World of Music, Arts and Dance

WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, with Thomas Brooman, Bob Hooton, Mark Kidel, Stephen Pritchard, Martin Elbourne and Jonathan Arthur.

The audience saw Peter Gabriel, Don Cherry, The Beat, Drummers of Burundi, Echo & The Bunnymen, Imrat Khan, Prince Nico Mbarga, Peter Hammill, Simple Minds, Suns of Arqa, The Chieftains and Ekome National Dance Company, founded by Barrington, Angie, Pauline and Lorna Anderson, the pioneering African arts company in the UK amongst others performing.

This performance included a dynamic inclusion of Ekome National Dance Company, fusing live African Drum on Peter Gabriel's track "The Rhythm of the Heat".

The main UK event settled at Rivermead in Reading, Berkshire, from 1990 until 2006,[6] before moving to its present home in Charlton Park, Wiltshire from 2007.

[7] Headliners Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra, Toots and The Maytals, and Roy Ayers, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 along with 30 other artists[8] performed for a record-setting audience for the festival of 40,000 people.

Other keys acts across the weekend on other stages included Kae Tempest, Kanda Bongo Man, Gilberto Gil, The Selector, Fulu Miziki, and Les Amazones d'Afrique.

From the outset, the WOMAD name has reflected the festival's idea; to be embracing but non-definitive, inspiring and outward looking; and more than anything, enthusiastic about a world that has no boundaries in its ability to communicate through music and movement.

The first WOMAD Festival in 1982 had Echo and the Bunnymen join forces with the Drummers of Burundi, and WOMAD Abu Dhabi 2010, saw a collaboration between Tinariwen, TV on the Radio members Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe, Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan (music producer, author), and the French Algerian Mehdi from Speed Caravan.

An old fashioned steam fair, global market, children's area, wellbeing section is also found on the WOMAD UK festival site.

1985 saw the festival move to Mersea Island in Essex with New Order, The Fall, Toots & The Maytals, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Pogues, A Certain Ratio and Penguin Cafe Orchestra performing amongst others.

1986 the festival moved to Kenn Pier Farm, Clevedon, Somerset and saw performances from Gil Scott-Heron, Misty In Roots, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Housemartins, Youssou N'Dour, The Bhundu Boys, Aswad, Hugh Masekela, 23 Skidoo and The Blue Aeroplanes amongst many others 19–20 July.

2022 saw a free WOMAD commissioned event at the South Bank Centre featuring an hour long performance by Yazz Ahmed.

Friday - Soweto String Quartet (South Africa) - Kazufumi 'Echo' Kodama (Japan) - Mabulu (Mozambique) - Asian Dub Foundation (UK) - Ballet Folklorico Cutumba (Santiago de Cuba) - Rachid Taha (Algeria) - Joji Hirota & the London Metropolitan Ensemble (Japan/UK) - Dounia (Sicily) - Paul James & Mark Hawkins (UK) Saturday - Siyaya (Zimbabwe) - Tarras (UK) - Hamid Baroudi (Algeria) - Oliver Mutukudzi & The Black Spirits (Zimbabwe) - Kazufumi 'Echo' Kodama (Japan) - Imbizo with special guests Nuclearte (Zimbabwe/Sicily) - Cecile Kayirebwa (Rwanda) - Jose Merce (Spain) - Juan de Marcos' Afro-Cuban All Stars (Cuba) - Modou Diouf & Beugue Djamm (Senegal) - Cachaito Lopez (Cuba) - Cheikh Lo (Senegal) - Dounia (Sicily) - Whirl-Y-Gig Sunday - Regis Gizavo (Madagascar) - Orchestre National de Barbes (Magreb/France) - Shilpi Baruri - Badenya les Freres Coulibaly (Burkina Faso) - Danza Libre (Cuba) - Hamid Baroudi (Algeria) - Badejo Arts (Nigeria) - Trilok Gurtu (India) - Oliver Mutukudzi & The Black Spirits (Zimbabwe) - Siyaya (Zimbabwe) - Mushtaq (UK) - Whirl-Y-Gig Abdelkader Saadoun (Algeria/UK); Anouskha Shankar (India); Bob Brozman/Rene Lacaille/Takashi Hirayasu (USA/New Guinea Islands/Japan); Cara Dillon (UK); Ernest Ranglin (Jamaica); Francis Dunnery (UK); Gigi (Ethiopia); Issa Bagayogo (Mali); Lokua Kanza (Zaire); Los De Abajo (Mexico); Pina (Austria); Rachid Taha (Algeria); Rebecca Malope (South Africa); Ronu Majumdar Trio with special guest Trilok Gurtu (India); Souad Massi (Algeria); Tartit Ensemble (Mali) and Trio Mocoto (Brazil); Adrian Sherwood (UK); Bill Cobham (USA); Asere (Cuba); The Bisserov Sisters (Bulgaria); Misty In Roots (UK); Orchestra Baobab (Senegal); Papa Noel & Papi Oviedo (Congo); King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (Nigeria); Kanda Bongo Man (Congo); The Walkabouts (USA); and The Shrine (UK); System 7 (UK) Friday 25 July 1 Giant Leap (UK) with special guest appearances from Baaba Maal (Senegal) and Maxi Jazz (UK); Amampondo (South Africa), Amjad Ali Khan (India); Bembeya Jazz (Guinea); Celloman (UK); Chico César (Brazil); Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks (USA); Eliza Carthy Big Band (England); Joji Hirota and Taiko Drummers (Japan/UK); Julien Jacob (Benin/West Indies/France); McKay (USA); Modeste Hugues (Madagascar); Pape & Cheikh (Senegal); Sevara Nazarkhan (Uzbekistan); Sotho Sounds (Lesotho) and The Suspects - Soul 'n' Rhythm Revue (UK).

Saturday 26 July Ali Slimani (Algeria/UK); Amampondo (South Africa); Asad Qizilbash (Pakistan); Clave y Guaguancó (Cuba); Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks (USA); Jimmy Cliff (Jamaica); JJC and the 419 Squad (UK/Nigeria); Julien Jacob (Benin/WestIndies/France); Liam Gerner (Australia); Lo'Jo (France); Nitin Sawhney (UK); Pape & Cheikh (Senegal); Samba Sunda (Java); Super Rail Band of Bamako (Mali); Temple of Sound (UK): Teofilo Chantre (Cap Verde) and The Cat Empire (Australia).

Sunday 27 July Asad Qizilbash (Pakistan); Claude Chaloub & special guest Ronu Majumdar (Lebanon/India); Ensemble Kaboul (Afghanistan); Errol Linton's Blues Vibe (UK); Kad Achouri (France/Spain/Algeria); Khaled (Algeria); Manecas Costa (Guinea Bissau); Manu Dibango & Ray Lema (Cameroon/Democratic Republic of Congo); Ojos de Brujo (Spain); Oumou Sangare (Mali); Rodrigo and Gabriela (Mexico); Sevara Nazarkhan (Uzbekistan); Sierra Maestra (Cuba); Super Rail Band of Bamako (Mali); The Angel Brothers & Satnam Singh (UK/India); The Proclaimers (Scotland) and Totonho y Os Cabra (Brazil).

Culture Musical Club - Grand Orchestre Taarab de Zanzibar (Tanzania); Daara J (Senegal); Damien Dempsey (Ireland); Drum Drum (Australia/Papua New Guinea); Golden Pride Children's Choir (Tanzania); Hot Tuna (USA); Imbongi & Albert Nyathi (Zimbabwe); Kila (Ireland); Malouma (Mauritania); Marsada (Sumatra); Michael Messer (UK); Moon Dogs (UK); N'faly Kouyate & Dunyakan (Guinea); Nigel Kennedy and Kroke (UK/Poland); Rokia Traore (Mali); Sidestepper (Colombia/UK); The Drummers of Burundi (Burundi); Tinariwen (Mali); Yair Dalal (Israel); Yelemba d'Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Zaman Zaki (Pakistan).

Aayjemaal (Turkmenistan); Amparanoia (Spain); Antonio Forcione & Ronu Majumdar (Italy/India); Ba Cissoko (Guinea); Daby Toure (Mauritania); DJ Dolores & Aparelhagem (Brazil); Enzo Avitabile & Bottari (Italy); Jim Moray (England); Liu Fang (China); Ljiljana Buttler & Mostar Sevdah Reunion (Bosnia); Luciano (Jamaica); Señor Coconut (Germany/Denmark/Venezuela); The Suspects Soul 'n' Rhythm Revue (UK); Wire Daisies (UK) and a Gala performance with Yair Dalal featuring Jim Moray, Liu Fang, N'faly Kouyate with Dunyakan, Chris Difford, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady & Barry Mitterhof.

Capacity is nearly doubled to 40,000 The headliners appearing on the Open Air and Siam Tent were Gilberto Gil, Rokia Traore, Seun Kuti and Lee "Scratch" Perry with Max Romeo (replaced Toots and the Maytals) Arrested Development were also added to the line-up later on Adjágas (Norway) Alice Russell (dropped out) Replaced by DJ Cheeba (UK) Amesmalua (Spain) Asif Ali Khan (Pakistan) Bwani Junction (UK) Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino (Italy) Carminho (Portugal) Christine Salem (Reunion) David Rodigan MBE (UK) David Wax Museum (USA) Debapriya & Samanwaya (India) Dizu Plaatjies and the Ibuyambo Ensemble (South Africa) Dub Inc (France) Emel Mathlouthi (Tunisia) Fanfare Ciocarlia (Romania) Fimber Bravo (Trinidad & Tobago) Flavia Coelho( Brazil) Fredy Massamba (Congo) GOCOO (Japan) Hidden Orchestra (UK) Huun-Huur-Tu (Russia) Iadoni (Georgia) Jagwa Music (Tanzania) Jesca Hoop (USA) Katy Carr & The Aviators (UK/Poland) Kissmet (India) La Chiva Gantiva (Colombia/Belgium/Vietnam/France) Le Vent Du Nord (Canada) Lévon Minassian (Armenia) Mala in Cuba (UK) Malawi Mouse Boys (Malawi) Malouma (Mauritania) Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (Iran) Mokoomba (Zimbabwe) Nano Stern (Chile) Ondatrópica (Colombia) Parov Stelar Band (Austria) Riot Jazz Brass Band (UK) Sam Lee and Friends (UK) Schlachthofbronx (Germany) Spoek Mathambo (South Africa) Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys (USA) Syd Arthur (UK) Tamikrest (Mali) The Bombay Royale (India/Australia) The Heavy (UK) Urna & Kroke (Mongolia/Poland) BBC Radio 3 Stage: Mavrika (Greece) Barrule (Isle of Man) Family Atlantica (Ghana) Lucas Santtana (Brazil) Zykopops (Croatia) Roopa Panesar (United Kingdom) Imperial Tiger Orchestra (Switzerland) Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band (United States) DJ Tudo e sua gente de todo lugar (Brazil) La Pegatina (Spain) Fidan Hajieva (Azerbaijan) Guy Schalom & The Baladi Blues (Egypt) DaWangGang (China (People's Republic)) KonKoma (Ghana) Red Hot Chilli Pipers (Scotland) The 2014 headliners included Youssou N'Dour, Sinead O'Connor, Manu Dibango and Les Ambassadeurs.

Also, Will Lawton and the Alchemists gain permission to access the site and recorded a short two song set and are "The only band to play WOMAD 2020", with the video and images being released via their Facebook and Instagram accounts.