WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, which was first held in 1992 in

Botanic Park Botanic is an adjective related to botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. One of many

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

festivals held around the world, it is a four-day event that presents a diverse selection of music from artists around the world, as well as side events like talks and discussions.

History

Not Drowning, Waving at Womadelaide, 1992

WOMADelaide was first run in 1992 as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts. From 1993 it ran every two years (in odd-numbered years) so as to not conflict with subsequent editions of the Festival. From 1996 the management and production of WOMADelaide was taken on by the Adelaide-based company, Arts Projects Australia. In 2003, WOMADelaide became an annual festival, following a decision made by the

Rann government The Rann Government was the state executive government of South Australia led by Premier of South Australia Mike Rann of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2002 to 2011. Rann is a former Australian politician ...

to financially support the event.AdelaideNow, 13 Jan 2004,"Womad's decision to go annual is paying off". That year, WOMADelaide Foundation Limited was also established as a not-for-profit organisation. The Foundation presented subsequent festivals and special projects for remote

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

arts communities.WOMADelaide History
, WOMADelaide Foundation Limited, Accessed 26/2/7 In 2010, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, WOMADelaide extended to four days. Due to overwhelming popularity, the festival has continued at this length. That year, WOMADelaide was produced and presented by the WOMADelaide Foundation, was managed by Arts Projects Australia and WOMAD Ltd, and was presented in association with the Government of South Australia. In 2015 the

South Australian Tourism Commission The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC), also known as the SA Tourism Commission, is an organisation set up by the Government of South Australia to promote tourism in South Australia. The legislation to establish the SATC was introduce ...

(an agency of the Government of South Australia) replaced the Government of South Australia as the event's new principal partner. As of 2017, the South Australian Tourism Commission remains the event's principal partner. In 2017, WOMADelaide became a smoke-free event, with provision for smoking in three designated areas. In 2021, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...

, WOMADelaide was held in King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina instead of its usual location at Botanic Park, so that the venue could comply with the restrictions necessary to prevent any possible spread of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. The format was changed to a series of seated concerts on a single stage, opening with

Archie Roach Archibald William Roach (8 January 1956 – 30 July 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung elder who campaigned for the rights of Abori ...

and closing with Midnight Oil and First Nations collaborators on their ''Makarrata Live'' project. This was also the first year of WOMADelaide x NSS Academy, a collaboration with the youth music centre Northern Sound System, which was established to provide training and development program for emerging Aboriginal South Australians and multicultural artists. The program identified 10 artists in its first year or operation, with musical duo MRLN x RKM selected to support Vika & Linda and Midnight Oil at WOMAD.

Description

The event is hosted by the WOMAD festivals organisation, which aims "to excite, to create, to inform and to highlight awareness of the worth and potential of a multicultural society". The festival encourages people to experience the music of cultures other than their own as a way of developing global understanding, and aims to entertain all age groups and people from all backgrounds. WOMADelaide has won the Helpmann Award for "Best Contemporary Music Festival" in 2008 and 2016, the Australian Event Awards "Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event" in 2015, and the Fowlers Live / SA Music Awards "Best Live Music Event" for five years in a row, 2012 - 2016.

Festival site and layout

WOMADelaide is usually held in Botanic Park, which is situated north-east of central

, between the Adelaide Zoo and Adelaide Botanic Garden. The park is fenced off for the duration of the festival. The main 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 an additional four smaller stages (Zoo Stage, Moreton Bay Stage and two in Speakers Corner). There are also visual arts exhibitions, a KidZone, a Global Village market area with over 100 food, crafts and display stalls, as well as several bars. All front-of-stage areas, the KidZone and the food and drink area are designated smoke-free. WOMADelaide has worked closely with Zero Waste SA in waste minimisation. After the 2005 festival, some six tonnes of compost from WOMADelaide waste were returned to the Adelaide Botanic Garden, in an effort to preserve the delicate ecosystem in which the event is located. In 2007, WOMADelaide joined forces with Greening Australia, Australia’s largest environmental organisation, to remove the global warming impact of the event. The carbon generated through artists’ travel, and the festival site lighting and power was offset through the re-vegetation of native bushland in SA, which also helped to restore native habitat for rare and endangered species, and to reduce the effects of salinity.

Reception

WOMADelaide has grown steadily in audience size from 30,000 in 1993 to over 90,000 annually since 2014. "About 95,000" people attended in 2015. All prior attendance records were broken in 2016 when over 95,000 people attended. In 2008 WOMADelaide won the FasterLouder Festival Award for best Sound & Production.FasterLouder Festival Awards: 2008
WOMADelaide also received the 2008 Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival.

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - , National Live Music Awards of 2016 , WOMADelaide , South Australian Live Event of the Year , , - , National Live Music Awards of 2020 , WOMADelaide , Best Live Music Festival or Event , , -

South Australian Music Awards

The South Australian Music Awards (previously known as the Fowler's Live Music Awards) are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012. WOMADelaide won five awards. , - , 2012 , WOMADelaide , Most Popular SA Live Music Event , , - , 2013 , WOMADelaide , Favourite SA Live Music Event , , - , 2014 , WOMADelaide , Favourite SA Live Music Event , , - , 2015 , WOMADelaide , Best Festival / Music Event , , - , 2016 , WOMADelaide , Best Festival / Music Event , , -

Programming

WOMADelaide draws its performing artists from all over the world. A specific emphasis is placed on traditional music and performances of various cultures although some more contemporary, popular acts are included. The festival runs from 6pm to 1am on Friday, from 12noon until 1am on Saturday and from 12noon-12midnight on Sunday. In 2010, due to substantial popularity WOMADelaide was extended to include Monday from 12noon - 12midnight, making the festival four days in length. Artists also lead workshops demonstrating and/or discussing aspects of their performances on smaller stages. There are also artists who do "roving" performances through the park and installation pieces, such as Compagnie Carabosse, La Compagnie Carabosse, who set up large fire installations at the 2005 festival. Some of the many artists who have appeared at WOMADelaide include: *A.B. Original *Afro Celt Sound System *Azadoota *The Beautiful Girls *Black Grace *Blue King Brown *Briggs (rapper), Briggs *Sarah Blasko *John Butler Trio *Capercaillie (band), Capercaillie *Kev Carmody *The Cat Empire *Jimmy Cliff *The Correspondents (band), The Correspondents *Crowded House *Daara J *The Dhol Foundation *Dirty Three *Fat Freddy's Drop * Peter Gabriel *Gil Scott Heron *Salif Keita *Paul Kelly (Australian musician), Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys * Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan *Kimbra *Late Nite Tuff Guy *Leningrad Cowboys *Lior *Mad Professor * Baaba Maal *Miriam Makeba *Master Drummers of Burundi *Melbourne Ska Orchestra * Midnight Oil * Not Drowning, Waving * Ozomatli *

* Xavier Rudd *Shooglenifty *The Specials * Dan Sultan *Thandi Phoenix *Euphonik, Themba * Violent Femmes *Marina Satti & Fones *Tiddas (band), Tiddas *The Waifs *Les Yeux Noirs *Yungchen Lhamo *Zap Mama *Noriko Tadano *Courtney Barnett

References

External links

* {{Adelaide Festivals Festivals in Adelaide, WOMAD Music festivals in Australia Music in Adelaide, WOMAD 1992 establishments in Australia Recurring events established in 1992 World music festivals