Trying to keep cool during the Womad parade. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe Source: adelaidenow
THE sun and high temperatures were threatening to spoil Womadelaide's dash to reach its box office target yesterday.
After a big crowd of close to 20,000 lapped up the music on Saturday, yesterday's heat was keeping many people out of the Botanic Park venue during the day, Womadelaide director Ian Scobie said last night.
"We had about 12,000 people in the park by 2pm today (Sunday)," he said. "I thought no one would be here, actually.
"I think we can say that that 38C forecast for Monday might actually be a limbo stick too low or a bar too high, but we will see.
"It's not your walk-up kind of weather, so we'll see how we go tomorrow.
The Soweto Gospel Choir, from South Africa, perform on Womad's main stage. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe
For the first time, large shade sails were mounted at strategic locations around the park. It took all the professionalism of the richly dressed Indian vocalists Sudha Ragunathan and Manjiri Kelkar and her band to face directly into the full western sun as they delivered their classical Carnatic and Hindustani song.
Mr Scobie said Womadelaide's first presentation of The Planet Talks, where scientists and academics discuss world issues of sustainability, had been a great success.
"I was talking to (science journalist and compere) Robyn Williams earlier, and he said there was a really well-informed audience there. They hadn't just stumbled into the tent," he said.
The Womad parade winds through Botanic Park. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe
The program, which concludes today with a talk with controversial population studies pioneer Professor Paul Ehrlich, was developed with the help of RIAus and The Environment Institute of the University of Adelaide.
"A lot of them - not all of them - just love being here," Mr Scobie said.
"It broadens the festival into another audience."
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