An unforgettable cultural celebration of music, arts, and dance under open skies.

Over the next four days and nights, WOMADelaide 2025 welcomes the world to Adelaide’s lush Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla, transformed into a celebration of music, arts and dance – uniting cultures from across the globe – as the iconic open-air festival showcases 700+ artists from over 35+ countries, from 7-10 March 2025. 

‘We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back to WOMADelaide, the world's festival,’ says Ian Scobie AM Director WOMADelaide. ‘There is truly no better place to be than right here in the city’s green oasis of Botanic Park, surrounded by nature and with a perfect weather forecast, it’s shaping up to be an unforgettable weekend of music, arts, dance and discovery of the extraordinary wonders of cultures from around the world for us to explore, enjoy and celebrate.’

Friday night will see the formidable multi-instrumentalist and two-time-winner of the Mercury Music Prize, PJ Harvey (UK) much-anticipated WOMADelaide debut. Opening night performances also include soul powerhouse Durand Jones & The Indications (USA), a cappella group The Joy (South Africa), and legendary award-winning pianist, composer and producer Nitin Sawhney CBE (UK). Premiering an Australian exclusive, France’s groundbreaking Yoann Bourgeois Art Company will mesmerise with The Unreachable Suspension Point, and celebrated Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers, Bangarra Dance Theatre present their striking cross-cultural collaboration, The Light Inside.

International Women’s Day on Saturday hosts a strong female lineup led by avant-pop powerhouse Róisín Murphy (Ireland), global superstar and one of the most acclaimed Fado singers of our time, Mariza (Portugal), a spellbinding performance by Indigenous vocalist Sauljaljui (Taiwan), and Ngaiire (Aus/PNG) premieres her new project PAIA, a spectacular live-performance and visual experience.

Other highlights throughout the weekend include performances by Texas psych-funk trio Khruangbin (USA), Grammy-winning singer, actor, activist and ‘Queen of Afropop’, Yemi Alade (Nigeria), and acclaimed pianist, composer, producer, Nils Frahm (Germany). While from Australia’s top-end, Andrew Gurruwiwi Band serves up high-energy infectious groove and Grammy-nominated reggae/dancehall star Protoje & the Indiggnation (Jamaica) and legendary 90s hip-hop trio, Digable Planets (USA) share their highly-acclaimed catalogues.

The Dream Engine will float above WOMADelaide’s sky with their aerobatic show Heliosphere, French street theatre pioneers ilotopie (France) roam the park with their playful Les Gens de Couleur (Coloured People), and Dear Stranger, from the imagination of acclaimed Adelaide born actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey (Aus), turns letter-writing into a mass-crowd adventure.

The Studio theatre space will host Adelaide’s own Restless Dance Theatre’s thought-provoking Seeing Through Darkness, and actor/theatre-maker Dorcy Rugamba’s moving musical reading Hewa Rwanda: Letter to the Absent. Take a deeper dive into the creative inspirations, techniques, and cultures of your favourite artists, with over 10 workshops and 13 Taste The World sessions, as artists step off the stage to provide a unique opportunity to connect beyond their performances, exploring the rich traditions, flavours, and narratives that shape their creative journeys.

The festival will present the three-day ecological discussion forum The Planet Talks, bringing together a diverse array of pioneering scientists, global thought-leaders, trailblazing activists and visionary change-makers, including Dr. Kumi Naidoo (South Africa), Prof. Naomi Oreskes (USA), Tim Winton (Aus) and Rachel Perkins (Aus).

For young festivalgoers, KidZone brings a world of fun to the park, where adventure meets education for young festivalgoers. Elsewhere in the Park, WOMADelaide sees the return of WoMarkets – a shaded hub of 50+ retail stalls, in the tradition of a marketplace where different cultures share their wares – along Plane Tree Drive; and for a bite between performances, 55+ taste-tempting international food stalls; and the return of tranquil fine-dining experience of The Sanctuary Restaurant at Adelaide Zoo.

South Australian Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Zoe Bettison says: ‘With just one sleep to go until WOMADelaide 2025, thousands of visitors and hundreds of artists are getting ready for one of the most anticipated festivals on the nation’s events calendar.

‘You just have to walk through our city to see what events and festivals like WOMADelaide do for our local businesses, hotels, restaurants, and bars. We continue to see how important our events are for our economy, driving record-breaking bookings and visitation in our State and making South Australia a bucket-list destination.’

WOMADelaide returns to Adelaide’s Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla from 7-10 March, with gates opening tonight on Friday 7 March at 4pm.