Message from Festival Director
Ladies and gentlemen, music lovers, seekers of the extraordinary.
Welcome to WOMAD South Africa 2025.
This is not your average festival. WOMAD is a sonic voyage of discovery. We champion the road less travelled, the sounds that slip through the cracks of commercial radio and dodge the algorithms of social media hype. We celebrate the beauty of the unheard—the raw, the real, the revolutionary.
If you crave depth and authenticity—then this is your playground. WOMAD is for the curious ear and the open heart. It’s where you’ll encounter artists with large followings in their countries but mostly unheard of in South Africa, bringing the soul of their cultures to our stage.
WOMAD isn’t about big crowds—it’s about special moments in stunning spaces. It’s where world-class and local artists create intimate experiences that linger in your heart long after the last note fades. It’s about humanitarianism, cultural diversity, job creation, emerging talent, community empowerment and unique collaborations between international and local artists.
And as Peter Gabriel, our visionary founder, once said: “I defy anyone to attend a WOMAD event and not come away gobsmacked by at least one artist you’ve never ever heard of.”
I hope that you’re going to be blown away by the artists in our 2025 iteration.
Thank You!
Dan Chiorboli
