WOMADelaide has today announced the first 28 artists for the 2024 festival, from 8 to 11 March – featuring Ziggy Marley (Jamaica), The Budos Band (USA), Arooj Aftab (USA/Pakistan), Gilberto Gil (Brazil) and DakhaBrakha (Ukraine).
Ziggy Marley, son of iconic reggae singer Bob Marley, is set to perform in Adelaide for the first time since 2012. With a career spanning 40 years and 8 Grammys under his belt, this will surely be a highlight.
For the first time in Womadelaide, the seven-piece Budos Band from New York City will bring their Afrobeat instrumental soul-funk. Headed by Grammy-award-winning vocalist Arooj Aftab, the band is sure to delight.
Returning after 20 years, Brazilian legend Gilberto Gil will perform at Womadelaide as part of his global farewell tour. Over his 60-year career, he has released over 60 albums and sold millions of records.
Ukrainian ‘ethno chaos’ quartet DakhaBrakha have a sound described as contemporary, cosmopolitan and intimate. With Ukraine in the spotlight from the current Russian invasion, their political message is especially important.
Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal returns with his distinctive fusion of traditional and contemporary West African sounds, as does acclaimed British musician, producer and composer Nitin Sawhney, whose award-winning electronica embraces Asian influences, trip-hop and jazz.
Set to thrill dance lovers, Elizabeth Streb brings her STREB EXTREME ACTION group to Womadelaide. They are somewhere between extreme sport and action dance and will perform at four purpose-built stages around the festival.
Nigerian singer Eno Williams heads up an African electronic group, Ibibio Sound Machine. Their music has elements of West-African funk, disco and modern post-punk. As well as this, the ‘Caribbean Patti Smith’, voodoo queen priestess Moonlight Benjamin, makes her debut with raw, heavy blues rock inspired by Caribbean melodies and artists such as Dr John and the Alabama Shakes.
Returning will be the highly popular KidZone, the Taste the World Restaurant Sanctuary and the diverse range of market and food stalls.
Premier Peter Malinauskas had this to say about the festival:
“I look forward to welcoming these world-class artists, as well as crowds of festivalgoers, to Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla from 8 to 11 March – as they discover why Adelaide is the nation’s only UNESCO City of Music.”
WOMADelaide returns to Adelaide’s Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla for four days of music, arts, and dance, from 8-11 March 2024.
Artists announced –
· Arooj Aftab (USA/Pakistan)
· Baaba Maal (Senegal)
· Braxe + Falcon (France)
· The Budos Band (USA)
· DakhaBrakha (Ukraine)
· DJ Koco (Japan)
· DUBIOZA KOLEKTIV (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
· Elephants Laugh – Muljil (South Korea)
· Folk Bitch Trio (Aus)
· Gilberto Gil (Brazil)
· Handspring Puppet Company (South Africa)
· Ibibio Sound Machine (UK)
· Illapu (Chile)
· José González (Sweden)
· Leenalchi (South Korea)
· Maqamat – Beytna (Home) (Lebanon/France)
· Moonlight Benjamin (Haiti/France)
· Nitin Sawhney (UK)
· Pongo (Angola/Portugal)
· Sharon Shannon Big Band (Ireland)
· Son Rompe Pera (Mexico)
· STREB EXTREME ACTION (USA)
· Tejendra Majumdar & Ambi Subramaniam (India)
· Tio (Vanuatu)
· Wantok Sing Sing feat. TELEK (Oceania)
· WITCH (Zambia)
· Yussef Dayes (UK)
· Ziggy Marley (Jamaica)
