By midday Friday, the last few spots of turf were being snapped up by campers. 30,000 revellers of all ages, interests and origins colonised the flatlands either side of the river in Reading. Ravers, fogeys, toddlers, journos, hippies, off duty policemen, musicians and everyone in between were all there in huge numbers.

Friday, saw cutting-edge bands like Bajofondo Tango Club, Youngblood Brass Band, OKI Dub Ainu Band and Louie Vega & His Elements of Life project draw in a young crowd but the band that stole the night and, by many accounts, the festival was Ethiopian legend Mahmoud Ahmed with his tight Addis funk band. The headliner, Robert Plant & The Strange Sensation was in comparison a bit of a let down, coming across as it did as a rehashed Led Zep gig.

Saturday, had Roy Paci’s Italian Ska project and Bill Cobham’s Culture Mix grabbing attention but the day belonged to Lura, who managed no less than three appearances on the day before her birthday amid a slew of interviews from music journalists as impressed with her as I was. Charlie Gillett, as ever, showcased the best of many of these acts for a wonderful live radio show. The headliner of that evening was Youssou N’Dour, who put in a polished but perhaps too relaxed performance for a crowd eager to travel with him beyond the usual repertoire designed for Western audiences.

By Sunday, anyone flagging was revived by a stormer from Colombian legend Totó La Momposina y sus Tambores. Good things were being said about the UK/Zimbabwean The Heritage Survival Band and on the small but perfectly formed BBC Radio 3 Online World On Your Street tent, the sounds of Kora from Jally Keba Susso transfixed the wanderers and led to a huge crowd. Apache Indian then showcased his new/old school reggae material to a huge crowd on Sunday evening. There was more to come from Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali and Neguinho da Beija-Flor to top a superb celebration of all that is right with the world.

Fly has a huge selection of pictures on our sister site Flykr to help you relive the magic if you were there or gatecrash the event if you were not.