Womad Charlton Park
Encyclopedia
WOMAD Charlton Park is the name given to the World of Music Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival held in Charlton Park
Charlton Park, Wiltshire
Charlton Park is an estate in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England. It has been owned by the Earls of Suffolk since the Reformation. It was formerly the land on which Malmesbury Abbey was built. The house was finished in 1607, having been built for Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and his wife...

 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, since 2007. It is the direct successor to WOMAD Reading, which was held in the town of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 each year from 1986 to 2006.

WOMAD festival is held on the last weekend of July, and currently lasts three and a half days, stretching from the Thursday evening to early Monday morning. The line up is predominantly World Music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...

, but Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

 and Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 artists also appear.

WOMAD origins

WOMAD was pioneered by various international artists, notably Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

 in Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council...

, the first concerts took place in 1982. Peter Gabriel is still a major driving force behind the organisation and its various branches of activity in the music industry.

WOMAD Reading 1986-2006

Reading became the regular site for WOMAD in the UK four years after its inception, and the festival became established there over 20 years. The first Womad Reading was held in 1986, and the last festival was held in 2006.

The festival took place every year on the last weekend of July, at the Rivermead Centre and Little John's Farm in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

. By the end of its run in Reading, the festival had three stages:
  • The Open Air (or Main) Stage
  • The Siam Tent Stage
  • The Village Stage

WOMAD Charlton Park 2007

In light of the mud caused by poor weather prior to the first festival in its new location, and on the Saturday night, many festival goers nicknamed the festival WOMUD.

WOMAD Charlton Park 2008

WOMAD 2008 was luckier, a weekend of blistering sunshine in an otherwise poor summer. The 2008 festival was well received and reviewed for its broad lineup and inclusive atmosphere. Mercury Prize-winner Roni Size Reprazent said: "What makes this festival different from every other festival that I've been to is when you walk into the tent. It's filled up with kids and buggies and their mothers and their fathers. Now that is an unbelievable sight."

Arena:
The format has evolved and expanded since 1986. Stages in 2008 included:
  • Open Air Stage: Sometimes referred to as the Main Stage, it is one of the two stages sharing headline acts, along with the Siam Tent. This stage hardly ever double books with the Siam Tent, as all the biggest artists usually appear on either stage.
  • Siam Tent: Introduced in 1998 as an alternative to the Open Air Stage.
  • Big Red Tent: The third main stage.
  • Little Sicily: A quieter haven for acoustic acts and conversation, with tables and chairs.
  • Dance Tent & Drum Tent: Two alternating venues of workshops featuring mainly African and Latin acts.
  • BBC Radio 3 Stage: Set outside the main arena, featuring many artists who also played the main stages, and broadcasting live on BBC Radio 3
    BBC Radio 3
    BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...

    .

External links

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