Heading to Womadelaide? Here’s what you need to know
More than 600 artists from 32 countries are performing at Womadelaide in Botanic Park this weekend. Here’s our guide to getting the most out of the four day-festival.
Festival
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Welcome to Womadelaide, the weekend that world music comes to Adelaide. Here’s everything you need to know.
Find out who’s playing where and when here.
Tickets
Four, three and two day, single day and night only tickets are available here. Tickets will only be available at the gate if the festival has not sold out so be sure to check here.
Children 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult to Womadelaide. Children must be wristbanded prior to entering with a responsible adult. There’s a KidZone activity area and parenting room available. There’s also a discounted Youth Pass price available for 13 to 17-year-olds with Proof of Age ID.
For inquiries call the ticket hotline on 1300 496 623.
Accessibility
Botanic Park can become more difficult to negotiate, so people who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids are advised to use a wheelchair with large wheels if possible.
There’s accessible parking and drop-off zone next to the Hackney Rd and Frome Rd entrances.
Accessible seating and toilets are provided. Womadelaide is a participant of the National Companion Card scheme, offering patrons with a disability holding a current companion card a second ticket for their accompanying companion at no charge.
More information is available here.
Opening times
Friday 4pm – 12.30am
Saturday 11am* – 1am
Sunday 11am – midnight
Monday 11am – midnight
Saturday and Sunday night pass holders entry is from 5.30pm
*Frome Rd entry open 10am to Speakers’ Corner only
Getting there
* Walk. It’s super environmentally friendly.
* Ride your bicycle. There’s free parking for cyclists with room for more than 700 bikes, located adjacent to both the Hackney Road and Frome Road entrances. BYO bicycle lock because while the bike park will have a security guard the token system’s no longer in use.
* Bus it. Catch the Womadelaide Loop with your Metrocard or buy a Metroticket (prices here) when you board. It will travel to this timetable in an anticlockwise direction from bus stop 2 on the western side of Hackney Rd adjacent Botanic Park, and bus stop 2 on Frome Rd. There’s also free City Connector buses which run to this timetable.
* Catch the tram running along North Terrace using this timetable, alight at the Botanic Gardens stop and walk north along Frome Rd to the Frome Rd festival gate for entry.
* Take a sustainable ride in an EcoCaddy to and from Womadelaide. You’ll find EcoCaddy tricycles throughout the CBD and East End and outside Botanic Park’s Frome Rd entry.
* Try not to drive because parking’s limited. There’s none available on site and not much in nearby residential streets. If you have to drive why not park in the city at UPark Frome St/North Tce, 22 – 30 Frome St. There’s a UPark’s Womadelaide 4-Day Parking Package available for $50 online here.
Or you can park at St Peter’s College opposite Botanic Park with entry off Hackney Road for $15 on Friday (between 4pm and 2am), $20 on Saturday and Sunday (10am – 2am) and $20 Monday (10am – 1am).
What to bring
Your Womadelaide wristband or your booking reference number/confirmation email
Valid photo ID
Your credit or debit card to buy drinks. Womadelaide Bars are cashless. Food and retail stalls, TTW restaurant, and the WoShop will still receive cash or card payments. ATMS will be available.
Hat
Sunscreen*
Medication especially for asthma, allergies or hayfever as the park can get dusty
Clothes to suit the weather / rain poncho
Portable phone charger
Insect repellent
Wear shoes that are sturdy and comfortable that you don’t mind getting a little dusty.
Sunglasses
Food and sealed bottles of water and non-alcoholic drinks (although glass bottles and glasses are not allowed) and there will also be free tap-water stations.
* Free sunscreen top ups are available next to the Info Booth.
What not to bring
Mobility scooters
Tents, Sunshades, Chairs (Pop-up sunshades and low-standing, beach-style chairs are allowed, but can only be used at the outer edges and rear of the audience areas).
Large Umbrellas / Glass
Animals
Drones, remote control aircraft / cars are prohibited
Professional Cameras
Selfie Sticks
Audio recording devices
Fire twirling equipment
Weapons, fireworks, illicit substances, BYO alcohol
Note: Cloak rooms are available at the Frome Rd and Hackney Rd entrances for a gold coin donation, with all proceeds to Food Bank Australia. They will close at 12:30am. You can check in handbags, small bags or daypacks. Open bags, valuables, clothing, Prams/strollers, pop-up sunshades, beach-style chairs and blankets cannot be checked in.
Other stuff
All lost children/persons should be taken to the Info Booth. Parents/Guardians, please report a missing child/person at the Info Booth.
Lost property should be reported to the Info Booth. Following the festival, call 8271 1488 from Wednesday between 9am – 5pm weekdays.
Anything left over night and unattended in Botanic Park will be removed by security staff.
You’ll find St John Ambulance and first aid between the Foundation Stage and Stage 2.
Womadelaide is a smoke free-event including E-cigarettes, but there is a designated smoking area.
Traders
The WoShop sells a wide variety of official Womadelaide and artist merchandise, and Mr V Music will have artist records available for sale, plus books from Planet Talks speakers. Artist signings will be at Mr V Music – look at the blackboard out the front for the schedule.
The Global Village has stalls from a variety of traders including locals such as Adelaide Henna and Vintage Fox & Co and display stalls from Greening Australia, Sea Shepherd and more. There’s also the WOmade design market which is selling made in SA wares from local names including Julie White, Hey Reflecto, Kalila & Namoi and Yellow. Bird.
Tips from a veteran
The Advertiser and Sunday Mail’s resident music guru Nathan Davies is looking forward to attending his 13th Womadelaide. Here’s his guide to getting the most out of the festival.
Dress for comfort, it’s a long day: Being a favourite with the hippy crowd, there’s no need to wear your Gucci leather pants/Hermes scarf/Louboutin heels combo to Womadelaide.
Think comfort, man, and bust out those cheesecloth Thai fishing pants you bought from that market in Mullumbimby. Also, Womadelaide is HUGE, covering all of Botanic Park.
Make sure you wear something comfy on your tootsies because you’re going to be covering some miles.
Don’t stress: It’s impossible to see everything at Womadelaide. Some of the stages are a long way apart, and acts are always going to clash or overlap. Download the app and choose your “must sees” for the day and base your day around that.
Make sure you hit the food court: Festival food can be pretty ordinary, but that’s far from the case at Womadelaide. The dining area is a gastronomical wonderland featuring delicious food from around the globe, including lots of vego and vegan options. Dig in.
Leave your cash, bring your card: All of the bars at Womadelaide are cashless, so leave those notes and coins at home. Also, don’t throw that cup away. It’s yours to keep all day, and if you lose it you’ll have to pay your cup deposit again.
Keep your chairs low: You can bring your own chairs to Womadelaide, but make sure they’re the low beach-style chairs and not the high camping-style chairs. Block people’s views and you risk the dreaded “Womadelaide stink-eye”, the more peaceful hippy equivalent of a festival brawl.
Make a base: Lots of families like to throw down a picnic rug or set up a sunshade as a base for the day. It’s a great place to regroup and have something to eat and drink, and it gives the kids a meeting point should they get lost. Just remember to take it home at night.
Perhaps leave the car at home: Parking can be tricky around Botanic Park during Womadelaide, but bike riding is very much encouraged with stacks of free cycle parking on offer. Get pedalling!
See something new: One of the big joys of Womadelaide is discovering acts that you didn’t even know existed. Take a wander and stop when your ears tell you to.
10 final thoughts
Features writer Tim Lloyd’s never missed a Womadelaide since the inaugural event in 1992 which was part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts. Here’s his top tips:
1. The Advertiser will be reviewing Womadelaide gigs as they happen: Go to advertiser.com.au/festival to read them!
2. Take a big blanket, sarong, or some other sheet that will serve as a groundsheet.
They are very handy for marking your spot, keeping out the dust and dirt, and all sorts of other uses, such as wrapping up cold children or in case of rain.
3. It will likely be cold at night this year. Have warm clothes handy. People are always surprised by the wind chill factor spending a night out of doors. Take windcheaters, parkas, raincoat, or some other barrier apparel.
4. Take the makings of wraps or sandwiches and muesli bars, preferably in sealable bags or containers. There will be times when everyone is hungry and there are long queues, or you are at a remote corner of the park.
5. Establish a base camp, preferably with a few friends. You can drop off seating, blankets, food and clothes. These are generally safe left alone, but it helps if more people are coming and going.
6. In addition, have a very light backpack for wandering around the park without being loaded down. Just take program guide, water bottle, newspaper and aforementioned snack.
7. Have a fully charged mobile phone. It’s going to be the best way of finding everyone.
8. If there is a band or performance you really want to see, forget everything else and get there early. Read a newspaper while you wait.
9. Seats without backs but without legs are allowed in the park, but some of them are cantankerous affairs. If your “legless” seat has 15 centimetres of air under it, think about sitting well back, being comfortable but not blocking the view. If the gig is labelled a “seated” show, try to be polite when you yell at those in front of you to sit down. If they show is not labelled “seated” be sure everyone will be standing, dancing, and possibly treading on seated you in the process.
10. Have a good time. It is a generous, sprawling four nights and three days of fun, music, dance, fine food, wine and beer. The park has a regulated capacity of 20,000-odd so there is always room to move, to find a quiet spot, or have a sleep between gigs.