WOMAD Festival announce fallow year for 2025 and new site for 2026

WOMAD - POSTPONED 2025

Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th July 2025
Charlton Park , Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9DG, England MAP
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Daily capacity: 40,000

WOMAD Festival has announced they will take a fallow year in 2025, before returning to a new site in 2026. The festival has moved location before and has been successful for 42 editions, including in 2024 as you can see in our review. We look forward to the 2026 edition.

Statement from Peter Gabriel and the WOMAD Team

After a hugely successful 42nd year, over which time we have put on over 300 festivals around the world, we are pleased to announce that WOMAD is moving to a new home, not far from our site for the past 17 years in Wiltshire. To ensure that the festival can continue to thrive for years to come in our new location, we have decided to take a year off in 2025 before returning fully charged in 2026.

WOMAD, like many festivals and events, has seen some challenges post covid and we are now engaged in the process of re-evaluating, regenerating and reinvigorating everything we do - and where we want to go in the future. We're delighted to say we'll be announcing our new plans over the next few weeks.

Over the next 12 months we are full steam ahead with a number of WOMAD festivals around the world including WOMADelaide, WOMAD New Zealand and WOMAD Cáceres with plans for further events in Las Palmas, Brazil and Chile, as well as exploring a special UK event for next year to deliver a taste of the unique WOMAD experience– hopefully to be announced in the coming weeks.

We want to send a massive "Thank You" to all of the brilliant staff at Charlton Park who made us feel welcome for the last 17 years, pulling us out of many sticky situations (quite literally, on those rainy weekends!). We couldn't have done what we did without you.

Also, to the fabulous community in Malmesbury, Charlton, and all the surrounding villages for whom we created a few days of disruption each year. You have always responded positively and embraced WOMAD, welcoming us into your community and working with us in so many ways.

Finally, thank you to all of the Festival-Goers, Artists, Crew, Contractors, Volunteers and Traders who make WOMAD possible, a treasure in the festival calendar and a vital contribution to bringing communities together from all over the world to celebrate diversity and tolerance through Music, Arts, Dance, and Culture.

We look forward to welcoming you all to our new site in 2026.

Peter and The WOMAD Team

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