taking the kids overview

Our arrival for the WOMAD 2008 festival is as seamless as we could hope for. We arrive on Thursday without any traffic problems and are immediately greeted with the explosions that our senses have come to love and that WOMAD truly knows how to deliver. Our ears hear the distant sound of drummers congregating and pounding rhythms, our noses smell the flavours of the world united for our tasting, while our eyes feast on the colourful flags that adorn the wonderfully dry WOMAD site.



We missed out on last year's mud, but our friends are keen to share stories of how lucky this year promises to be by comparison. This is our first visit to this location for WOMAD at Charlton Park in Wiltshire and with the rest of my family arriving in the morning, I am keen to get set up and explore the site. First impressions are good. There seem to be two water points close to our spot and the loos aren't far away. As we walk up to the loos, we can see the kids' area. It seems much more open than at the Reading site and its proximity means that children's activities are easy to get to in the mornings.

A short walk from the children's area is the campsite bar nestled among two stalls selling camping essentials, a porridge stall and several other food vendors. It's comforting to know that we can get hold of most things that we might need easily. The area is the size of some smaller festivals we've been to and it could be possible to just sit around here and chill.

The main stages are signposted through a woodland area and with the sun getting low in the sky the lighting effects in the trees are an instant winner. The walkways are either hard standing or the bouncy plastic temporary roadway, which is reassuring with a small child in a buggy turning up in the morning.

Dotted through the trees are a number of stalls selling nic-nacs, wood carvings and solar powered garden lights that all add to the Tolkien-like appearance. The picturesque tea tent decorated with flowers, teapot fountain and over sized tea cups is not open for business but we agree that when the rest of our crowd arrive, we'll head back to sample their offerings in the shade.

As we enter the main arena, the first impressions are that the site is bigger than the Reading Rivermead location and there are masses more of the WOMAD flags (also used at the Glastonbury Jazz World Stage). They seem to have multiplied in our year's absence but their visual impact is far greater in these numbers. Walking down between the food vendors and towards the three main stages (Big Red Tent, Siam Tent and Main Stage), the walkways seem wide, inviting and spacious. Lee Perry is playing and so we settle in to watch him with a beer from the new Real Ale Bar.



Perry's grooves and the good company are infectious and as the WOMAD chilled out vibe spreads through the crowd, we remember what we love about this festival. After the Thursday reggae is over, we head back towards the campsite bar and there appears to be a party in full swing. We stay for a couple of beers and then head back for a fairly early night in anticipation of the smaller more noisy and demanding members of our party arriving in the morning.

As I get out of the tent in the morning, I am amazed to see just how many had taken advantage of the early Thursday start to the festivities, two thirds of the people must have arrived already.

Soon I get a heads up that the rest of our party expects to be on site by late morning so I finish preparations in anticipation of their arrival.

As soon as they get on site, we rush to collect the remaining bags of things that we seemingly can't live without for the next few days and hear that they too had a seamless journey and entry to the festival site.

Although fairly full, the campsite allows us to weave a path in and out of guy ropes with the buggy, its 3 year old passenger and our 7 year old in tow. A bit more organisation back at the tent and we feel the need for some refreshment. By this time, the sun is high in the sky and is at a scorching temperature so we elect to take an amble around the site and get some food and take on some liquids.



Due to the layout of the site's three main stages, we notice that throughout the weekend, we were able to wander easily yet still catch more music than we often do at other festivals (both smaller and larger). The one minor gripe is that at times there is a sound bleed between stages and tents which is kind of off putting. It would almost certainly be less noticeable if you were in the middle of one of the tents, but from our position it is noticeable.

Up in the woods, the Radio 3 stage is tucked away in the trees. Although I heard from a number of people that they find it difficult to get a vantage point due to the trees and bushes, we find their shade a comfort during the extreme heat and on the occasions that I want to get to a position to see the performance, (as I did for the wonderful Jah Wobble), it feels pretty straight forward. The only things that I find difficult are the row upon row of camping chairs that seem to be a hang over from the mud of last year.



Although we leave it late to book for the more popular workshops that WOMAD has on offer, the children are rarely left to ponder what to do next. We take advantage of several of the drumming workshops (including one hosted by Johnny Kalsi of The Dohl Foundation), and some circus skill activities (including poi and diabalo). The other main source of children's entertainment is the wonderfully presented Carters Steam Fair. A funfair which offers all that our kids could want, from small train rides, to dodgems, helter-skelter and mini vintage cars.

The other main concern for most family festival goers (and those going alone too), is the toilet situation. I have to say that the loos are kept spotless throughout the whole weekend. My wife is amazed and delighted when the toilet attendants in the main arena usher our smallest to the front of the queue at one point and open a toilet specially at another. That kind of thoughtfulness makes all the difference. The only minor quibble would be that at some locations, there is a lack of lighting once it got dark. Hats off to the loo cleaning crews, they do a great job.

They are not the only ones to be working hard to keep the site spotless. The kids do their bit too. A 10p deposit on each beer cup ensures that the entire arena is free of the debris that gives litter pickers a nightmare. Our eldest manages to collect enough discarded cups to buy a diabolo. Somehow I think this – together with the ample bins provided - also encourages everyone to discard all of their other waste in a more socially acceptable manner. Food discarded on the floor is horrible but at WOMAD this year it seems a very rare thing.



The real reason for our absence from WOMAD last year is the horrible effects that the tent thefts left on us two years ago at the Reading site. Although not affected directly, we saw many of our friends become victims of this crime that we were powerless to do anything about and we ourselves had to mount an all night vigil outside our tent to stop organised gangs of thieves from wandering in. This year, although there are some unfortunate crime victims (as there have been at every festival that we have been to), the crime figures at WOMAD are greatly down on previous years. Something that we are all grateful for.

WOMAD has always held a very special place for us. We've been to a lot over the years. However, two years ago we were all ready to give up on it. This year, thanks to a few friends eager to talk us back into the new and improved site, we gave it a go. We thank those friends and we thank WOMAD for listening, taking heed and making changes above and beyond what we could have dreamed of. There are tears from our children as we leave but tears of the right kind. We'll be back.

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