Globe To Globe Festival,
Namatjira Park, January 28 and 29, 2012
Although not a significant date on the summer festival calendar, the Globe To Globe world music festival has for over ten years provided an enjoyable afternoon and evening of entertainment. Whilst one can enjoy the Big Day Out only with musically like-minded friends, Globe To Globe has always been the prime example of a festival that can be visited in groups with friends and family alike. Unlike other suburban festivals, it doesn’t skew itself too far in either the family-friendly or artsy stakes or put any particular group off. In the past, I have visited the festival with friends, my parents, and even my grand parents.
So I was looking forward to this year’s outing, especially because the first evening boasted Beth George and later the Ska Vendors, and it was perfect weather for enjoying some bluesy tunes in the shade of the World Music Stage, and later to attempt some dance moves as the sun went down. Furthermore, it would be the first time I would be attending with a dog, after a two year hiatus since my dog – a big fan of the festival – passed away. I was disappointed, upon our eager arrival, to be turned away on the grounds that the festival is now a ‘No Dogs Allowed’ zone.
Even more disappointing than being turned away from an event at which I am a regular visitor, with dog, is the fact that the festival overtook the grounds of Namatjira Park, usually a dog-friendly reserve, leaving the grounds off-limits for canine visitors and their owners for the duration of the weekend-long festival. Luckily there was another park nearby to enjoy a walk, albeit without a stage providing musical accompaniment.