Since 2008, we have delivered the technical production to all stages at WOMAD in the UK and overseas, including Abu Dhabi, Russia, Spain and the Canaries.   Due to the nature of WOMAD’s programming, artists travel to the festival from all four corners of the globe and aren’t usually touring bands so they present a unique set of challenges. We work closely with WOMAD’s festival programmer to ensure that as they book in artists, that the bands will work on the festival’s stage.

Our team is responsible for:

• Appointing and managing suppliers to liaising with artists’ tour managers and delivering their riders
• Specifying sound, lighting, video, backline equipment and instruments
• Pre-festival planning and co-ordination
• Onsite management

The music at WOMAD is always diverse, at the 2019 festival the main stage had to accommodate performances from Ziggy Marley, Anna Calvi and Orbital, all very different artists, with very different requirements.    As a result, we brought in various consoles, lighting packages and visuals. It is within our remit to ensure that either the correct production is in place for the festival, and the necessary cabling, distribution and power is in place for bands who bring production with them.

It makes for a seriously challenging environment and requires constant communication with everyone involved. There are now hundreds of bands and artists who play at WOMAD UK, across eight or nine stages and additional workshop stages. Managing the volume of correspondence and the number of stakeholders involved takes careful and meticulous planning and budgeting. Each year brings a completely different set of artists, so the challenges begin again, along with the unavoidable budget constraints that a festival of WOMAD’s scale and stature has. However, working together as a team, and using our experience and knowledge, Judgeday continues to not only deliver, but we enjoy the experience.