With ticket sales among the strongest in the festival’s history, WOMAD has unveiled its full evening and late-night programme as excitement builds for its move to a new home at Neston Park in Wiltshire.
Following a year’s break, demand for the internationally renowned festival has been exceptional, with organisers promising that the music will continue long after the headline acts have left the stage.
The newly announced programme transforms Neston Park into a showcase for contemporary jazz, hip hop, electronic music, carnival sounds and global club culture, with an emphasis on emerging artists and grassroots music communities.
Leading the evening line-up are acclaimed performers Greentea Peng, Alfa Mist, Emma-Jean Thackray and corto.alto, all recognised for blending jazz, soul, hip hop and electronic influences into distinctive modern sounds.
They will be joined by Birmingham rapper and storyteller Kofi Stone, Belfast artist Leo Miyagee, Palestinian rapper Tamer Nafar and Mumbai collective Wild Wild Women, reflecting WOMAD’s longstanding commitment to showcasing artists from around the world.
A major feature of this year’s after-dark programme is a series of takeovers by four Bristol-based organisations that have become influential voices in the UK’s independent music scene.
Saffron, which champions women, non-binary and trans people working in music technology and electronic music, will present performances from Chiedza, Ngaio and Anything But Becky.
Independent venue Jam Jar brings Volta45, Santa Leticia and a back-to-back set from Miss Mash and Ru Robinson, while community music collective Twende showcases artists including Isabella, Alina, Barney Goodwin, Sherbersky, Alex, Sojebe, Joeti and Seydou.
Completing the Bristol collaborations is VP Productions, whose carnival-inspired programme features Jus Now, Ruffnek Diskotek, Stormy J, DJ Andres Cervero and We Sell Hi-Fi, celebrating sounds ranging from soca and dancehall to gqom and Caribbean club music.
The late-night programme also includes a partnership with influential broadcaster NTS, bringing together some of the most exciting names in underground electronic music. Performers include Tanzanian DJ Travella, Brazilian producer VHOOR, along with livwutang, Coco María, Shannen SP, SNO, Cami Layé Okún and Cheb Mimo.
Elsewhere across the weekend, audiences can expect performances from Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan, Portuguese artist Ana Lua Caiano, Rust, Clara Serra López, Ganna and Shanghai Restoration Project with Tebza Majaivane, all of whom combine traditional musical influences with contemporary production.
Paula Henderson, WOMAD Festival Programmer, said: “Together, these artists, DJs and collectives reflect WOMAD’s ongoing commitment to musical discovery and cultural exchange while demonstrating how contemporary music is increasingly shaped by grassroots communities, independent scenes and artists unconstrained by genre boundaries. We are thrilled to have such a mix of sounds for attendees to delve into.”
As WOMAD begins a new chapter in Wiltshire, organisers believe the expanded evening programme will ensure the festival remains as much about discovering tomorrow’s artists as celebrating established names, reinforcing its reputation as one of the world’s leading festivals of global music and culture.
