World music

World music is a term that covers all music that is not part of mainstream popular music or classical music and has some kind of "ethnic" component. The connotation of the term is popular with folk music from the third world, European popular and folk music that uses influences from the third world, and traditional music especially (but not only) from the third world. The term is used primarily as a marketing/classificatory device, sometimes referring to any kind of foreign music, especially in a foreign language.

Festivals

There are LOTS of World Music festivals and jazz/folk/roots/new age crossover events. Only a small selection can be represented here:

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• FloydFest in Floyd, Virginia, USA. Has featured artists from a wide diversity of styles including Ani DiFranco, Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie, Trumystic, Nickel Creek and Akoya Afrobeat Enemble.
• The WOMAD Foundation puts on festivals in different countries all around the world and these have included artists such as Youssou N'Dour, Robert Plant and Jaojoby http://www.womad.org/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/womad2005/index.shtml.
• The Festival in the Desert takes place every year at Essakane, near Timbuktu, in Mali, West Africa and has achieved international status in spite of the difficulties of reaching its location. http://www.eyefortalent.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/artist.detail/artist_id/70 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/festival-desert.shtml
• Stern Grove festival is a San Francisco celebration of musical and cultural diversity. Examples: Lucinda Williams, John Doe, Ojos de Brujo, O-Maya, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the Funk Brothers and also symphony orchestras and operatic stars. http://www.sanfranciscokids.net/news/stern_grove.htm