Program
2026

Invitation Only

Free Entry

Concert tickets via Webtickets – R130 (full price); R100 (pensioners); Free Entry to scholars & students.

This powerful celebration of Indigenous music and cultural heritage brings together diverse artists from around the world for an afternoon of free interactive workshops and a vibrant evening concert featuring Kapowairua (New Zealand), Chambre Rouge ft Mei Han (China) with Randy Raine-Reusch & Michael Aihoshi (Canada), Arashka & The Shakti Project (Réunion Island/India) and Cisalpipers (Italy) alongside the UCT Sinjalo Group.

A series of intimate performances where international and local artists share powerful stories through song, drawing on their diverse roots and life journeys, each culminating in a Q&A with the audience. (Not in running order)

• Pema Africa: A rising South African songstress who fuses soulful storytelling in Afrikaans and English with spiritual Tibetan mantras.
• Enrico Cipollini (Italy): Folk, country, and Americana collide in resonator guitar and raw vocals, forging a soulful Italian voice in the global blues scene.

Free Entry

A spiritual event where Sweden’s Anna Fält’s haunting Nordic vocals meet Estonia’s Susanna Aleksandra’s jazz‑infused storytelling in a captivating fusion of tradition and innovation.

Arashkha & The Shakti Project (Reunion)

A series of intimate performances where international and local artists share powerful stories through song, drawing on their diverse roots and life journeys, each culminating in a Q&A with the audience. (Not in running order)

• Cisalpipers (Italy): Blending Celtic roots with folk spirit, ancient bagpipes meet modern sounds to celebrate Emilia-Romagna’s cultural heritage.
• Susanna Aleksandra (Estonia) & Kyle Shepherd: An Estonian-born jazz singer, songwriter, and lyricist celebrated for her multilingual artistry and international career.
• Anna Falt (Sweden): She specializes in Finnish and Swedish folk songs, combining ancient styles like vallsånger (herding calls), lullabies, and joik with modern vocal artistry.

Free complimentary tickets available via Webtickets

Book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Presented by the Korean Cultural Centre, this vibrant showcase of Korean heritage and contemporary creativity features a traditional Gugak performance by the National Gugak Centre, the dynamic rhythms of Samulnori, the elegance of Taepyeongmu court dance, and the exhilarating Pangut and Sogo Dance with acrobatics and percussion. Adding a modern flair, the programme includes a K-pop collaboration where Korean dancers join South African performers to blend K-pop with amapiano, while audiences can also enjoy a Hanbok experience and exhibition in the lobby before and after the event.

Sukanya Chattopadhyay

Invitation only

M&M Music Academy and Kwena Music unite to champion creativity and professional artistry—bridging education, artist management, recording, DJ training, and live event production. This visionary program spotlights a special recording session with Freddy L and Austrian-Congolese beatmaker Kimyan, laying the foundation for an international project of the future.

Tickets: R100 via Webtickets  

This electrifying double-header fuses global rhythms with raw local energy, featuring Luukhanyo & the Hii Rollers, Freddy L, Mila Smith and Kimyan (Austria) in a sonic uprising spotlighting future stars. The concert begins with the Spanish Cajoneada Drumming Experience, led by legend Pepe Zapata alongside Thandi Swartbooi and Women Unite. Fifty young Cape Flats drummers join flamenco dancers in a powerful celebration of rhythm, showing how music can ignite pride, strengthen bonds, and spark lasting cross‑cultural connections.

Dynamic Barcelona-based singer Koko-Jean Davis delivers an inspiring talk on the art of stage presence, while sharing her journey as a woman navigating the music industry and her roots growing up in Mozambique. Her story aims to motivate local women aspiring to build their own careers in music. As a special feature, celebrated keyboardist and renowned harmonica master Victor Puertas, will present a captivating “show and tell” of the harmonica, showcasing its rich sound and cultural significance in the blues tradition.

A series of intimate performances where international and local artists share powerful stories through song, drawing on their diverse roots and life journeys, each culminating in a Q&A with the audience. (Not in running order)

• Chambre Rouge ft Mei Han (China) with Randy Raine-Reusch & Michael Aihoshi (Canada): Legendary world music pioneer Raine-Reusch, together with his all-star trio including the remarkable zheng virtuoso Mei Han, explores the journey of traditional instruments into contemporary music.
• Lizzie-Lou Gaisford.: Ecology-inspired songwriting meets alternate tunings, framed by women, protest music, and social justice.

Prophets of Da City are honoured as groundbreaking hip-hop pioneers before receiving the BEA Humanitarian Award for their steadfast commitment to activism and youth empowerment. The celebration then comes alive with a Cuban-inspired DJ set, filling the foyer with rhythm, dance, and colour in a vibrant tribute of solidarity to the enduring spirit of the Cuban people.

Tickets: R150 via Webtickets  

The Buena Vista Social Club album became a global phenomenon, reviving Cuba’s golden-age sounds and turning forgotten veteran musicians into international stars. Selling over 8 million copies and winning a Grammy, it sparked a wave of “Cuba-mania” that fueled salsa dance classes, Cuban-themed bars, and a worldwide fascination with the island’s rich cultural heritage. Now, this concert brings the spirit of that legacy to life, featuring Cuba’s Los Canelas alongside South Africa’s own Cito (Wonderboom), Hassan’adas, and other local stars, delivering a powerful celebration of Cuban culture and its enduring global impact.

A series of intimate performances where international and local artists share powerful stories through song, drawing on their diverse roots and life journeys, each culminating in a Q&A with the audience. (Not in running order)

• Luukhanyo & The Hii Rollers: A genre-bending act led by rapper and vocalist Luukhanyo (real name Sive Marasha) who fuse hip hop, R&B, funk, and jazz with Cape Town’s rich musical heritage.
• Kapowairua (New Zealand): Presenting the spiritual heartbeat of Māori music, linking ancestral roots with the land and shaping its powerful traditions of song and identity.
• Arashka & The Shakti Project (Reunion Island): A visionary blend of ancient spirituality and feminine strength, featuring Kolkata’s Sukanya Chattopadhyay. Their collaboration weaves Hindustani, Bengali, and Lithuanian traditions into hypnotic electronic soundscapes.

Fragile: Cajoenada 2 Experience feat Thandi Swartbooi + Arashkha (Reunion)

Free Entry

Closing WOMAD Cape Town with a burst of rhythm as part of the Kidz 4 Kulture program, the Spanish Cajoneada Experience brings together the fiery pulse of flamenco’s iconic cajón with South Africa’s own heartbeat. This one‑of‑a‑kind event fuses Spanish tradition with Thandi Swartbooi’s Women Unite ensemble and fifty young drummers from the Cape Flats, creating a powerful cross‑cultural showcase that celebrates unity, energy, and the universal language of percussion.

# More community youth and emerging artists to be confirmed.