Today, four new acts have been added to the already impressive WOMAD festival 2018 line up.

Blick Bassy from Cameroon / France will deliver an inspiring set of blended blues, Bossa Nova, folk and the sound of New Orleans. From Aotearoa, the award winning Māori acoustic soul artist Maisey Rika will capture hearts and win new fans. With deep roots in the classical world, Black Quartet will impress with their vast sea of influences, from blues, rock, jazz and pop. The Curious Game, a site installation at the 2018 festival, will entertain young and old alike with their physical, visually engaging and highly interactive performance. 

WORLD OF WORDS 2018

Now in it's second year, the hugely successful World Of Words, sponsored by the Western Institute of Technology, will once again will inspire audiences, provoke thought and encourage people to learn, listen, and participate. 

WOMAD NZ is very pleased to welcome to the stage in 2018; authors, musicians, critical thinkers and entrepreneurs including; wine-industry trailblazer Allan Scott, Māori poet, storyteller, playwright, novelist, actor and painter Apirana Taylor, "Women of Influence 2017" Denise L'estrange-Corbet, "Winner of best dressed man" and poet Matt Harvey,  New Zealand's multi-award winning crime writer Paul Cleve, one of New Zealand's most established and best known photographers Rob Suisted, romance scam victim Sharon Armstrong, high profile Australian journalist Stan Grant, who will be  talking about racism in Australia, and well-known Tūhoe Māori activistTame Iti. 

The outcome of each session is to create ongoing and informed conversation.

Penny Ashton is back supported by poets Matt Harvey and Tusiata Avia and they are  hunting for poets to battle it out to become the next WOMAD Poetry Slam Champ.

The internationally established three day world music, arts and dance festival is known for its exciting and diverse line-up and next 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 2018

March 16 - 18: Bowl Of Brooklands, New Plymouth

Tickets via WOMAD

Appearing at WOMAD 2018 in alphabetical order:
ADRIAN SHERWOOD (UK), ALDOUS HARDING (Aotearoa), ALLAN SCOTT (Aotearoa), ANOUSHKA SHANKAR (India/UK), APIRANA TAYLOR (Aotearoa), BIXIGA 70 (Brazil), BLACK QUARTET (Aotearoa), BLICK BASSEY (Cameroon / France) CHICO TRUJILLO (Chile), CONSTANTINOPLE (Canada), DAYMÉ AROCENA (Cuba), DENISE L'ESTRANGE-CORBET (Aotearoa), DRAGON (Aotearoa), GHADA SHBEIR (Lebanon), HAVANA MEETS KINGSTON (Jamaica / Cuba), HOPETOUN BROWN (Aotearoa), JAMIE MCDOWELL & TOM THUM (Australia), JOJO ABOT (Ghana / USA), KAMASI WASHINGTON (USA), LEMON BUCKET ORKESTRA (Canada), LE VENT DU NORD (Canada), MAISEY RIKA (Aotearoa), MATT HARVEY (Aotearoa), MY BUBBA (Sweden/ Iceland), NANO STERN (Chile), NOURA MINT SEYMALI (Mauritania), PAT THOMAS & KWASHIBU AREA BAND (Ghana), PAUL CLEVE (Aotearoa), PENNY ASHTON (Aotearoa), RAHIM ALHAJ TRIO (Iraq), ROB SUISTED (Aotearoa), RODRIGO Y GABRIELA (Mexico), SHARON ARMSTRONG (Aotearoa), SPOOKY MEN'S CHORALE (Australia),  STAN GRANT (Aotearoa), TAME ITI (Aotearoa), THE CURIOUS GAME (Aotearoa), THE MILTONES (Aotearoa), THE SLACKS (Aotearoa), THIEVERY CORPORATION (USA), TINARIWEN (Mali), TUSIATA AVIA (Aotearoa), VICTORIA HANNA (Israel), VIOLONS BARBARES (France/Mongolia/Bulgaria)