Organizers of a festival that was slated to come to Squamish this summer have confirmed that it wont be happening.

WOMAD (World Of Music Arts And Dance) is a festival that takes place at various sites around the world including Spain, the UK and Australia. Organisers were in discussions to bring the festival to Canada, but they never got off the ground and there are now no immediate plans to revisit them according to a WOMAD Spokesperson.

The format and concept of the multicultural festival is family orientated with music (spanning a range of genres) as a core but also education along with a range of activities. The festival is the brain child of musician Peter Gabriel and has been held in 30 countries around the globe featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Emmy Award-winning, Grammy nominated Toni Childs, De La Soul and Tinariwen among others.

WOMAD didn’t offer an explanation as to why talks never got off the ground, but they say they are no longer considering a festival in the North American market. Although not the same size, the festival would have offered a replacement to the Squamish Valley Music Festival that only lasted five years and was cancelled in 2015. The announcement comes on the heels of the cancellation of Pemberton Music Festival, where organizers said the weak Canadian dollar and growing expenses were to blame.

 

Filed under: BC, concert, Festival, music, Squamish, WOMAD