WOMAD Has Dropped a Huge Artist Lineup for 2020

Dance knee-deep in a pond to reggae, black samba and Finnish folk.
Stephen Heard
October 16, 2019

Three-day world music, arts and dance festival, WOMAD, is best known for its eclectic spread of artists. Across a comfortable 55-acres of lush parkland, it's a festival to discover artists from far-off countries, hear instruments you had no idea existed on planet earth and speak the universal language of dance — possibly knee-deep in the onsite pond. Freshly announced, next year's lineup follows that formula to a T.

Artist spanning Mali, South Korean, India and Brazil will fly in for the concert at New Plymouth's Brooklands Park next March to deliver a blend of traditional and modern performances. A melting pot of genres will be on show, including folk, afrobeat, hip hop, classical, jazz and reggae performed on everything from violins to koras and balafon.

Joining already announced acts including Welsh harpist Catrin Finch, Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita and gospel music legends Blind Boys of Alabama are 20 international performers. The lineup features Jamaican reggae icon Ziggy Marley, Cuban mambo big band Orquesta Akokán, Finnish vocal performance group Tuuletar, and Brazilian black samba group Liniker e os Caramelows.

WOMAD 2020 LINEUP

Albi & The Wolves (Aotearoa/NZ)
Blind Boys of Alabama (USA)
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita (Wales/Senegal)
Destyn Maloya (Réunion)
Ezra Collective (UK)
Hiatus Kaiyote (Australia)
Hot Potato Band (Australia)
Kim So Ra (South Korea)
King Ayisoba (Ghana)
L.A.B. (Aotearoa/NZ)
Liniker e os Caramelows (Brazil)
L Subramaniam (India)
Ziggy Marley (Jamaica)
Minyo Crusaders (Japan)
Muthoni Drummer Queen (Kenya/France)
Orquesta Akokán (Cuba)
Reb Fountain (Aotearoa/NZ)
RURA (Scotland)
Salif Keita (Mali)
Soaked Oats (Aotearoa/NZ)
Trio Da Kali (Mali)
Tuuletar (Finland)

WOMAD New Zealand 2020 will take place at Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, from 13–15 March. For more information and tickets, visit the WOMAD website

Published on October 16, 2019 by Stephen Heard
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