29 January 2025 - 0 Comments

WOMAD Aotearoa is thrilled to unveil an exciting new addition to this year’s festival: the Tui Stage. Formerly known as the Dell, this revitalised area takes inspiration from the vibrant beauty of Pukekura Park, the home of WOMAD Aotearoa.

The Tui Stage will offer a relaxing sanctuary by day, featuring shaded seating, delicious food traders, and a refreshing bar. As the afternoon fades, it will transform as some of Aotearoa's hottest DJs spin a mix of house, techno, and bass-heavy beats, flowing well into the night.

Over the three days of WOMAD, the revamped Tui Stage will feature a handpicked lineup of DJs, each known for their ability to fuel the dancefloor.

Don’t miss Poppa Jax, a proud Wahine Māori, bringing an electrifying mix of future beats and international sounds.

Also on the lineup: Pixie Lane, with her unique blend of house, techno, disco, electro, and bass; Tim Richards, whose sets bring the heat with futuristic house and bass-driven analogue techno; and LittleWild, delivering high-energy house, indie-dance, and techno to keep you bouncing.

Ben Parkes will skillfully blend deep house, tech house, and progressive house, going B2B with Stace for a session packed with infectious energy, big rolling basslines, and feel-good vibes.

Representing Taranaki, Slimo brings his roots in hip-hop DJing and turntablism, while Hoetz delivers high-octane drum and bass, loaded with heavy basslines and signature double drops.

In addition, WOMAD Aotearoa is thrilled to announce Jordyn with a Why, a soulful Māori-Samoan R&B artist who blends neo-soul grooves with occasional pop twists, to its already stellar lineup. She will perform alongside an impressive mix of international and local talent, including Nitin Sawhney, the UK-based musician and composer renowned for his genre-defying music; Queen Omega, the powerhouse reggae artist from Trinidad and Tobago; Róisín Murphy, the iconic Irish electronic pop artist known for her bold, boundary-pushing sound; and Aotearoa’s own indie rock-power-pop group, The Beths.

The full 2025 stage schedule will be announced in the coming days, with WOMAD's signature approach to programming ensuring that festival-goers won’t miss a beat. In true WOMAD tradition, most acts will be performing multiple times across the festival’s diverse stages, giving fans ample opportunity to catch their favourite artists.

As well as the four diverse music stages, The Kunming Garden will once again host the World of Words, featuring poetry slams, author talks, podcasts, and comedy. The OMV STEAM Lab will offer captivating sessions with innovators and visionaries across various fields, including marine biology, chocolate making, song creation, and the science of sleep—giving attendees the chance to explore new ideas and challenge the status quo. Te Paepae will celebrate Māori culture, while TOP Taste the World will offer interactive cooking demonstrations paired with live music, storytelling, and cultural anecdotes to nourish both body and soul. Artists will also share the artistry behind their traditional techniques in workshops held throughout the festival. For young festival goers, Kidzone will provide a whirlwind of imagination and colour and the Global Village will offer an array of food, fashion, art, and unique treasures with over 100 exciting stalls.

Whether chilling in the shade, vibing lakeside, dancing under the stars, something unforgettable for everyone will be happening at WOMAD Aotearoa 2025.

WOMAD AOTEAROA

14 - 16 March 2025

Brooklands Park and the Bowl of Brooklands, Ngāmotu (New Plymouth) Tickets on sale now from www.womad.co.nz

WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 Festival Line Up

In Alphabetical Order:

47Soul (Palestine/Jordan) *Amaru Tribe (Australia) * Ana Carla Maza (Cuba) * Bala Desejo (Brazil) * Ben Parkes| (Aotearoa) {Black Comet (Aotearoa) * CHAII (Aotearoa) * Delgres (France/Guadeloupe) * Etran de’Lair (Niger) * Goran Bregović & his Wedding & Funeral Band (Bosnia/Herzegovina) Hoetz (Aotearoa) * Jordyn with a Why (Aotearoa) * LittleWild (Aotearoa) * Nana Benz Du Togo (Togo) * Nitin Sawhney (UK) * Not Drowning, Waving + Telek (Australia/Papua New Guinea) * O. (UK) * Pixie Lane (Aotearoa) * Poppa Jax (Aotearoa) * Protoje & The Indiggnation (Jamaica) * Queen Omega (Trinidad & Tobago) * Róisín Murphy (Ireland) * Satish Vyas & U Rajesh (India) * Slimo (Aotearoa) * Stace (Aotearoa) * Talisk (Scotland) * The Beths (Aotearoa) * The Veils & NZTrio (Aotearoa) * Tim Richards (Aotearoa) Ukulele Death Squad (Australia) * Who Shot Scott (Aotearoa/Iraq)

WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 World Of Words Speakers

In Alphabetical Order:

Bariz Shah (Author - Beyond Hope – From an Auckland Prison to Changing Lives in Afghanistan) * Craig Hoyle (Author - Excommunicated) * Courtney Dawson (Comedian) * Emily King (Author 0 Re-food - Exploring the troubled food system of Aotearoa New Zealand.) * Jared Savage (Author - Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise) * Joana Joy (Comedian) * Lauren Keenan (BOOK CLUB - Author - The Space Between) * Leah Dodd (Poetry Slam) * Morgana O'Reilly (Showy Ovaries Podcast Guest) * Penny Ashton (Poetry Slam/Showy Ovaries Podcast) * Tusiata Avia (Poetry Slam).

WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 OMV STEAM Lab Speakers
In Alphabetical Order:

Anne Gaskett (Biologist) * Frau Knotz (Electronica Artist) * Dr. Greg Holwell (Naturalist, Zoologist and Behavioural Ecologist) * Liv Sisson (Author - Fungi of Aotearoa: A Curious Forager’s Field Guide) * Maddi Brown (Wellington Chocolate Factory) * Matt Williams (Wellington Chocolate Factory) * Michael Mansvelt (Author - Everyday Opulence) * Professor Emeritus Philippa Gande (Author - Early Birds and Night Owls) * Rochelle Constantine (Professor of Marine Ecology and Conservation Biology) * Sam Johnson.

The 2025 festival lineup features trailblazers of the Shamstep music movement, 47Soul from Palestine/Jordan; Australia’s folktronic act Amaru Tribe, bringing their unique sound; Cuba's Ana Carla Maza, who combines soulful cello and emotive songwriting, seamlessly merging classical training with the rhythms of her homeland; and Brazil's Bala Desejo, offering a fresh voice in MPB, samba, and pop.

The festival will also showcase the power trio Delgres, blending blues with Caribbean influences, and the hypnotic guitar riffs of Etran de’Lair, infusing traditional Tuareg music with sun-scorched desert rock. Bosnia/Herzegovina's Goran Bregović & His Wedding & Funeral Band will elevate the WOMAD experience with their masterful fusion of Balkan folk, rock, and classical music.

Joining them is organic-electronic feminist songs from West Africa’s Nana Benz Du Togo, the UK's Nitin Sawhney, a celebrated musician and composer renowned for his genre-blending artistry, Melbourne's art-rock pioneers Not Drowning, Waving, who are reuniting with acclaimed Papua New Guinean artist George Telek, O., a London-based baritone saxophonist and drummer duo From Trinidad and Tobago Queen Omega who is a powerhouse in the world-reggae scene, Protoje, the Jamaican artist blending hip hop, soul, and jazz with reggae and dancehall rhythms with his band The Indiggnation and Irish electronic pop artist Róisín Murphy.

India’s Satish Vyas & U Rajesh, with their sitar and tabla melodies, blend traditional Indian music with modern influences are set to captivate, Scotland’s Talisk will instantly enthral with their intricate folk arrangements, and Australia’s Ukulele Death Squad will add a playful twist to popular songs, one nylon string at a time.

From Aotearoa, local artists will light up the stage, including Black Comet, a high-energy fusion of rock, funk, and world influences; CHAII, a rising star blending Persian heritage with contemporary beats; and The Beths, known for their catchy, introspective power-pop melodies. Who Shot Scott will fuse Middle Eastern sounds with hip-hop and punk rock, representing the diverse and vibrant Aotearoa music scene. And, Aotearoa’s The Veils, led by the captivating Finn Andrews with the talented NZTrio, will perform, marking The Veils' new album Asphodel's live debut.

In addition to the music, the festival offers a range of cultural and intellectual experiences. The Kunming Garden will once again host the World Of Words, featuring poetry slams, author talks, podcasts, and comedy. The OMV STEAM Lab will offer fascinating sessions with innovators and visionaries in diverse fields such as marine biology, chocolate making, song creation, and the science of sleep, providing attendees with the opportunity to explore new ideas and challenge the status quo.

The 2025 WOMAD Aotearoa festival promises an incredible lineup of global artists, a diverse array of workshops, engaging speakers, and a variety of delicious food and retail options. The festival will also continue to offer family-friendly spaces and for the third consecutive year, ticket prices will remain steady, making the festival accessible to all.

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