Sangjaru photo by Seokhyun

This weekend, WOMAD festival will welcome over 140 artists to the beautiful grounds of Charlton Park. For the first time at WOMAD, the beloved Charlie Gillett Stage will be powered by 100% green energy from the wind and sun with Ecotricity x grid faeries batteries. With a battery capacity of 3MWh, alongside powering the stage, it is the equivalent energy to power an average of 2,800 homes for one hour. Ecotricity x Grid Faeries are on a mission to end the use of diesel at festivals and outdoor events.

Chris Smith, WOMAD Festival Director said:

“We are very excited to be working with 'Grid Faeries’ to power one of the main stages at WOMAD with 100% renewal energy from this innovative new battery technology. We expect it to be central to powering of all WOMAD stages in the coming years and helping us in our aspirations to be a carbon neutral Festival.”

Dale Vince, Founder of Ecotricity and Grid Faeries said:

“Ecotricity have campaigned for the end of fossil fuels, on many fronts for many years. Festivals are in many ways a last pocket of resistance, a place where burning diesel is a no thought, default option. But we simply don’t need to rely on diesel generators for festival power anymore. Our Grid Faeries batteries prove that another way is possible. We’re excited to be powering WOMAD’s second stage entirely with energy from the wind and sun - this weekend.”

New battery technology powering the Charlie Gillett stage with 100% green energy

Claire O’Neill, CEO at live events sustainability consultancy A Greener Future and founder of Grid Faeries said:

"Festivals bring people together into a space where hearts and minds are open to new ideas, and as "temporary towns" they are ideal places to trial innovations. I've seen a lot of progress made in the sector over the last 20 years, and am excited that we now have the technologies available to us, support and collaboration with other sectors, and importantly the growing willingness to do things differently. Fossil fuel free festivals are within our sights, and that's a great reason to party."

The Charlie Gillett Stage, named after the late author and radio presenter who opened many ears to a huge variety of music and international sounds, will once again host a huge variety of artists including: electronica-seasoned psych-rock band Flamingods (UK/Bahrain), one of the finest interpreters of the Portuguese fado tradition LINA_ (Portugal), and arguably Tibet’s greatest musical export Yungchen Lhamo, who has worked with Peter Gabriel, Bono, Annie Lennox and Natalie Merchant among others.  On top of that Gnawa Blues All Stars (UK/Morocco)  will bring deep and irresistible grooves of north Africa and beyond to west Africa, South America and Asia. Also playing is gypsy jazz and traditional South Korean folk group Sangjaru (South Korea), much-loved trio from Montreal who delve deep into Québécois folk traditions Genticorum (Canada) and player of the triple harp Cerys Hafana (Wales).

On top of this inspiring initiative, WOMAD is already leading the way in sustainability, with action on recycling, single use plastics, water, compost toilets and travel share schemes and shuttle buses. Over the past six years WOMAD has generated an average of 113 tons of waste per festival and since 2014 has supported a Waste to Energy scheme where metal, wood, glass and some plastics are removed for specialised recycling, 100% of the remaining waste is then diverted from landfill into recycled energy and ash from the process is used in infrastructure projects nationally.

See you there!?

www.womad.co.uk

Sampa The Great by Imraan Christian