Review of Rhythms of the World 2011

See our video from ROTW 2011.

It may have rained (a bit) but it was wonderful! The 20th Rhythms of the World (ROTW) festival was arguably the best yet with a huge range of music and entertainment and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

There were many amazing acts on stage offering some very interesting and diverse performances. Highlights included:

• Raghu Dixit, our Saturday headline act, blended Indian tradition with western influences to create a truly memorable performance, as witnessed by this year’s Glastonbury audience.
• Ska Cubano mixed ska and Cuban beats to end the festival with one of the biggest parties we’ve ever seen.
• C W Stoneking was a real favourite with the crowds with tunes rooted in 1920s New Orleans.
• Jim Moray had a very interesting take on the interpretation of traditional folk music; he appealed to the whole audience, even those who don’t like folk.
• It was a real coup and privilege to have The Subways playing for us. Since the band’s Billy guested with The Dodge Brothers at last year’s festival we’ve been working behind the scenes to make this happen and it was a really special performance.
• The Selecter, the two-tone legends, who had the crowds bouncing along to their ska beats.
• The new Icehouse Stage opened up opportunities to a different style of performer – it proved to be a perfect fit for the festival, adding a new dimension with magic, comedy and lots of performances by young people.

Thanks – you know who you are!

None of it would have been possible without our fabulous, dedicated band of volunteers who organised the whole event, from planning the programme to building the stages and picking up litter. If you are interested in volunteering for Rhythms of the World 2012 please email us.

Now there’s time for just a short break for our volunteers before we start planning ROTW 2012. If you’d like to get involved or want to be among the first to know about next year’s festival sign up for our e-newsletter today.

Thanks also to all our generous sponsors and –  of course – to you, the festival-goers, for supporting us again and making ROTW 2011 so very special.

We hope you had a great weekend - you can see more from the festival on Twitter at or on Facebook.