WOMAD 2011

Bringing together many forms of music, arts and dance from countries and cultures around the world on seven separate stage and workshop areas.

WOMAD stands for World of Music, Arts and Dance, the festival returns to the picturesque site at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire. The dates for the 22,500 capacity event are Friday 29th to Sunday 31st July 2011.

Line-up

Acts confirmed include Afrocubism, Gogol bordello, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Baaba Maal, Aurelio & The Garifuna Soul Band, I Am Kloot, Alabama 3, Amparo Sanchez, Faiz Ali Faiz, Vieux Farka Toure, Oi Va Voi, Jazz Jamaica, Dub Pistols, Smerins Anti-Social Club, Lau, Alpha Blondy, Easy Star All Stars, Bellowhead, Jamie Smith's Mabon, Dub Colossus, Hassan Erraji, Bajah & The Dry Eye Crew, Submotion Orchestra, Axel Krygier, CW Stoneking, Dhol Foundation, Dhols of Jaipur, Nathalie Natiembe, Mungos Hi fi, The Boxettes, Alejandro Toledo and The Magic Tombolinos, Brassroots, Shunsuke Kimura & Etsuro Ono, Ebo Taylor, Samuel Yirga, Booker T. Jones, Donso, Khaira Arby, Le Trio Joubran, Ballake Cissokho & Vincent Segal, Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms, Danyel Waro, Nidi D'Arac, Pacific Curls, Susheela Raman, The Gotipuas, Taraf de Haidouks, Mahala Rai Banda, Majorstuen, 9 Bach, and Bomba Estereo. For the line-up details, day and stage splits, as available please click here.

The full line-up features around 100 artists from 40 countries performing over the festival weekend. There's also a full programme of adult and childrens workshops (limited spaces available - turn up early!), a cabaret tent, fun fair, comedy, DJ sessions, as well the normal festie fodder, and a huge market of world crafts.

On Thursday for 'early bird' ticket holders The Open Air Stage is expected to once again offer live music from 7-11pm.

Tickets

The weekend tickets - which are valid from the Friday until Sunday are priced at £135 (Thursday arrivals will also need a Thursday camping ticket costing £25).

Children 13 and under can come free with each adult ticket holder, but need a free child ticket. All children must hold their own ticket and must be accompanied by an adult. Thursday tickets do not need to be purchased for children aged 13 and under.

Other ticket prices & options:-
Teenage Weekend Ticket (aged 14-17) - £70
Disabled Weekend Ticket - £135
Thursday Ticket (for those arriving on Thursday) - £25
SN16 Resident Ticket - £85
Campervan Ticket - £40
WOMAD Park and Camp - £50 - SOLD OUT

Weekend ticket for children age 13 and under are free. They must hold their own ticket and be accompanied by a ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21. One ticket holding parent or guardian can only accompany up to 4 people under the age of 18.

To buy tickets, click here.

There was also a 4 monthly payment plan to spread the total cost of WOMAD Charlton Park tickets. The WOMAD direct debit system will allow ticket purchasers to pay for the total total (includes all ticket types, any add ons and WOMAD camping options) in 4 easy direct debit instalments.

New talent search

WOMAD Festival has launched a competition to discover and encourage new talent. All musicians; soloists or bands, signed or unsigned, can take part in the WOMAD Open Call to Bands and get to play at WOMAD Charlton Park 2011. The competition mechanic is simple; entrants put their video onto the WOMAD website before 01 June and raise as much awareness as possible to get the public vote. The musician(s) with the most votes gets to play on the Charlie Gillett stage at WOMAD this summer. Voting closes 22 June. The competition is open to everyone over 18. WOMAD will announce the competition winner on Friday 24th June 2011.

Animation on site

6 leading artists will be showing their films inside their own sea containers in an exhibition named Giving Soul. Each container will be fitted with the technology to display a series of short animated films at cinema-quality, free, to all-comers throughout the festival. Each full cycle will last approx 8 minutes, focusing on the work of six artists considered to be leaders in the field in this medium.

Simon Faithfull will also be working as the festival's artist in-Residence.

The Barrow Boys

The Barrow Boys will be onsite this year providing a rental service of wheelbarrows to help lug your gear to your camping area for a small fee. Rental points will be scattered throughout the park as well as at the main entrances.

Global village

WOMAD's famous Global Village offers a dizzying choice of over 40 types of food from all over the globe and there's also a Real Ale Bar, and the 'Taste the World' tent where some of the artists will show off their cooking, and usually stage an impromptu gig.

Workshops

Music Workshops for adults, will include participatory sessions with WOMAD artists. Festival goers will be able to immerse themselves in the stories behind the music, learn the origins of rare and unusual instruments, and more.

The 'Drum and Dance Tent' will also return with early-bird yoga sessions to salsa lessons to night owl happenings. Sing-Up in the Arboretum will host a celebration of songs from across the globe.

Human Library

The Human Library returns to WOMAD in 2011. Be a 'human book' in this extraordinary library or loan a 'human book' and learn something new from your 'book's' experiences at WOMAD Charlton Park this year. Festival goers can sign up to be a human book.

Roots Architecture

After the inaugural event at WOMAD last year, Roots Architecture returns with a second year offering of live architecture and building culture to the global village that is WOMAD. From Thursday to Sunday the Architecture Workshops, along with exhibits, talks and other events, will be cooking up some of the funkiest design improvisations on site. The four-day challenge is an inspirational and practical introduction to the art and craft of building low tech and no tech structures. Organised by Fourth Door and tangentfield, those leading, coaxing and inspiring each of the individual 'design and make' teams of participants bring with them a diversity of specialist experience and skills reflecting the world culture ethos of the festival.

Roots Architecture's first challenge begins with materials: recycled, re-appropriated, re-versioned and re-used - or simply, found - materials are collected before the festival, from the local environs and from WOMAD's Charlton Park itself.

Each of the Roots Architecture teams work with these materials, designing and making structures over the WOMAD weekend. With the structures complete on the Sunday, the workshop culminates with the teams work being put to the test: the final night is for artists/musicians/dancers to strut their stuff on these improvised acts of participatory design. The price for the workshop is £245 (£195 with student ID) and includes full festival access from Thursday to Sunday, the Roots Architecture 4 day workshop challenge, all materials, access to tools and daily lunches. Tickets can be purchased on the link above.

Gamelan

Woodland Gamelan are expected to return to this year's festival bringing their unique tools, tents and imaginations back to the arboretum, ready to convert the smallest piece of wood into the simplest instrument or create a full gamelan.

Children

The festival is aimed at the whole family, and allows all children aged 13 years and under, in for free. WOMAD promises even more stuff for kids and young people than ever before. 'The World of Kids' will have the usual comprehensive programme of workshops, entertainment and activities. These include the opportunity to create a range of art including masks, flags, giant structures, costumes and junk instruments. They are held throughout the weekend culminating in the Children's Parade which starts from the Children's area traditionally at 6pm on the Sunday and winds it's way through the main arena.

For more information about the work of the WOMAD Foundation both in the UK and around the world, festival goers will be able to visit the Friends of WOMAD stall onsite over the weekend.

WOMAD festivals

WOMAD festivals are held all over the world, in countries including; Australia, New Zealand, Sicily and Spain. They allow audiences to gain an insight into cultures other than their own through the enjoyment of music. WOMAD aims to excite, to inform, and to create awareness of the worth and potential of a multicultural society. It has a friendly and family-safe atmosphere, as well as fantastic music from all around the globe.



More information will be here when available.

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