THE sun shone on Charlton Park in Malmesbury over the weekend, as the town welcomed tens of thousands of festival-goers.

WOMAD Festival was back in force, bringing with it music-lovers from all over the world.

The weather held out and the town came out in their droves to support one of the highlights of the UK festival calendar.

Malmesbury resident Robert Peel attended WOMAD this year and described it as a “special event”.

He said: “The artists from all over the world mingle with the crowds and everyone turns up in their craziest costumes.

“It is just great fun for all ages – it is a real family festival and for many the music is just a side show.”

The festival was opened this year with a performance from school pupils from Malmesbury and surrounding areas.

John Lewis donated £1,200 to assist the schools with the Malmesbury School Project, which helped pay for the children to work alongside international artists.

The youngsters got to learn about Brazilian culture during the project and more than 100 pupils opened the main stage on Thursday, with a colourful hour-long set of Brazilian-influenced music and dance.

The children, who have been preparing for this event since June, had been practicing for a few hours every day in the last week of term.

The Escola De Carnaval team led the children in song and dance, with the band members conducting the musicians and the dancing team leading the children through their moves.

Colin and Paula Laker got to watch their 10-year-old daughter dance in front of the WOMAD crowd.

“She was absolutely mesmerised by the sea of faces out there,” said Colin.

“It is so amazing to see all the kids enjoying themselves on stage. It was a brilliant and tremendous show.”

Eight-year-old Lily Ramirez-Hobbs from Minety School, who was part of the singing and dancing ensemble, said: “I felt quite famous for something and I liked the feeling of being on stage.”