavor, and labels including Sony Music, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group.

Format and Organisation

Womad operates as a multi-stage festival model with main stages, tents, and workshops, often hosted at campuses, parks and historic sites like Wellington Country Park, Charlton Park, Byron Bay, Trafalgar Square, Stoneleigh Park and botanical gardens affiliated with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Programming is coordinated by artistic directors, tour managers, stage managers and production crews who liaise with unions such as Equity (British trade union), rental companies like PRG (company), and suppliers used by events at Madison Square Garden, Sydney Opera House, Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre and Royal Albert Hall. Partnerships with broadcasters including BBC Radio 3, BBC World Service, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), NPR, and labels ensure recording, licensing and distribution through platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and independent distributors.

Notable Editions and Locations

Notable editions occurred at sites such as Shepton Mallet Prison (early UK events), Wellington Country Park (UK), Reading Festival satellite stages, the Byron Bay Arts Festival (Australia), New Zealand Arts Festival, Santiago a Mil (Chile), Parc de la Villette (Paris), Trafalgar Square (London), The Hague Festival (Netherlands), WOMEX affiliated showcases, and touring residencies at Real World Studios. International editions partnered with institutions including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Olympia (Paris), Teatro Colón, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Helsinki Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Aarhus Festuge, and civic festivals in Barcelona, Lisbon, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Accra, Lagos, Kigali, Dar es Salaam, Mumbai, Delhi, Kathmandu, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Istanbul, Athens, Cairo and Casablanca.

Artists and Musical Style

Line-ups have featured artists linked to labels and ensembles such as Fela Kuti, Youssou N'Dour, Ali Farka Touré, Salif Keita, Buena Vista Social Club, Cesária Évora, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar, Oumou Sangaré, Tinariwen, Amadou & Mariam, KODO (drum group), Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Rokia Traoré, Youssou N'Dour, Baba Maal, King Sunny Adé, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Zakir Hussain, Dead Can Dance, Peter Gabriel (musician), Robert Plant, Stewart Copeland, Nitin Sawhney, Talvin Singh, Buena Vista Social Club members, Ali Akbar Khan, Minyo Crusaders, Tinariwen members, Susheela Raman, Shakira, Rokia Traoré members, Amadou & Mariam members, Mercan Dede, Gheorghe Zamfir, Bob Marley-linked acts, The Gipsy Kings, King Sunny Ade band, and contemporary world artists signed to World Circuit, Real World Records, ECM Records and Nonesuch Records. Styles encompass connections to traditions and scenes tied to Afrobeat, Malian blues, Cuban son, Flamenco, Tabla traditions, Sufi qawwali, Gnawa music, Tuareg blues, Balkan brass, Klezmer revivalists, Indian classical music, Arabic maqam, Brazilian samba, Reggae, Ska revival, Carnatic music, Andean folk, and contemporary crossovers from producers associated with Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Mark Knopfler and remixers on Ninja Tune and XL Recordings.

Community, Education and Outreach

Educational projects partner with organisations such as the British Council, UNESCO, City of London Corporation, Arts Council England, universities including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, SOAS, University of London, Royal Holloway, University of London, University of Cape Town, University of the Andes, conservatoires like the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, community groups, youth ensembles, street arts organisations linked to Streetwise Opera, and social enterprises modeled on Culture Company initiatives. Outreach includes residencies with orchestras like the London Symphony Orchestra, workshops tied to folk archives such as the British Library Sound Archive, mentorships with charities like Help Musicians UK, PRSF (Performing Right Society Foundation), and collaborations with health and wellbeing projects influenced by Nordoff Robbins.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The festival's legacy is reflected in cultural diplomacy via UNESCO programmes, discographies on labels such as Real World Records and World Circuit, and influence on programming at major festivals including Glastonbury Festival, WOMEX, SXSW, Rosklide, Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Sónar, and city festivals across London, Paris, Nairobi, Accra, Lagos, Mexico City, Lima, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing. It catalysed artist collaborations, recordings, and tours that involved management firms like Creative Artists Agency, broadcasters such as the BBC World Service, NPR Music, and cultural institutions including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Category:Music festivals