Charlton Park · Malmesbury · Wiltshire SN16 · July · Four days
WOMAD: the festival where the food is the draw
At most festivals eating is something you do reluctantly between bands. At WOMAD the food is a genuine part of the programme, cooked by people from the same places as the acts, and a fair number of regulars will tell you it is half the reason they keep coming back.
Of music, and of food. WOMAD has been bringing artists from everywhere to a Wiltshire field for decades, and the result is the least parochial festival in Britain and one of the most genuinely relaxed.
What sets WOMAD apart
Almost nothing about it resembles the big rock weekends.
From everywhere
Artists from dozens of countries, most of whom you will not have heard of and several of whom you will not forget.
A real programme
Cooking demonstrations and stalls that people plan their day around.
Genuinely mixed ages
Families, older people and children throughout. It is an unhurried weekend.
Wiltshire parkland
Mature trees and real shelter, which matters in a wet July.
Kent to Wiltshire
Round the M25 and west on the M4. A familiar run for us.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 124 miles | 2h 30m – 3h 10m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 127 miles | 2h 35m – 3h 15m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 130 miles | 2h 40m – 3h 20m |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 135 miles | 2h 45m – 3h 25m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 142 miles | 2h 50m – 3h 30m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 146 miles | 2h 55m – 3h 35m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 170 miles | 3h 20m – 4h 5m |
Who we take to WOMAD
A noticeably different passenger mix from the louder weekends.
| Group | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Multi-generational families | Grandparents, parents and children all find something |
| Older first-time campers | The gentlest large festival there is, alongside Latitude |
| Couples | No need for a crowd to enjoy the weekend |
| Groups of friends who cook | The food programme is genuinely the hook for a lot of people |
| Anyone tired of headliner culture | This is a bill built on discovery rather than names |
A WOMAD weekend
Go in expecting not to recognise anything
That is the point rather than a drawback. WOMAD's bill is built on artists most British audiences have never encountered, and the people who get most from it are the ones who wander into a tent on the strength of a name they cannot pronounce. It is a different way of spending a festival weekend and it converts people.
Parkland shelter makes a wet year survivable
Charlton Park has mature trees and established ground, which puts it in the same category as Latitude and Wilderness rather than the working-farm sites. A wet July at WOMAD is considerably more pleasant than a wet July on bare farmland, though wellingtons still belong in the hold.
It is the calmest big festival alongside Latitude
Mixed ages throughout, children everywhere, and an unhurried pace that surprises people whose only reference is Reading or Download. If you have a party spanning three generations and are looking for one weekend everybody will enjoy, WOMAD and Latitude are the two we would point you at.
Three hours on roads we know
Round the M25 and west on the M4, the same run as our Badminton, Bristol and Bath journeys, with the last stretch on Wiltshire roads. It is a straightforward drive and the arrival day traffic collects in the final few miles, which we plan the departure around.
WOMAD questions
World music in a Wiltshire park.
What is WOMAD?
A world music festival at Charlton Park in Wiltshire, bringing artists from dozens of countries, with a food and cooking programme that is genuinely part of the draw.
Will we know any of the acts?
Probably not, and that is rather the point. The bill is built on discovery, and the people who enjoy it most are the ones who wander into tents on spec.
Is it good for families?
Very. Mixed ages throughout, children everywhere and an unhurried pace. Alongside Latitude it is the gentlest large camping festival in the country.
How far is Charlton Park from Kent?
Around a hundred and twenty-five to a hundred and seventy miles, roughly two and a half to four hours each way on the M25 and M4.
What is the site like?
Wiltshire parkland with mature trees and real shelter, which makes a wet July considerably more survivable than a bare farm site.
Do we still need wellingtons?
Yes. Better shelter is not the same as dry ground, and it is still a British field in July.
Is the food really that good?
A fair number of regulars will tell you it is half the reason they keep coming back. Cooking demonstrations and stalls from the same places as the artists.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking as one arrangement covering the drop and the collection.
Camping festivals and the west
The gentler weekends.