Festival applies to hold 2026 event at new home

8 days ago

Peter DavisonLocal Democracy Reporting Service

News image — Womad Festival is set to be staged at a new home later this year

BBC Womad sign at the festival grounds. The abbreviation is spelled out with large, orange and yellow printed letters on grass. The festival site can be seen behind in the distance - there are colourful flags, tents and stands. — Womad Festival is set to be staged at a new home later this year

Organisers of a festival have applied for a licence to stage the event at a new home.

Tickets for the 2026 World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival (Womad) are already on sale, but Wiltshire Council is yet to grant a licence for the event to be held at Neston Park in Corsham.

Womad has been running for more than four decades and was previously based at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury.

The festival, co-founded by musician Peter Gabriel, has applied to host up to 29,999 people at this year's event, with a public consultation running until Wednesday.

The licence application, submitted by World of Womad Ltd, covers live and recorded music, and the sale of alcohol and late night refreshments, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Organisers are also applying for permission to put on plays – including walkabout performances and circus performers – until 04:00.

Garry Jones Photography A summer picture of the trees, fields and livestock of the Neston Park estate near Corsham, Wiltshire. — Neston Park Estate near Corsham could host Womad in 2026

Event spaces will include several tented structures and open-air venues, but there will be "no one main stage", according to organisers.

Plans for "large car parking areas", camping and glamping sites and several activity areas along with a number of bars and "food and drink concessions" are also outlined in the application.

Organisers said the "boutique family-friendly" festival not only attracts music fans but an "audience of all ages".

"It is one of the few festivals where three generations of a single family come and enjoy the weekend together," they said.

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Organisers said the event would be returning "truly independent" after not being staged in 2025.

Gabriel previously said Neston Park "immediately felt to us like a warm and welcoming home".

"While we've been away, all the team have been working away regenerating our beloved festival and poring over your extensive feedback - and finding so many great suggestions," the former member of Genesis added.

Womad is set to be held between 23 to 26 July. Tickets went on sale in November.

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