WOMAD Aotearoa’s festival programming ensures that no one misses out on their favourite artists, with many acts performing multiple times across the weekend’s stages. This allows festival-goers plenty of chances to catch their top picks
The 2025 festival kicks off on Friday night with a strong lineup. On the Bowl Stage, one-off festival performances include The Veils & NZTrio, Black Comet, and Protoje & The Indiggnation. On the Gables Stage, Nitin Sawhney and Bala Desejo will make their festival debuts, and Ana Carla Maza, Nana Benz Du Togo, and Ukulele Death Squad also perform for the first time on the Brooklands Stage. Poppa Jax and Pixie Lane make their mark on the inaugural Tūī Stage with one-off DJ sets.
Saturday features an action-packed schedule. Jordyn With A Why will make her only WOMAD appearance on the Bowl Stage and Bala Desejo returns to the Bowl Stage. Not Drowning, Waving + George Telek and Queen Omega, perform for the first time at the festival on the Bowl Stage, where Róisín Murphy will perform a WOMAD Aotearoa exclusive. Ana Carla Maza returns for a second performance on the Brooklands Stage, while other acts making their festival debuts include Satish Vyas & U Rajesh, Amaru Tribe, O., and Delgres. On the Gables Stage, Ukulele Death Squad and Nana Benz Du Togo perform again, while Talisk, Etran de’ Lair, and 47Soul make their first appearances. Who Shot Scott will also perform on the Gables, a one-off set on Saturday. The Tūī Stage will host one-off festival sets from Hoetz, Slimo, Tim Richards, and LittleWild.
Sunday brings the festival to a joyous close with return performances from Nitin Sawhney and 47Soul, alongside one-off sets from The Beths and Goran Bregović & His Wedding & Funeral Band on the Bowl Stage. Over at the Brooklands Stage, Amaru Tribe, O., Talisk, and Etran de’Lair will take to the stage again for repeat performances. The Gables Stage will showcase Satish Vyas & U Rajesh, Not Drowning, Waving + George Telek, Delgres, and Queen Omega, all returning for their second round, while CHAII makes their debut to cap off the weekend. The Tūī Stage will close out with a b2b set from Ben Parkes and Stace, bringing the newest addition to the festival to an exciting finish.
As well as the four diverse music stages, The Kunming Garden will once again host the World Of Words.
Friday night kicks off with Penny Ashton alongside Morgana O’Reilly, a guest from the Showy Ovaries Podcast. On Saturday, Bariz Shah, author of Beyond Hope – From an Auckland Prison to Changing Lives in Afghanistan, will speak, followed by Poetry Slam with Penny Ashton and Tusiata Avia. Jared Savage, author of Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise, makes an exciting addition to the World of Words lineup, with comedian Courtney Dawson rounding off Saturday’s programming.
Sunday features Emily King, author of Re-food – Exploring the Troubled Food System of Aotearoa New Zealand, engage with Lauren Keenan, author of this years book club The Space Between. Penny and Tusiata Avia return for another Poetry Slam, followed by Craig Hoyle, author of Excommunicated, and comedian Joanna Joy.
The OMV STEAM Lab will host a series of engaging sessions with innovators and visionaries across diverse fields.
On Friday, electronic artist Frau Knotz will kick things off alongside Sam Johnson. Saturday will feature Rochelle Constantine, Professor of Marine Ecology and Conservation Biology, Madi and Matt from Wellington Chocolate Factory, and Professor Emeritus Philippa Gander, author of Early Birds and Night Owls.
Sunday brings a fascinating lineup with Liv Sisson, author of Fungi of Aotearoa: A Curious Forager’s Field Guide, Michael Mansvelt, author of Everyday Opulence, as well as Anne Gaskett, biologist, and Dr. Greg Holwell, naturalist, zoologist, and behavioural ecologist.
These sessions will offer unique insights and thought-provoking discussions across art, science, nature, and sustainability.
Te Paepae will celebrate Māori culture, showcasing the richness of tradition and heritage. TOP Taste the World will offer interactive cooking demonstrations, blending delicious food with live music, storytelling, and cultural anecdotes to nourish both body and soul and throughout the festival, artists will also share the artistry behind their traditional techniques in hands-on workshops.
For the younger festival goers, Kidzone will be a whirlwind of imagination and colour, creating a fun and vibrant space. Meanwhile, the Global Village will feature over 100 exciting stalls, offering a wide array of food, fashion, art, and unique treasures.
Timetables for these additional festival features will be announced soon – download the festival app on Apple or Google Play to stay updated and start planning your schedule!
WATCH: WOMAD AOTEAROA 2024 Highlights
WOMAD THE FESTIVAL
WOMAD: World of Music, Arts and Dance, the internationally established festival, 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. Still, the aims are always the same – at festivals, performance events, recorded releases, and through educational projects, WOMAD aims to excite, inform, and create awareness of the worth and potential of a multicultural society.
WOMAD Aotearoa is part of a festival family that has seen over three hundred festivals worldwide, with over ten thousand artists performing across six continents to an audience of millions over the past four decades. WOMAD UK has celebrated 40 years, WOMADelaide has celebrated 30 years, and 2025 will see WOMAD Aotearoa celebrate the 22nd anniversary of WOMAD Aotearoa at the award-winning Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Park in New Plymouth.
First presented in Taranaki in 2003, over its 20 years, WOMAD Aotearoa has presented over 500 acts and 1500 performers from 95 countries, the festival has had 150,000 visitors through its gates and generated over 100 million dollars for the local economy.
The festival’s success could not have occurred without the long-term support of Event Partner TSB whose continuous commitment has strengthened Taranaki’s position as the home of WOMAD.
WOMAD Aotearoa is also fortunate to have Programme Partners, Tui Ora, BOON, OMV, Taranaki Offshore Partnership, and several Media Partners and Event Supporters, allowing the festival to present a world-class event to the people of Aotearoa.
Enrich Your Social Feed With WOMAD NZ
www.womad.co.nz
www.facebook.com/WomadNZ
www.twitter.com/WomadNZ
www.instagram.com/womadnz
www.youtube.com/channel/
https://open.spotify.com/user/
