WOMADelaide


WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of music, arts and dance in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is an event that presents a diverse selection of music from artists around the world, as well as side events like talks and discussions.

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.

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 noon until midnight on Sunday. In 2010, WOMADelaide was extended to include Monday from noon until midnight, making the festival four days in length. Artists also lead workshops demonstrating and discussing aspects of their performances on smaller stages. There are also artists who do roving performances through the park and installation pieces, such as La Compagnie Carabosse, who set up large fire installations at the 2005 festival.

Festival site and layout

WOMADelaide is held in Botanic Park, which is situated north-east of central Adelaide, 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. 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 the Office of Zero Waste SA in waste minimisation. After the 2005 festival, some 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 South Australia, which also helped to restore native habitat for rare and endangered species, and to reduce the effects of salinity.

History

1990s

WOMADelaide was first run in 1992 as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts from an invitation by Rob Brookman to the UK WOMAD organisation to run an event in Adelaide after seeing the success of other WOMADs in Europe. It was due to be held in Long Gully Oval, Belair National Park on a single stage but got moved to Botanic Park at a late stage and after flyers had been printed due to bush fire threats. Three-day passes were priced at, equivalent to in, reduced to for concession entitled, with one person under 15 years of age admitted free for each adult ticket. A full day-and-night ticket costs $60, and individual sessions start at $25.
From 1993 the festival officially moved to Botanic Park, after the threat of bush fires in 1992, and ran every two years to not conflict with subsequent editions of the Adelaide Festival. Three-day passes were priced at $98, with one person under 15 years of age admitted free for each adult ticket. Full day-and-night tickets cost $60. 1993 also saw the first time festival founder Peter Gabriel appear in Australia. Peak audience attendance in 1993 was 33,000.
The 1995 audience attendance was 55,000. Stage 4 was added, as well as The Virtual Artists' internet tent. At the time, a futuristic component of the program with Netscape web browser and CUCME video conferencing software launching that week. The Discovery Channel made a documentary on WOMADelaide's 10-megabyte connection. A one-off CD compilation of artists playing this year, Womadelaide '95, was also released.
From 1996, the management and production of WOMADelaide was taken on by the Adelaide-based company Arts Projects Australia. There was also a small event, the one-off WOMAD Indian Pacific train trip from Perth to Pimba across the Nullarbor Plain on a chartered Indian Pacific train featuring performances on board the carriages and culminated in a finale concert at Spud's Roadhouse at Pimba, north of Adelaide. The lineup comprised the following.
  • Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter with Dave Steel
  • Francis Bebey
  • Mara!
  • Paul Kelly
  • Purna Das Baul and the Bauls of Bengal
  • Remmy Ongala
  • Shu-De and The Well Oiled Sisters
1997 peak audience attendance across the weekend: 60,000. A sibling event, WOMAD Pacific, in New Zealand, also founded in Auckland the weekend after WOMADelaide, also bi-annually.
1998 saw another one-off event called WOMAD in the Vales, held at McLaren Vale Oval on 15 March 1998 to celebrate the end of Robyn Archer's 1998 Adelaide Festival of Arts. The lineup comprised the following.
  • The Barkers
  • Geoffrey Oryema
  • My Friend the Chocolate Cake
  • Pa Jobarteh
  • The Sabri Brothers
  • Shooglenifty
  • Southern Pipes and Drums
  • Tiddas
  • Yulduz Usmanova
1999 introduced Stage 5, KidZone, off-site school based workshops and finally, the WoZone nightclub at the nearby Adelaide University bar. The WoZone ran on Friday and Saturday from midnight till 5am, after curfew finished at Botanic Park. Three different rooms for live acts, DJs and chilling out with projections and ambient music. A CD compilation of festival highlights for the Australian and New Zealand events started this year, rather than being a one-off as in 1995.

2000s

In 2001, to celebrate the United Nations International Year of Volunteers, 18 volunteers operated the first information booth, and Stage 5 changed locations. Papa Wemba replaced late cancellation Femi Kuti.
2002 saw another one-off small scale event, called The WOMAD Warm-Up, three concerts and three workshops held in September at the Adelaide Festival Centre. The lineup comprised the following.
  • Chartwell Dutiro
  • Sally Nyolo
  • Trio Mocotó
  • Ruby Hunter
  • Seckou Keita
  • Mara and Llew Kiek
  • Ben Baddoo
In 2003, WOMADelaide became an annual festival, following a decision by the Rann government to financially support the event until at least 2009. 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 arts communities. The festival also moved to February and March to avoid the summer heat. 2003 also introduced the remedial therapy and relaxation area called Sanctuary but later renamed Healing Village. The sibling WOMAD Pacific became WOMAD New Zealand and an annual event, and moved to its permanent setting in Brooklands Park, New Plymouth in Taranaki. Weekend passes were $158 per adult, $135 for groups of 10 or more, $114 for concessions, with each adult able to bring a child under 12 for free and $52 for each additional child. On Saturday and Sunday, day and night passes were $92, $78, $66 and each additional child $38 respectively. Similarly, Friday and Sunday night passes were $62, $52, $45 and $32 for each additional child respectively, and finally Sunday night passes were $79, $68, $55 and $32 for each additional child respectively. WoZone tickets were $20 at the door, and $10 with a festival ticket stub.
2004 was the year Taste The World was introduced. An innovation that also went to subsequent New Zealand and UK festivals. Also the WOMADelaide Parade began this year. The last WoZone, prices for this were only $5 at the door.
Changes in 2005 included Stage 4 being renamed Zoo Stage, Stage 5 renamed Moreton Stage and Stage 6 renamed Dell. Festival was officially carbon neutral for the first time, and on-site ATMs were introduced.
The 2006 event saw Speakers Corner introduced as well as the Parachilna Garden Cafe, the on-site restaurant run in partnership with Andrew Fielke from the Prairie Hotel in the Flinders Ranges. Also, Talvin Singh had the honour of being the first DJ in Botanic Park when he played on Stage 3. Tickets were priced at $172 for the weekend, discounted Friends of the Adelaide Festival or groups of 10 or more were $149, and concessions at $125. Three days passes were priced at $220 for the weekend, discounted Friends of the Adelaide Festival or groups of 10 or more were $184, and concessions $165. Friday tickets were $75, $68 and $60 respectively, and Saturday and Sunday were $98, $85, $73 respectively.
2007 a cinema and pharmacy were added, and DJs closed the festival each night in Speakers Corner. Workshops were help for visual arts at the Park Arts and Functions Complex, and weekend pass tickets were $182 for adults, $154 for groups of 10 or more, and $135 for concessions.
In 2008 a one-off Eco Village joined the site.
In 2009 the first WOMADelaide Forest was planted, in partnership with Greening Australia in South East Australia. KidZone had a stage from 2009, and track matting pathways were also added to combat both dry and wet conditions.