Womad: Your highlights

About 25,000 music fans went to the Womad music festival's 20th anniversary event in Reading - and BBC News Online asked festival-goers and performers what the highlights were.

Patrick Willcocks, 45, from Birmingham, with family and friends: "Souad Massi was an excellent singer and a mixture of styles - from very sad to dance music. And Papa Noel reminded me of the Buena Vista Social Club, but with an African tinge."

Piers Awdry, 39, from Bath: "Abdelkader Saadoun had a great sound and nice belly-dancers. It is a typical Womad - you come here, the sun comes out and you all get burnt and jump in the river."

Julie Murphy, singer with Welsh "contemporary folk" group Fernhill: "Ernest Ranglin was unbelievable - the music, his personality, the old-school vibe he gave off were so warm. He was enjoying himself and everyone was dancing, it was wonderful."

Sheila Marshall (left), 49, from Poynings, Sussex, and Katie Young, 37, from Brighton: "The highlight was jumping in the river, although you're not allowed to. And Ernest Ranglin was absolutely brilliant. The nice thing about coming here is that you don't know what anything's going to be like until it happens."

Simon Broughton, editor of Songlines world music magazine: "I really enjoyed Lila Downs on Friday - a wonderful Mexican singer. I wanted to see Cara Dillon, but couldn't get anywhere near because there were so many people. One of the great things about Womad is the groups who you've not heard before and you just chance upon."

Yocu, drummer with Mexican group Los de Abajo: "In Mexico, not many people know Womad, but in Europe, everybody's talking about it. We did a workshop, which was very weird because we are now playing electronic music, and that was only an acoustic set. We tried it and it was nice - there was dancing and everything."

Murray Longworth, 36, from Bristol, with daughter Skye, 2: "I've been trying to keep up with the kids - we've been going on the rides and things. Womad caters for children very well."

James Spadavecchia (left), 21, with friend James McMaster, 27, both from Nuneaton: "Papa Noel was the highlight - I've followed his music for the past few years. It's the first time I've been to Womad and it's a really nice, relaxed atmosphere."