Two More Sleeps until WOMAD 2018!!!

WOMAD - World of Music, Arts and Dance the internationally established festival, which brings together artists from all over the globe. The central aim of the WOMAD festival is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.

As an organisation, WOMAD now works in many different ways, but our aims are always the same - at festivals, performance events, through recorded releases and through educational projects, we aim to excite, to inform, and to create awareness of the worth and potential of a multicultural society.

Peter Gabriel was one of WOMAD's co-founders: "Pure enthusiasm for music from around the world led us to the idea of WOMAD in 1980 and thus to the first WOMAD festival in 1982. The festivals have always been wonderful and unique occasions and have succeeded in introducing an international audience to many talented artists."

"Equally important, the festivals have also allowed many different audiences to gain an insight into cultures other than their own through the enjoyment of music. Music is a universal language, it draws people together and proves, as well as anything, the stupidity of racism." Peter Gabriel

WOMAD festivals are family-oriented, diverse and active musical events; sometimes offering as many as seven stages within the festival site. Since the first festival in the UK in 1982, WOMAD has held more than 160 festivals, creating events in twenty-seven countries and islands all over the world, including: Abu Dhabi, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, UK, and the United States of America.

We have presented more than one thousand artists at our festivals, bringing the expression of more than 100 different countries to a live audience of over one million people.

WOMAD New Zealand 2018 sees the 14th anniversary for WOMAD held at the stunning TSB Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, Taranaki.

https://www.womad.co.nz/

WOMAD New Zealand 2018 is on at Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, from March 16 to 18.

www.womad.co.nzwww.womad.co.nz

The internationally established three day world music, arts and dance festival is known for its exciting and diverse line-up and this year’s event is no exception.

Over the weekend Brooklands Park will ring with the sounds of a melting pot of folk, afro-funk, hip hop, classical, jazz and punk rock performed on violins, ouds, koras and squeeze boxes. With artists from countries as varied as Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and Mauritania delivering a blend of traditional and modern performances; expect diverse languages, cultures, harmonies and rhythms from the big names and to discover glorious artists you’ve never heard of. 

Making up the 33 exciting and eclectic artists from across the globe performing at WOMAD 2018 will be familiar festival favourites; the pioneer of bass-dominant, dub flavoured dance tunes, UK’s Adrian Sherwood, the heavy metal inspired acoustic guitar duo from Mexico, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Washington D.C. based DJ collective, the uniquely diverse dub inspired Thievery Corporation. 

Joining them will be; the highly anticipated Los Angeles saxophonist, composer and jazz superstar Kamasi Washington, the Indian classical and progressive sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar and classic Kiwi band Dragon. 

Brazilian 10 piece, Bixiga 70 will deliver dizzying heights of progressive Afrobeat, Tinariwen will delight audiences with their scorching Mali desert blues and Havana Meets Kingston's sound-clash of reggae, dub and dancehall with salsa and rumba will be sure to make the crowds move. 

Lebanon’s soulful, classically trained Ghada Shbeir and Israel’s vocal hip hop star Victoria Hanna will deliver tales from ancient texts and stories of current social injustices. Chilean political-punk-poet Nano Stern and Ghanaian Jojo Abot who seamlessly blends electronica, indie-soul, reggae and hip hop, will be  part of a growing global conversation with audiences.

Always a highlight of WOMAD are the talents of local artists and 2018 looks to be one of the most exciting yet with the “toweringly talented song writer” Aldous Harding and Auckland city’s Hopetoun Brown, who will stomp and parp their way into audience hearts with nothing but brass, a bass clarinet, two sets of tambourines and tonsils. West Auckland newcomers, The Miltones will deliver some excellent knee slappin’, foot stompin’ and booty shakin’ tunes. The award winning Māori soul acoustic artist Maisey Rika will capture hearts, and with deep roots in the classical world, Black Quartet will impress with their vast sea of influences, from blues, rock, jazz and pop. From Taranaki, The Slacks will bring home some classic kiwi messages of unity, aroha, and community.

“WOMAD 2018 is a fantastic representation of World music today and continues to support diverse voices on stages” - Emere Wano, WOMAD Event Director & NZ Programme Manager.

WOMAD New Zealand 2018 is on at Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, from March 16 to 18. Tickets on sale from www.womad.co.nz

WOMAD 2018 Feature artist - Blick Bassy

Cameroonian singer/songwriter Blick Bassy was born in 1974 and grew up in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, but he came to appreciate his cultural heritage when he was sent to live with his grandparents in their village at the age of ten, learning about the Bassa culture of his ancestors. At 17, he formed his first band, Jazz Crew, following it with Macase in 1996. The latter group released the albums Etam (1999) and Doulou (2003). Bassy left Macase in 2005 and moved to Paris, where he freelanced as a musician with Manu Dibango, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Lokua Kanza, and Etienne Mbappe before getting a contract to make his first solo recording. His debut solo album, Léman (which means "mirror"), was released in the U.S. by Four Quarters on May 19, 2009. Two years later, he returned with Hongo Calling. Around this time, he relocated to Cantin, a small village in Northern France. In 2015, Bassy delivered his third full-length album and first for France's No Format label, Akö. He then spent much of the next several years touring heavily around the world.

Breaking News! WOMAD earlybirds are nearly sold out!

Earlybird Youth three day tickets have officially SOLD OUT! And we have less than 200 earlybird adult three day tickets left... once they're gone, they're gone and tickets will rise to the standard price.

ADULT 3 DAY EARLYBIRD TICKET $220

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