WOMAD Abu Dhabi 2011

Thursday 7th to Saturday 9th April 2011
Abu Dhabi Corniche and Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates
FREE

Daily capacity: 80,000

Last updated: Wed 30th Mar 2011

WOMAD returns to Abu Dhabi Corniche and Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain, in United Arab Emirates for the third year from Thursday 7th to Saturday 9th April 2011.

On Thursday 7th, Friday 8th and Saturday 9th April from 7pm onwards the Corniche, a beach in the centre of Abu Dhabi, will be the setting for the free festival. Artists will be performing to an international audience throughout the night. Workshops and Taste The World will also feature at this festival.

A second event will take place a little way out of the city at the beautiful ancient Al Ain, Al Jahili Fort on Thursday 7th April and Friday 8th April only. It too will start at 7pm and carry on through the night.

Line-up

The first acts confirmed are Paloma Faith (United Kingdom), Baaba Maal (Senegal), The Manganiyar Seduction by Roysten Abel (India), Toumani Diabaté (Mali), Tarab Al Emarat (United Arab Emirates), La-33 (Colombia), Khyam Allami & Andrea Piccioni (Iraq/United Kingdom) & (Italy), Hindi Zahra (France/Morocco), El Tanbura (Egypt), Muntu Valdo (Cameroon), Ripton Lindsay (Jamaica), Dr Jimmy Cliff (Jamaica), Afro Celt Sound System (United Kingdom), Sain Zahoor (Pakistan), The Dhol Foundation perform with Local School Children (United Kingdom), Omar Bashir (Hungary/Iraq), The Terem Quartet (Russia), Goran Bregovic Wedding & Funeral Band (Bulgaria/Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Rep. of)/Serbia), Collaboration between Tarab Al Emarat and Omar Bashir (United Arab Emirates) & (Hungary/Iraq), Speed Caravan (Algeria/France), Orchestre National de Barbès (Algeria/France/Morocco), Aurelio (Honduras), Khaira Arby (Mali), Collaboration between El Tanbura and Hindi Zahra (France/Morocco) & (Egypt), Drumming and Dance with Baaba Maal's musicians (Senegal), Mr Benn (United Kingdom), Salsa Party (Colombia), and Dubai Drums (United Arab Emirates).

FREE

The festival is free to attend, but there is no camping offered on site.

On site

During the free festival, spread over three stages, WOMAD-goers will see performers from countries around the world. WOMAD Abu Dhabi's far-ranging and musically adventurous selection of performers will have something for everyone's tastes. One particular style - always popular - will be the drum-based groups, igniting the rhythm!

In addition to the line-up of performers WOMAD Abu Dhabi is offering family-orientated workshops featuring music, dance and visual art brought by the programme WOMAD Beyond.

This element of WOMAD Abu Dhabi will be experienced in the Tri-Span Tent on the Corniche, where a variety of schools across the Emirate are taking part. Food is an artistic side dish in the "Taste The World" segment, where artists cook up favourite dishes from their native countries, inviting the audience to sample them.

Also part of WOMAD is the "Desert Cultures" tent, in Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain. This highlights the heritage of the Arabic host emirate, presenting Abu Dhabi's traditional hospitality and cultural richness to a world audience.

Inspired outreach - especially to young WOMAD-goers - will stimulate creative expression in an educational and entertaining experience.

Venues

The three-day open-air world music festival will take place on Abu Dhabi Corniche on all three days and at Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain on Thursday and Friday.

Getting there

Abu Dhabi offers a range of accommodation options, travel is easy by by air to two international airports, the nearest of which (Dubai International Airport) is only an hour-and-half drive and the farthest (Fujairah International Airport) is hardly two-and-half hours away on freeways. By land, Abu Dhabi is accessible from border crossings with Saudi Arabia and Oman.