Womad Festival 2024 Announces Exciting Additions to Music and Speaking Events

As the anticipation builds for Womad 2024, the festival has revealed an array of international music performers and prominent speakers slated to join the event's impressive roster. Spanning different cultural backgrounds and art forms, this year's Womad promises an enriching and entertaining experience for all attendees.

International Music Acts Join the Line-Up

Music enthusiasts are in for a treat as Womad introduces four new international acts to its already stellar line-up. Fans can look forward to French house music duo Braxe + Falcon, along with the authentic Irish folk melodies of Lisa O'Neill & Cormac Begley. Adding to the variety, Estonian folk talent Mari Kalkun and New Zealand’s own alt-pop sensation Theia will also grace the stages at New Plymouth's Brooklands Park. They join previously announced headliners such as Morcheeba and Ziggy Marley for the festival running from March 15 to 17.

World of Words and OMV Steam Lab Speakers

It's not just about the music at Womad. The festival is also known for its engaging speaking events like the OMV STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Lab and the World of Words. The World of Words, now in its sixth year, will once again host the popular poetry slam and introduce a new feature called The Book Club, promising an interactive and immersive literary encounter.

The curators of Womad have carefully selected experts from various fields to participate in speaking sessions. At the OMV Steam Lab, the audience will have the opportunity to listen to Andrew Jeffs, a marine biologist, along with Pete Gillespie, the creative mind behind Garage Project. The lineup also includes award-winning documentary filmmaker Bill Morris, architecture and urbanism champion Jade Kake, AI Forum NZ chair Megan Tapsell, earth scientist Michael Hannah, mathematician Pedram Hekmati, and industrial designer with a twist of comedy, Stephen Mushin.

Furthermore, the World of Words speaker series boasts the likes of Caroline Barron, an award-winning author and story coach; the distinguished Dame Gaylene Preston, a celebrated writer, director, and producer; wordsmith Helen Lehndorf; journalist Kate Evans; the multifaceted Kura Forrester; notable historian and novelist Dr. Monty Soutar; esteemed writer and broadcaster Nick Bollinger; and the comedic talents of Tom Sainsbury, embedding a blend of intellect and humor into the event.

music, speakers, international