World of Words at WOMAD 2019

WOMAD 2019

Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th July 2019
Charlton Park , Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9DG, England MAP
£225 for 4 days, £185 for 3 days

Daily capacity: 40,000

The line up for the World of Words, the hub of creativity at the heart of the festival celebrating all things spoken, has been revealed for global music and culture festival WOMAD, at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury, in Wiltshire from Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th July 2019.

The literary bazaar boasts everything from Q&A’s with top artists from the line-up, poetry slams, panel discussions covering hot topics to talks with inspiring and creative people from all walks of life.

Seeing artists in the intimate setting of the World of Words is always a highlight; there's In Conversation With Tobagan powerhouse Calypso Rose, an opportunity to hear her talk about her colourful life and career so far. Other In Conversations With include the heart wrenching yet incredible story of Emmanuel Jal & Nyaruach, the South Sudanese siblings who have fought adversity their whole lives and now collaborate musically. There’s also a chat with Carleen Anderson and the rest of the female supergoup A Change is Gonna Come about the history of protest songs and how they use them to highlight issues of inequality.

Sustainability is the subject of the moment that this year’s panel discussions focus on, raising interesting questions to debate and discuss, with everything from ‘Fast Fashion – Are Your Clothes Wrecking The Planet’, to looking at climate change with ‘11 Years to Change the World: Climate’s Ticking Timebomb’ and a fascinating talk on shared space with ‘Co-Housing – the rise of intentional communities’ and not forgetting the return of the ever-popular Sunday Papers Panel, where festival-goers can grab a coffee and croissant and catch up on the day’s news.

Humanitarian and author Terry Waite talks about his book ‘Travels with a Primate’, his travels with the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie in the 1980s and how the world has changed since then. Also part of the WOMAD book club this year is Chocolat author Joanne Harris, talking about her new book ‘The Strawberry Thief’ and Kit de Waal discussing her second novel ‘The Trick to Time’, following on from international bestseller ‘My Name is Leon’.

Only at WOMAD would you find the incredible mix of Insights from an Amazonian Shaman, with Kurikindi talking about the practice of healing alongside a chocolate mindfulness story with James Wheale and Annie Zimmerman, a talk from Sunday Times bestseller Roger Eatwell on the growth of national populism and the return of the very popular Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten who talks about his new book ‘A Monk’s Guide to Happiness: Meditation in the 21^st Century’.

The comedy-poetry cabaret at The Hip Yak Poetry Shack is back, with a line-up including comedy-rap-jazz duo Harry and Chris, spoken word superstar Hollie McNish and Zena Edwards. Across the weekend there’ll be interactive poetry shows, The Dead Poets Slam and performances from artists such as Cat Lyons, Elvis McGonagall, Francesca Beard and more.

Across the weekend there's OneTrackMinds returning; a Desert Island Discs meets TED Talk meets Moth Radio where a panel of special guests talk about that one song that changed their life, in another session author Ashley Hickson-Lovence tells audiences about his incredible journey from Hackney council estate to his debut novel. Firm favourites are also back for 2019, such as Human Books, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights and Giant Interactive Crosswords.

WOMAD has music from acts including Ziggy Marley; Macy Gray; Orbital; Anna Calvi; Salif Keita; Saving Grace feat. Suzi Dian And Robert Plant ; Cymande; Afro-Cuban All Stars; Tshegue; Brushy One String; Delgres; Petite Noir; Les Filles de Illighadad; Dhafer Youssef; LTJ Bukem; Nadine Shah; DakhaBrakha; Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino; Liniker e os Carmelows; Ustad Saami; Meute; A Change is Gonna Come; Soothsayers; Orquesta Akokan; Channel One Sound System; and many more. For the details as available please see the line-up page.

buy tickets now >

Tickets are on sale, priced as follows:-
adult 3 days: £185
adult 4 days: £225
teenage 3 days: £95*
teenage 4 days: £130*
(*names of teenagers must be registered when purchasing tickets)
Campervan: £85
Park & Camp: £90
Children 13 and under FREE (but still need ticket)

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