Womad returns to Wiltshire with new venue
Organisers say they hope it will have a positive impact on the local economy
A festival set to attract tens of thousands of people to Wiltshire this week opens to the public today.
Womad, described as The World's Festival, aims to celebrate world music and cultures, offering visitors the chance to explore things they may not have seen or heard of before.
This year the event has moved to a new home, Neston Park in Corsham, having spent 17 years at Charlton Park in Malmesbury.
"It's about discovery," said Festival Director, Chris Smith. "There are people you've heard of and there are some great artists on headlines, but there are some great artists on every stage that you've never heard of. And I think that makes us pretty unique all over the world."
The festival doesn't rely on huge headline acts to sell tickets, but uses experience, discovery and new music as it's main selling points, with Chris saying they want to bring new experiences to people.
He added that despite the depth of information at our fingertips, it can lead people to be less likely to stumble across something new and unexpected, especially in music.
"People get their playlist and they just repeat it," he said. "There isn't much growth in that. You know what you like. What we're trying to do is not just have that cultural interchange and see how other worlds and other cultures function."
Why the new venue?
Chris said it was felt that, after 17 years in Malmesbury, it was time for a refresh and a new challenge for the festival.
"With a festival, it's very easy to get into a routine and you know what works, you know what's, you know, cheapest and easiest and you find yourself doing that. So we thought, if we're going to refresh, if we're going to look at look anew at how we do this. Let's go to a blank canvas and start again," he said.
After visiting multiple prospective sites across the South West, he said that Neston Park in Corsham felt like "the one" from the very first visit.
"It has an atmosphere, a kind of magic to it. It's very, very beautiful. And most importantly, the family who live here are so excited about us being here. So it's a real, real partnership with the people who own this beautiful estate," he added.
The local impact
With an anticipated 30,000 people visiting the festival over the coming days, there is set to be a boost for the local economy.
Chris revealed they're preparing an impact study for the show to put at ease any concerns over the negative affects from the event.
He said the visitors aren't just coming to Neston Park, but going into nearby communities.
"You can't get an Airbnb or a hotel room in a very wide radius from here. The shops will be busy. People will go out and wander and discover and hopefully come back," he said, adding that the festival aims to employ people from the local area and local businesses.
"It's really important that we don't just pop in, do something and go away. It's that we build a relationship with this community. We try to build long-term relationships and that has to be a partnership. So the benefit to the local community is cultural, but it's also economical."
Tickets for the festival can be bought here.