The Ten Best Things to See and Do at Womad Festival
There's no festival in New Zealand quite as a diverse.
There is no festival in New Zealand quite like WOMAD. That is to say, none of the other festivals touch on WOMAD's diversity of music, cultures and activities (sorry other festivals). The Taranaki-based festival's aimed at bringing together the world's many forms of art, music and dance - which is no mean feat, but something that the festival has done quite consistently and incredibly well for the last ten years.
For those soon-to-be womading in New Plymouth (fingers crossed for the rain), we've made your lives a little bit easier with a list of the ten things you should definitely see while out and about at the festival - by no means a comprehensive list (if we could we'd tell you to see and do everything), but definitely the unmissable highlights.
1. Kimbra
The kiwi starlet who hit the international sphere with her collaboration with Gotye on 'Somebody That I Used to Know' - a Grammy Award-winning record, is back on her home turf to play in New Plymouth after a one-year hiatus from New Zealand stages.
2. Workshops
Womad musicians will be sitting down with fans to teach them a thing or two in terms of musicality - join them and pick up skills in didgeridoo, Aboriginal dance, percussion as well as some vocal skills. Click here for the workshop timetable.
3. Living Library
The living library isn't quite what you'd imagine a library to be - instead of books, you can have humans on loan - for thirty minutes at a time. The library, which will run on Saturday and Sunday from 12pm till 6pm, is designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices, encourage understanding and widen both peoples view on life, in a space set up for interaction through one-on-one conversation. Human 'book covers' on loan range from an ex-Black Power gang member, a refugee, an undertaker and Sikh musician who used to play guitar for Rod Stewart and Dusty Springfield.
3. Kunming Garden
Playing host to most of the festival's non-music based activities, the Kunming Garden has a smorgasbord of offerings - including cooking demonstrations, the WOBAR (the festival's in-house upmarket cafe and bar), the Sustainable Village, Living Library and Village of Wellness.
4. Headphone Films
For those needing a little bit of respite from the constant buzz of activities, the Headphone Films located at Pinetum Stage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings will be screening the finalists films from the Tropfest NZ, art films by Len Lye as well as two documentary films about Womad performers Mokoomba and Dub Inc. Headphones are provided for free.
5. Los Coronas
Described as "surf music Spanish style, all tangled up in Spaghetti Western themes and drenched in shuddering reverb", the cowboy hat-wearing Los Coronas cross and interlace the different genres with seamless and enigmatic style.
6. Mokoomba
The Zimbabwean sextet have been hyped as the 'future of Afrosound'. The band, who represent the Tonga, a minority group in Zimbabwe, sing in their native tongue - something which most of their countrymen don't even understand. Mokoomba takes inspiration from the the musical heritage of several parts of Southern Africa.
7. The Village of Wellness
The Village of Wellness offers visitors a range of therapeutic treatments including massage, aromatherapy, reiki, healings, readings etc. Treat yourself.
9. Weird Together
The New Zealand collaboration band's been heating up in the kiwi circuit with it's club-friendly mash up of various exotic global sounds. The band's recorded with Caribbean Steel Pan Orchestras, Burundian Drum Ensembles, Sudanese Vocalists, Ghanaian Master Percussionists, Tongan & Samoan Choirs, Fijian Lali Players, Zimbabwean Mbira Players, Japanese Taiko Drummers and more to create their unique fusion sound. Let's get weird, together.
10. Global Village
Although generally-speaking festival shopping is an activity best left avoided, Womad's markets are in themselves quite the experience - packed with endless rows of exotic food and drink stalls, as well as handmade crafty items. It's definitely worth the meander.
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