Amadou & Mariam, Camille, Django Django, Sharon Shannon, LA DAME BLANCHE, & more for WOMAD 2018

plus Ken Boothe, Jazzanova, Ezra Collective & more

By Neil Greenway | Published: Thu 1st Mar 2018

WOMAD 2018 - Amadou And Mariam
Photo credit: Phil Bull

WOMAD 2018

Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th July 2018
Charlton Park , Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9DG, England MAP
£225 for 4 days, £185 for 3 days
Daily capacity: 40,000

WOMAD - World of Music, Arts and Dance - held at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury, in Wiltshire from Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th July 2018 has announced its first acts for this year. Now in its thirty sixth year, WOMAD features a colourful medley of music, dance, food, art, spoken-word, poetry, science and other family fun, bringing together artists and fans from all over the world. 

This year they've lined-up Malian superstars Amadou & Mariam, French artist Camille, art-rockers Django Django, Irish accordion master Sharon Shannon, Cuban singer, flautist and percussionist Yaite Ramos Rodriguez, aka LA DAME BLANCHE with her explosive mix of hip hop, cumbia, dancehall and reggae, Jamaican reggae titan Ken Boothe, and nu-jazz Berlin collective Jazzanova Live featuring Paul Randolph.

Also announced today are AlsAeham Ahmad (Palestine/Syria), Afro Cluster (UK), Dobet Gnahore(Cote d'Ivoire), Electric Fields (Australia), Ezra Collective (UK), Federspiel (Austria), Gasper Nali (Malawi), KermesZ a l'Est (Belgium), Kokoko!(Democratic Republic of Congo), LADAMA, (Brazil/Colombia/Venezuela/USA), the Thursday night tradition which is the Malmesbury School Project - a performance from local schoolkids in collaboration with Kafou Music, a project led by Senegalese kora player Diabel CissokhoPapaya (Gran Canaria), Pixvae (Colombia), and Tal National (Niger). There's of course much more still to be announced.

WOMAD's Global Festival Director Chris Smith said: "We are delighted to make our first announcement for WOMAD UK 2018. This comes just after our fourth WOMAD Chile, where a record 50,000 people turned out, and just before our festivals in Australia and New Zealand which promise to sell out. 

We believe passionately that exploring cross cultural tolerance and understanding through the sharing of great music, arts and dance is the way to a better world.

And, in a time when the leader of the most powerful nation on earth is advocating arming school teachers, we need this spirit, and events like WOMAD, more than ever."

WOMAD is about much more than a diversity of music; it also has live literary events and conversation at the World of Words; mind-expanding talks, experiments and performance at the Physics Pavilion; pampering and relaxation at the World of Wellbeing and WOMAD Spa; an exclusive installation in the World of Art; activities and interactive workshops in the World of Children; and the only stage in the world where instead of performing the artists cook for the audience: the legendary Taste the World.

buy tickets now >

Tickets are on sale, priced as follows:-
adult 3 days: £185
adult 4 days: £225
teenage 3 days: £90*
teenage 4 days: £125*
(*names of teenagers must be registered when purchasing tickets)
Campervan: £80
Park & Camp: £85
Camp WOMAD x 2-man tent £150
Camp WOMAD x 4-man tent £250
spa weekend: £135
La Di Da Loo: £35
Some tickets can be bought by four instalments (please note there is no refund policy).
Children 13 and under FREE (but still need ticket)

 




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