WOMAD to move to new site

WOMAD - a World Of Music, Arts, and Dance - is to move to a new home in 2007, after being based at Rivermead, Reading since 1990.

WOMAD is intensely proud of its achievement at Rivermead together with Reading Borough Council and appreciates the support and endorsement of both the Council and the people of Reading. They feel honoured to have experienced a unique, creative and truly valuable partnership with Reading Borough Council during our years of working together.

However, after seventeenth festivals at Rivermead, it's felt that WOMAD has now outgrown the available land, and so a decision has been made to move to protect the long-term future and audience appeal.

Audience feedback after WOMAD Rivermead in 2005 included strong criticism of the site as a whole, and a feeling of overcrowding in particular. In order to alleviate these problems, WOMAD implemented substantial changes to the festival site in 2006, but despite these improvements a perception of overcrowding remains.

As a result, the WOMAD festival team felt there was no alternative than to seek a new venue in which to present the WOMAD Festival in future years. Thomas Brooman - Managing and Artistic Director, WOMAD - said "We are keen to express our sincere goodwill towards Reading Borough Council and our support for every element of our working partnership in producing the WOMAD Festival each year at Rivermead."

A new site has already been found in Wiltshire. Full details of the new festival site will be announced on Wednesday 1st November, and tickets for the 2007 festival - taking place from Friday 27th until Sunday 29th July - will be put on sale on that date.

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