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Thursday, January 16, 2025

WOMAD 2025: PROTOJE + THE INDIGGNATION


Announced in November last year, Jamaican reggae artist Protoje and his band The Indiggnation will be joining the huge international line-up at WOMAD 2025 at Taranakie this year.  

The Roots reggae revivalist has gained international acclaim with a number of hits, including 'Who Knows'  ft Chronixx (215 million YouTube views and counting) – an anthem that was heard blaring through every sound system and party in Jamaica. 



Over the past 20 years, Protoje's recorded seven albums and many collabs with artists such as Jorja Smith, Alicia Keys and Wiz Khalifa.  

In 2015, he stepped into the mainstream as part of the “reggae revival” movement, gaining attention because of the addictive melodies and conscious lyrics.  

Born in Saint Elizabeth, to singers Lorna Bennett (Breakfast in Bed) and calypso singer Mike Ollivierre, Protoje blends hip hop, soul and jazz into the sounds of his native reggae and dancehall. 

He has performed on shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and NPR’s Tiny Desk, toured to festivals including the Roots Picnic, Coachella and Glastonbury and received two Grammy nominations for Best Reggae Album, for A Matter Of Time (2018) and Third Time’s The Charm (2022).

His song "Switch It Up" with Koffee shined as the 2nd Song Selected on Barack Obama's 2021 Summer Playlist. 

He has toured with Ms. Lauryn Hill, headlined sold out shows and appeared on major festivals including Roots Picnic (U.S.), Coachella (US), Glastonbury (UK), Afropunk (US), Reading & Leeds (UK), Sole DXB (Dubai) and Lollapalooza (Chile), reaching audiences far and wide with his genre-fusing sound. 

He also founded his own label and management company Indiggnation Collective, "a significant incubator for Jamaica's new emerging soundscape" (NYLON) which signed talent from the island.  

In 2020, he inked individual deals for himself and Indiggnation Collective artists Lila Iké, Sevana and Jaz Elise with RCA Records. 

Protoje is an artist acutely aware of the passage of time, as evident by his album discography: 7 Year Itch, The 8 Year Affair, Ancient Future, A Matter Of Time, In Search of Lost Time and Third Time's The Charm. He received his two Best Reggae Album GRAMMY nominations for 2018’s A Matter Of Time and 2022’s Third Time's The Charm.




Friday, January 10, 2025

WOMAD 2025: Delgres

French power trio Delgres reinvent the blues into a sound that is a mix of hypnotised rock, earthy soul and caustic, anarchic garage. 

The Band is named after a hero in the fight against slavery in the French Caribbean, where singer-songwriter Pascal Danaë’s ancestors were once enslaved. His ancestors were enslaved on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.  That ancester was Louis Delgrès, who led the fight against the re-institution of slavery there in 1802.  The island is where their musical journey begins, with the title track from their new album, '4 Ed Maten' (4 a.m). 

They're based in France, but their lyrics are mostly sung in Creole – and they tell stories, both lyrically and musically.  Their music is a vibrant vehicle for expressions of Danaë’s personal adventures, inner journey and family history. 

Building on his Caribbean touch, is the powerful beat of Baptiste Brondy’s drums and Rafgee’s reptilian bass lines on the tuba. A singer, songwriter, composer and musician, Danaë has worked with Peter Gabriel, Youssou N’Dour, Laurent Voulzy, Neneh Cherry, Ayo, Gilberto Gil and more, but feels that everything in his life so far has led to this moment and to Delgres.  


Saturday, January 04, 2025

WOMAD 2025: Not Drowning, Waving + Talek

Not Drowning, Waving formed in Melbourne in 1983 by David Bridie and John Phillips making music which comprises elements of rock, ambient music and world music; their lyrics dealt with characteristically Australian topics: word-pictures of landscapes and people, the seasons, and some political issues – such as Indonesia's invasion of East Timor. 

The group have released six studio albums and two soundtracks before disbanding in 1994 (and briefly reformed in 2001, 2003 and 2005–2006).  From 2005 to 2007, they issued three compilation albums. Not Drowning, Waving won the ARIA Award for Best Independent Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 1992 for Proof, their soundtrack for the 1991 film of the same name. 

In 1991, Bridie and fellow members of Not Drowning, Waving, formed a side-project, My Friend The Chocolate Cake to play more acoustic-based material.  

They reunite with renowned Papua New Guinean musician George Telek to celebrate 35 years of Tabaran.  George Telek Mamua MBE, commonly known simply as Telek, is a musician and singer from Papua New Guinea. He has won one ARIA Award for this 1997 self-titled album. Telek sings in his native language, Kuanua, and in Tok Pisin. Many of his songs are sung in three-part harmonies that are characteristic of the Tolai.

Inspired by the rhythms of Rabaul, a culturally-rich town in PNG, the album fuses the band’s avant-garde pop-rock with local harmonies, melodies, and instruments. Rabaul is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea.



Their WOMAD Aotearoa performance unites original Tabaran musicians with dynamic new talent from PNG and Australia, honouring both the album’s legacy and PNG’s upcoming 50th anniversary of independence. 


Sunday, December 22, 2024

WOMAD 2025: Talisk

One of the most talked-about folk bands of the 21st century, Talisk has been tearing apart stereotypes and redefining the folk genre for almost a decade. With more than 15-million streams, sold-out shows across five continents and headline appearances at festivals the world over, the Scottish trio has amassed a global following. 

Scottish folk band Talisk (Mohsen Amini, Benedict Morris, and Charlie Galloway) rose to prominence after winning the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards "Folk Band of the Year" category in 2017.

UK Reviewer Neil McFadyen of Folk Radio UK has described their music as being "driving, fiery". Journo Johnny Whalley noted that "their music draws on the Irish as well as the Scottish tradition and generally cracks along at a lively pace with concertina and fiddle vying for the lead, driven by Craig's guitar. The musicianship is phenomenal, the enthusiasm infectious and guaranteed to put a smile on your face."

Talisk are a purely instrumental band. Rob Adams of the Herald Scotland noted in a review that "in the absence of songs to vary the mood and tempo, they employ passages of reflection and trance-like motifs or offer a quiet melodic introduction."

They begun in 2015 with Mohsen Amini, Hayley Keenan, and Craig Irving. Irving left to join Mànran, and was replaced on the guitar by Graeme Armstrong.  The same year year the band won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.  Then Amini became the 2016 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician.  Success continued, being named "Folk Band of the Year 2017" at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards. 

Amini was then named the 2018 "Musician of the Year" at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.  

The band's debut album, 'Abyss', was released in 2016, and their second album, Beyond, was released in 2018. That same year, they received the Belhaven Bursary for Innovation in Scottish Music, the largest music prize in Scotland.

Hayley Keenan left in 2021 to return to classroom music education, replaced by Benedict Morris and Armstrong left a year later to be replaced by Charlie Galloway.

Talisk are a purely instrumental but in the absence of songs, the mod and tempo varies greatly to create 'passages of reflection', trance-like motifs, spiralling themes, or, in contrast moments of tranquil, quiet melodic introductions.

Live they are a force of nature.  Wielding instruments that have rarely seen the likes of their music, At New Year 2022 they played BBC 1’s Hogmanay show to a huge television audience and, as the only folk act, amassed a vast, mainstream audience. 

They also headlined Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom in 2024 as part of the legendary Celtic Connections festival. Their star remains firmly on the rise.



Tuesday, December 17, 2024

WOMAD 2025: NANA BENZ DU TOGO

 

Members of Nana Benz Du Togo : Lady Apoc : lead vocals / Izealedu : lead vocals / Parus Kekeli : lead vocals & synth / David Kasanku : Gazé Tuyau Toto Do It Yourself : drums

Mesmerising and exceedingly cool, this quintet from Togo brings a completely organic sound with electronic rhythms expressed through handmade percussion, drums, a Korg synth and three powerful female voices. Firmly anchored in the group’s voodoo heritage, their songs extol the value of freedom and the importance of respect for the planet and its inhabitants. “We’ve always been ecologists, without knowing it, because Voodoo is in fact Nature,” explains Izeale, one of the three vocalists. Nana Benz du Togo never really intended to put voodoo culture under the spotlight, yet they set alight the Transmusicales de Rennes festival in 2022 with a juggernaut of ceremonial electro-voodoo-soul and released their first album Ago in 2023.  It’s music that grabs you deep inside and makes you want to dance.

From their publicity materials 

"There are five of them, five, like the fingers of one hand, a hand ready  form a st,  slam down hard
on a table but also  gently caress the planet.

They all grew up in Togo, only a few frontiers away from Benin and Nigeria, several decades separa-
ting them from the great Fela, the man who turned a Yoruba proverb into a hit: Water No Get Enemy.

The members of Nana Benz also grew up with the knowledge that water was so precious it had no
price, and that Mother Nature was a figure  be celebrated.

In respect of the planet and its inhabitants lies at the very heart of their catalogue of songs,
songs firmly anchored in the richness of voodoo heritage, songs extolling the value of freedom in
English, French and Mina. Earth, wind, fire and water - Nature : that’s what voodoo is! 

“We’ve always been ecologists, without knowing it, because Voodoo is in fact Nature”, explains Izeale, one of the three vocalists. 

“At a given moment in our lives, we all dived headfirst into this heritage we had left
behind. And there, we discovered the power of voodoo, but also its scales, its incredible rhythms, and its wonderful melodies. And now we dive back in once more, body and soul, because we need to possess enough strength to carry these songs!”

Before walking down the path that led them to convents and voodoo ceremonies, these musicians
experienced many trials and tribulations. 

“When you have been raised in a Christian environment, when you sang the praises of Jesus Christ, it’s not easy to turn to voodoo”, admits Parus. “But when I lost my parents at the age of 13, I ended up in charge of the family, and with my younger brothers and sisters, I was looking for a beacon! And that’s where I discovered that voodoo is not just a question of dolls and all that evil folklore we have made up, but that voodoo is within all of us, it’s life itself. And that saved me...”

From that time onwards, Kasanku, Lady Apoc, Parus, Toto and Izealedu never really intended to put
this culture under the spotlight, yet they set alight the Transmusicales de Rennes in 2022 with a
juggernaut of ceremonial electro-voodoo-soul.

Many years of work in the shadows were required before Nana Benz dared get up on stage. 

First of all, there was a chance meeting during a musical workshop, piloted by Peter Solo (the man
behind the surprise and success of the group Vaudou Games, amongst other achievements). 

The five artists did not know each other yet, but instantly discovered that they were on the same
wavelength. The first musical seeds sown quickly flourished. They started out with this completely
organic rhythm, one that grabs you deep inside and makes you want to shake your hips. The
instrumentarium of the two percussionists became more than powerful despite being 100%
recycled. 

The formidable basslines were in fact created by two PVC tubes (the Gazé Tuyau), and a
suitcase belonging to Toto’s grandfather, “a voodoo travelling salesman who visited the four
corners of the earth”, provided a robust bass drum. Toto added genuine ceremonial pots belonging
to his grandmother to the mix, equipment used to prepare potions for the “voodoo practising older
ladies who would sing all the time, and whose voices ended up imprinted there”. 

These drums, charged with the voices of ancestors, quickly came to life thanks to the bass of the Gazé Tuyau and took on the name of “batterie Do It Yourself” (DIY drumkit). This organic groove gorged with subbass, and complex polyrhythms became a bedrock for the voices of three awe-inducing
electro-soul preachers, accompanied by a small vintage Korg keyboard. The setup is minimalist,
but oh so powerful, and managed to place thousands of spectators in a trance during the
Transmusicales de Rennes festival. 


“The trance in our music is supplied by repetitive energy! It comes straight from the heart, and this is why our message carries Nature within it, as we honour this Nature in all that we do”, explains Lady Apoc. “We compose a lot using the voodoo scales of the snake (Dan) and that of Mamie Wata”, confides Kasanku, a former bass player, who took four years to assemble his incredible Gazé Tuyau.
All that was left was to find a name for this truly atypical quintet carried aloft by three voices and
three very strong personalities. 

The band therefore settled upon Nana Benz, a tribute to the impressive wax print retailers of Lomé central market (Togo) who liked to drive a Mercedes Benz, women the powerful confided in as they knew better than anyone how to thread together the many strains of money and power, with feminist strength .... “We admire these women for displaying such courage and force within our patriarchal societies, but also voodoo, that teaches us that the material corrupts mankind, and that we must search for peace and harmony above all, so we are also far removed from commerce!”, adds Izealedu...
When the music starts, the five men and women who form Nana Benz are rise to this challenge with
flying colours!"


Monday, December 09, 2024

WOMAD 2025: O.

O. – the London-based duo of baritone saxophonist Joe Henwood and drummer Tash Keary – return with details of their highly anticipated debut album “WeirdOs” and a colossal new single titled “Green Shirt”.

The album is due out 21st June via Speedy Wunderground. Honing their fearless sound through a residency at Brixton’s iconic venue The Windmill, as well as on support slots across the UK and Europe with fellow heavyweights black midi and Gilla Band, O. have now distilled their unique live energy into their debut album, “WeirdOs”.

Featuring production from Dan Carey, WeirdOs is Tash and Joe at their most raucous and free. Across 10 tracks of high-octane instrumentals recorded live to tape, the duo encompass everything from cathartic dancefloor drops, to junglist breakbeats, intricate jazz lines, and sludgy, menacing doom metal.

Coming hot on the heels of last November’s debut EP “SLICE” – which won enthusiastic support from DIY, Dork, NME, Louder, and Rough Trade – the new single “Green Shirt” sees the band expanding on their ever evolving, epiphanic sound combining thundering blast beats with labyrinthine sax.


The band describe the single as “a short rock/metal rinse out. To match the distorted amp sounds coming from Joe, we put Tash's drums through distorted guitar amps on this one. It's named after Tash's favourite green flannel shirt, that was lost several times and then eaten by a dog.”



WOMAD 2025: The Ukulele Death Squad

This Hybrid 'Aussie' eight-piece uke extravaganza declare themselves to be the planet's "most dangerous ukulele band." 

A tall order indeed.

As their suggests their music and stage presence is more than a little bit of menace and peril.  People in the front row beware! 

Sporting a dangerous aray of miniature, titular instrument along with their epic vocal performance, pulsing conga-led rhythms, and of course, their big, bold brass battalion ready for combat with a repertoire set to destroy!

The 'death squad' blast out a bazooka laden set of gypsy jazz, R&B, and folk with a strong sense of showmanship, theatricality, and raucous energy in their live shows that has gained international recognition and critical acclaim at The Adelaide & Edinburgh Fringe, WOMAD (Adelaide), WOMAD (UK), Boomtown (UK), Dranouter Festival (Belgium), to name but a few.

But don't take our word for it... check out their website and a few vids on youtube.  No flac jackets required. Just don't F*** With Them! 



WOMAD 2025: Amaru Tribe

Naarm/Melbourne-based Amaru Tribe seamlessly fuses traditional Latin American music with contemporary electronic innovation, crafting a distinctive sound they call "Cumbia Oceanica." Their folktronic style blends the vibrant tones of charangos, Afro-Latin rhythms, urban beats, and powerful vocal harmonies, creating a dynamic and culturally rich sonic experience. 

Described as a vital addition to Latin America's burgeoning experimental electronic scene, Amaru Tribe's music represents the latest evolution in the continent's long tradition of musical hybridity, offering listeners a portal into a world where heritage and modernity intertwine.

They are, at heart, a 'Folktronic' act comprising music producer/singer/songwriter Oscar Jimenez (Colombia- Australia), Muralist/singer/songwriter Katherine Gailer (Colombia- Australia), percussionist Cristian Saavedra (Chile- Australia) and Sebastian Barahona (Chile-Australia).

The 'project', they describe as a playground to explore the vibrant intersection between "cultures, traditional music from Latin America and new contemporary sounds; Vibrating charangos, urban flow, electronic & afro-latin beats, and powerful vocal harmonies create a portal that gives birth to an unknown genre they called “Cumbia Oceanica”."

Their act was nominated for the 2020 Music Victoria Awards as Best Multicultural Act, and have  captivated audiences at major festivals including Womadelaide, Bluesfest, Queenscliff Festival and  international gigs such as SXSW, and events in Colombia, Thailand, and Taiwan.  

Amaru Tribe are currently preparing the release of their Debut Vinyl LP (and 2nd full length album) together with a National tour in late 2021 and early 2022.




Wednesday, December 04, 2024

WOMAD 2025: Róisín Murphy


This week we begin a new series showcasing some of the amazing acts coming to WOMAD Taranaki in 2025. 

First up is a woman with an indomitable artistic spirit.  Ireland's Róisín Murphy has established herself as one of electronic pop’s most ingenious and forward-thinking voices. 

She first became known back in the early 1990's as part of Moloko, an English-Irish electronic music duo formed in Sheffield, England, with producer Mark Brydon.  

The group made a number of successful hits including their indelible hit Sing It Back.  After four albums  Moloko split and Murphy began a new creative era as a soloist.  She released her debut solo album Ruby Blue (2005), which she wrote and produced with the experimental musician Matthew Herbert, receiving plenty of support from reviewers.  Her follow up, Overpowered, released in 2007, was also well received.


In 2015, after an eight-year break, sporadically interrupted by a number of stand alone, side projects and guest appearances on other's , Murphy released her third solo album Hairless Toys, which went on to be nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and Ireland's Choice Music Prize. 

A year later came album four, Take Her Up to Monto.  Then in 2018, dropped four twelve-inch releases in collaboration with producer Maurice Fulton.  Murphy released her fifth and sixth solo albums Róisín Machine and Hit Parade, which received critical acclaim, in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

Murphy has clocked up a few unique moments including being the first singer to play Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and has headlined Glastonbury's West Holts Stage, along with Homobloc, Coachella and Primavera Sound.  

WOMAD Taranaki is in for a treat.  Look forward to a show-stopping stage wardrobe and electrifying live band, she recently joined the ranks of star-studded performers to play at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall. 

WOMAD 2025 14-16 March 2025 Bowl Of Brooklands, New Plymouth



Thursday, November 28, 2024

WOMAD 2025 - Line Up - Further Announcements

Photo: WOMAD Aotearoa / FedPagola

WOMAD Aotearoa have just announced four more dynamic artists to next year's lineup. 

These include organic-electronic feminist songs from West Africa’s Nana Benz Du Togo, Melbourne's art-rock pioneers Not Drowning, Waving, who are reuniting with acclaimed Papua New Guinean artist George Telek, Also on the bill, O, a London-based baritone saxophonist and drummer duo, and Protoje, the Jamaican artist blending hip hop, soul, and jazz with reggae and dance hall rhythms with his band The Indiggnation.

In addition to the music, the festival offers a range of cultural and intellectual experiences. The Kunming Garden will once again host the World Of Words, featuring poetry slams, author talks, podcasts, and comedy. 

The STEAM Lab will offer fascinating sessions with innovators and visionaries in diverse fields such as marine biology, chocolate making, song creation, and the science of sleep, providing attendees with the opportunity to explore new ideas and challenge the status quo.

So, here we go: 

WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 Festival Line Up

47Soul (Palestine/Jordan) *Amaru Tribe (Australia) * Ana Carla Maza (Cuba) * Bala Desejo (Brazil) * Black Comet (Aotearoa) * CHAII (Aotearoa) * Delgres (France/Guadeloupe) * Etran de’Lair (Niger) * Goran Bregović & his Wedding & Funeral Band (Bosnia/Herzegovina) * Nana Benz Du Togo (Togo) * Nitin Sawhney (UK) * Not Drowning, Waving + Telek (Australia/Papua New Guinea) * O. (UK) * Protoje  & The Indiggnation (Jamaica) * Queen Omega (Trinidad & Tobago) * Róisín Murphy (Ireland) * Satish Vyas & U Rajesh (India) * Talisk (Scotland) * The Beths (Aotearoa) * The Veils & NZTrio (Aotearoa) * Ukulele Death Squad (Australia) * Who Shot Scott (Aotearoa/Iraq) 

Photo: WOMAD Aotearoa / Amanda Senior

WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 World Of Words Speakers 

Bariz Shah (Author - Beyond Hope – From an Auckland Prison to Changing Lives in Afghanistan) * Craig Hoyle (Author - Excommunicated) * Courtney Dawson (Comedian) * Emily King (Author 0 Re-food - Exploring the troubled food system of Aotearoa New Zealand.) * Jared Savage (Author - Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise) * Joana Joy (Comedian) * Lauren Keenan (BOOK CLUB - Author - The Space Between) * Leah Dodd (Poetry Slam) * Morgana O'Reilly (Showy Ovaries Podcast Guest) * Penny Ashton (Poetry Slam/Showy Ovaries Podcast) * Tusiata Avia (Poetry Slam).


Photo: WOMAD Aotearoa / Amanda Senior

WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 STEAM Lab Speakers 

Anne Gaskett (Biologist) * Frau Knotz (Electronica Artist)  * Dr. Greg Holwell (Naturalist, Zoologist and Behavioural Ecologist) *  Liv Sisson (Author -  Fungi of Aotearoa: A Curious Forager’s Field Guide)  * Maddi Brown (Wellington Chocolate Factory) * Matt Williams (Wellington Chocolate Factory) * Michael Mansvelt (Author - Everyday Opulence) *  Professor Emeritus Philippa Gande (Author - Early Birds and Night Owls) * Rochelle Constantine (Professor of Marine Ecology and Conservation Biology) * Sam Johnson.

For more information head to: www.womad.co.nz



Thursday, October 24, 2024

WOMAD 2025 LINEUP ANNOUNCED

The Beth's are set to headline WOMAD 2025 along with Nitin Sawney, The Veils &  NZ Trio, Black Comet, and Queen Omega

Following the success of its incredible first lineup in September, WOMAD Aotearoa has unveiled 13 new acts for the 2025 festival.  

This lineup transcends geographical and musical boundaries, bringing together artists from Aotearoa to Scotland, Brazil to Palestine, Cuba to Niger, blending traditional and contemporary sounds and ranging from classical to electronic and desert rock to folk

WOMAD Aotearoa once again brings together art and music, celebrating the world’s diverse cultures over three memorable days of excitement, discovery, joy, and unity. 

Joining the 2025 festival lineup are trailblazers of the Shamstep music movement, 47Soul from Palestine/Jordan; Cuba's Ana Carla Maza, who brings her soulful cello and emotive songwriting, seamlessly merging classical training with the rhythms of her homeland; and Brazil's Bala Desejo, offering a fresh voice in MPB, samba, and pop.


Queen Omega

 

The festival will feature the power trio Delgres, who blends the blues with Caribbean influences, and the hypnotic guitar riffs of Etran de’Lair, infusing traditional Tuareg music with sun schlazed desert rock. Bosnia/Herzegovina’s Goran Bregović & His Wedding & Funeral Band will add to the WOMAD experience with their masterful fusion of Balkan folk, rock, and classical sounds as will India's Satish Vyas & U Rajesh with their sitar and tabla melodies, blending traditional Indian music with modern influences. Scotland's Talisk will instantly enthral with their intricate folk arrangements, and Australia's Ukulele Death Squad will add a playful twist to popular songs one nylon string at a time.


WOMAD Aotearoa welcomes Black Comet’s high-energy fusion of rock, funk and world influences, rising star CHAII’s blend of Persian heritage and contemporary beats, The Beths with their captivating intricate guitar work and introspective power-pop melodies, and Who Shot Scott’s unique mix of Middle Eastern sounds with hip hop and punk rock. These artists embody the vibrant diversity of Aotearoa's current live music scene.


These 13 new acts will join the already announced Queen Omega from Trinidad and Tobago, a  powerhouse in the world-reggae scene. UK’s Nitin Sawhney, a celebrated musician and composer known for his genre-blending artistry, Australia’s folktronic act Amaru Tribe, and Aotearoa’s The Veils, led by the captivating Finn Andrews with the talented NZTrio. The festival will mark The Veils’ new album Asphodel's live debut.


Each unique performer brings a dynamic mix of global talent, promising a diverse and exciting festival experience at WOMAD Aotearoa, set to take place from March 14-16, 2025, at the renowned Brooklands Park and the Bowl of Brooklands in Ngāmotu (New Plymouth).


WOMAD Aotearoa remains committed to ensuring the festival’s continued success in New Plymouth, New Zealand. For the third consecutive year, ticket prices will remain steady, making the festival accessible to all. 


Festival-goers can start getting excited for an incredible lineup of global artists, a diverse array of workshops,  engaging speakers, and a variety of delicious food and retail options. The festival will also continue to offer family-friendly spaces ensuring a welcoming atmosphere for all.


With more exciting announcements to come.


14 - 16 March 2025 WOMAD Aotearoa

Brooklands Park and the Bowl of Brooklands, Ngāmotu (New Plymouth) 


Tickets on sale now from www.womad.co.nz