THE 35th annual WOMAD festival proved to be a hit with punters this year after it was hailed as the most successful yet.

More than 35,000 enjoyed four days of exotic music and food in Lord Suffolk’s back garden in Charlton Park last week, as more than 100 artists from 50 countries took to the stage.

Beyond the music on offer, stories of refugees and a breathtaking NASA launch video filled the smaller performance tents and provided revellers with a different experience.

The festival’s biggest ever crowds were drawn to the universe of music and culture despite the weather, which created a mud bath outside most of the main tents.

The success of the festival, however, was celebrated with an announcement that the festival would continue at the site for years to come.

Festival director Chris Smith said: “This was a WOMAD for the ages; one of our best programmes ever featuring a quite extraordinary melee of cultures, voices and musical styles, an incredible crowd who came in record numbers, and a very bright future for the festival, with our residence at Charlton Park extended until at least 2030.”

Wiltshire Police enjoyed a peaceful festival this year, making only two arrests. One 18-year-old from Malmesbury was issued with an adult caution on Sunday after he was arrested on suspicion of common assault while a second 18-year-old from Cornwall remains in custody after police arrested him on Monday morning on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Sergeant Sean Brady said: “As always, WOMAD was a good-natured, family friendly event.

“There were approximately 40,000 people of all ages at the festival over the weekend, so from a policing perspective, to have just two arrests is testament to the hard work by the organisers, partner agencies and the officers who attended the event to ensure everyone was kept safe.”