WOMADelaide 2024 – The World’s Festival
WOMADelaide – World Of Music Arts & Dance – will return in 2024 to the City of Adelaide’s Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla for 4 days over the March long weekend.
The Worlds Festival, an internationally acclaimed event, is a truly unique part of the Australian festival landscape, showcasing the best, the essential – and the surprising – in music, arts, dance and ideas from around the world.
The 2024 program of newly-discovered and distinguished artists from across the world includes the enchanting Emel Mathlouthi (TUNISIA); Grammy winning singer Corinne Bailey Rae (UK); the sweet soul sounds of Thee Sacred Souls (USA) and vintage funk maestros Cymande (UK), joining previously announced headline artists, including Yussef Dayes, Ziggy Marley, Baaba Maal, and Arooj Aftab.
2024 LINEUP:
Rooted in cultural discovery, WOMADelaide welcomes a diverse array of international talent, including Belgian duo Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul who bring punchy electro pop and timely conversations to the dancefloor, and Réunion’s AURUS, evoking the island’s traditional Maloya music with vibrant African and British pop influences.
Two of Ireland’s most exciting musicians, singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill and instrumentalist Cormac Begley, perform both traditional and contemporary songs that tell stories of a shared humanity that is Irish, and at the same time, deeply personal. MC Yallah & Debmaster command the stage with conscious, poetic, experimental rap; renowned Portuguese fado artist Marta Pereira da Costa transports us to another time with her guitar mastery and, with roots in ancient Estonian and Võru traditions, Mari Kalkun brings an ethereal combination of folk music and innovative songwriting.
Closer to home, the strong Australian lineup includes ARIA award-winner, Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu singer-songwriter and performer, Jen Cloher whose taut, terse brand of rock is charged with the static tension that comes with being an eternal misfit. Cloher and their five-piece band will be joined by T’HONI kapa haka, a Māori cultural performance group known for their energy and passion.
From Arnhem Land comes Wildfire Manwurrk, a melting pot of ancient songlines and thrashing rock guitars and from the East Coast electronic jazz artist Elle Shimada; Ethio-jazz fusion band Black Jesus Experience and celebrated Filipino/Wiradjuri artist Mo’Ju.
VIEW THE 2024 LINEUP OF ARTISTS
It’s been 30 years since WOMADelaide made its debut as an independent major event in 1993, and it is now an established pilgrimage for artists and audiences from around the world, hosting over 30+ countries.
A family friendly festival with something for all ages, there will be more than 100 performances across seven stages. For kids and families the entertainment is endless away from the stage too, with the Planet Talks forum, KidZone, art and cooking workshops, the global village and much more.
Artist Preview – Streb Extreme Action
Like modern-day gladiators, Streb perform acts of ultimate athleticism and daring, constantly challenging the laws of gravity, and landing somewhere between experimental dance and extreme sport. Check out the video below:
WOMADelaide for FAMILIES
WOMADelaide is extremely family friendly. Many of you may have grown up with WOMADelaide, and they love seeing the next generations of tiny dancers appearing each year. There is always so much to keep the little ones entertained at WOMADelaide, and kids under 12 are free.
You are more than welcome to bring prams or strollers. Parents with babies and toddlers can enjoy a shaded, comfortable and discrete Parenting Room, plus nursing parents at WOMADelaide have access to feeding chairs, baby changing facilities, a microwave and more.
KIDZONE
A world of fun awaits in the KidZone with daily activities programmed specially for kids 12 and under in a fun, family-friendly and safe environment.
KidZone’s 2024 line-up of engaging and hands-on activities promises a delightful blend of storytelling, music, dance and educational adventures – including an extensive First Nations cultural program, silent disco walking tours, puppet-making, and life-size elephant puppets that will roam the park in the daily Celebration Parade.WOMADelaide’s 2024 First Nations Weaving program takes place across three days and will inspire little creators as they learn about traditional weaving techniques and local culture from different language groups, including Ngarrindjeri artists Belinda and Marika Wilson, and the Ku Arts team, where children can make a wearable adornment made from recycled plastics and found natural materials. They can get ‘hands-on’ with talented Iwiri Arts weavers who will
demonstrate and teach how to make a natural woven Tjanpi animal, and in Lakun Mara workshops with Sonya Rankine, her daughter Soraya Rankine and artist Carron Daveson, they can share the Thukeri Dreaming story, followed by a workshop to make a small Thukeri (bony breamfish) with ‘ghost net’ marine debris.
A delightful new collaboration between one of the world’s leading puppet companies, Handspring – best known for their giant creations War Horse and Little Amal – and Adelaide’s Slingsby Theatre Company is the joyous Celebration Parade. Each day, a family of life-sized elephants venture out from their home in KidZone to explore and interact with audiences in magical moments of discovery.
Children can also experience Pacific culture and beats with traditional dancing, weaving, and coconut husking demonstrations alongside shared songs, stories and activities with the Pacific Islands Council of SA.
Children and adults can don headphones and move to the groove of Guru Dudu’s Silent Disco Walking Tours, moving to their own beat as they dance around Botanic Park.
KidZone will be home to the Leafy Sea Dragon – a five metre long and three metre wide woven installation and collaboration with the Art Gallery of SA’s Tarnanthi Festival 2023. Created by Arts Ceduna artists and supported by Ku Arts using marine debris collected from its natural habitat of the far west coastlines of the Eyre Peninsula, the leafy sea dragon is an important emblem for many communities and can be found under the Yankalilla jetties amongst a blooming underwater world of sharks, stingrays, seagrass and more.
There is also the opportunity for children to take part in the Uncle Stevie’s Kaurna Classroom educational sessions. Honouring the legacy of Adelaide’s most celebrated Kaurna educator, the late Stevie Gadlabarti Goldsmith, Uncle Stevie’s Classroom provides a unique space for children to delve into the rich realms of Kaurna culture and language.
Over the four-day festival, other activities include the Art Gallery of SA Paper Garden, sharing the artistry of making paper everlasting-flowers as their paper garden installation grows over the weekend; Evelyn Roth’s Nylon Zoo returns with a wondrous inflatable bilby, echidna and giant tortoise, storytelling and theatrical dress-ups; the Adelaide City Library’s Book Nook features a huge number of books to explore as well as activities; and Nature Play SA will stir children’s curiosity and respect for SA’s endangered fauna species, offering puppet-making workshops for children to join the daily Celebration Parade.
FOOD & DRINKS
WOMADelaide is a food lover’s dream, offering an incredibly diverse selection of international cuisines prepared by some of Australia’s finest food vendors. They take great pride in presenting food choices above and beyond the standard festival fare, with dishes that draw inspiration from The Barossa to Bangalore.
A smorgasboard of over 50 of Adelaide finest eateries and festival favourites will be revealed closer to the event.
TICKETS
Each adult ticket purchaser is entitled to bring up to two children 12 years and under for free. Additional children’s tickets can be purchased at $25 for a festival ticket or $10 per single day.
All children are required to be ticketed so please ensure that you include the number of free children in the ticketing selection when purchasing tickets. Children must enter with a responsible adult and unaccompanied children will not gain access.
A discounted Youth Pass price is offered to children aged between 13 – 17. Please note that it is a condition of the event Liquor License that after Midnight all people under the age of 18 must in the company and supervision of an adult.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS PRICES AND INFO
Take a look at some of Play & Go’s past WOMADelaide Reviews:
Follow WOMADelaide on FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM for updates.
For more information and all enquiries please visit the WOMADelaide website.
What: WOMADelaide 2024
When: Friday 8 – Monday 11 March 2024
Where: Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla | Adelaide, South Australia
Who: Everyone
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: photos by Play & Go / graphics by WOMADelaide
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