WOMAD - World of Music, Arts and Dance - was founded in 1980 by Peter Gabriel, Thomas Brooman, Bob Hooton, Mark Kidel, Stephen Pritchard, Martin Elbourne and Jonathan Arthur. Along with designers Steve Byrne and Valerie Hawthorn. The internationally established Festival, which brings together artists from all over the globe, began in the UK in 1982. The central aim of the WOMAD festival is to celebrate the world's...  More

WOMAD - World of Music, Arts and Dance - was founded in 1980 by Peter Gabriel, Thomas Brooman, Bob Hooton, Mark Kidel, Stephen Pritchard, Martin Elbourne and Jonathan Arthur. Along with designers Steve Byrne and Valerie Hawthorn. The internationally established Festival, which brings together artists from all over the globe, began in the UK in 1982. The central aim of the WOMAD festival is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. Use this profile to record the WOMAD UK festival sites. FESTIVAL SITES (UK) 1982: Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset - The very first WOMAD festival held Friday July 16, 1982 - July 18, 1982 at The Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, UK (not far from the Glastonbury site - a key location and influence for why that festival started] and where some early WOMADs were later staged [on a smaller stage aptly called, the now defunct, WOMAD stage, which later became the Jazz World Stage and subsequently West Holts Stage). 1983: ICA, London (in collaboration with Capital Radio Festival) 1985: Mersea Island, Essex 1986: Clevedon, Somerset - The WOMAD UK festival took place at Kenn Pier Farm, Clevedon, UK July 18th - 20th. 1987: Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, Somerset (the WOMAD field, which went on to become the Jazz World Stage and later West Holts) 1988: South Hill Park, Bracknell, Berkshire - WOMAD, UK festival at South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell, Berkshire. 1987-1993: Carlyon Bay, Cornwall - Billed as WOMAD weekenders, these were held at the Cornwall Coliseum, St. Austell. 1989-1997: Morecombe, Lancashire (August “weekender” events) 1990-2006: Rivermead, Reading, Berkshire - The first fixed home for the WOMAD UK festival from 1990 until 2006 at Rivermead, Reading. A green fields area near to the Rivermead Centre, Reading. 2007-present: Charlton Park, Wiltshire 2003-2005: Eden Project, Cornwall (including Live 8) - WOMAD festival UK was an additional festival to their normal festivals held at the Eden Project, Cornwall from 2003-2005. . 2011-2013: Bristol Zoo, Bristol FESTIVAL SITES & EVENTS (WORLDWIDE) 1989-1993: Toronto, Canada 1991: Rinkou Park, Yokohama, Japan 1992-present: Botanic Park, Adelaide, Australia (biennial from 1993 until 2004, then held every year) 1993-present: Canceres, Extremadura, Spain 1993: San Francisco, USA 1996: St. Marks Square, Venice, Italy (for the Carnival of Venice) 1997: Western Springs Park, Auckland, New Zealand 1998-2001: Marymoor Park, King County, Washington, USA 1998-present: Fort Canning Park, Singapore 1998: Denmark 1998-2001: Blue Gum Creek, Johannesburg, South Africa 2001-2002: Athens Equestrian Centre, Greece 2010: Abu Dhabi 2010: Sicily, Itlay 2010: Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain 2011-present: New Plymouth, Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand 2015-present: Santiago, Chile 2016: Fuerteventura, Spain Other sites have included: Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Potugal, Sardinia, Turkey & UgandaLess