WOMAD RETURNS: WORLD'S FESTIVAL REVEALS FIRST ARTISTS FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED 2026 YEAR AT NEW WILTSHIRE HOME, NESTON PARK · News

Following the record-breaking sell-out of Tier 1 tickets in just 50 minutes, WOMAD – the world’s most celebrated global music festival – has today announced the first wave of artists for its triumphant return in 2026. Taking place from 23-26 July at its new home, Neston Park in Wiltshire, the festival will welcome back the WOMAD community after a transformative year away ushering in an exciting new chapter.

WOMAD 2026 will play host to some of the most distinctive international voices. Headliners include: South London singer-songwriter, Greentea Peng (UK), who combines neo-soul and R&B sounds with spiritual vibes and her own distinct take on the world. Malian royalty arrives in the form of Oumou Sangaré (Mali) – the Songbird of Wassoulou – celebrated for her fusion of traditional Malian Wassoulou music with contemporary soul and Afro-pop. Her illustrious career, spanning over three decades, has seen her champion underrepresented social issues and collaborate with prominent figures from Alicia Keys to Herbie Hancock.

Also headlining is Barrington Levy (Jamaica), a seminal reggae and dancehall artist whose distinctive, golden vocals helped define the sound of the 1980s. One of the scene’s most influential voices, his hits, “Here I Come” and “Under Mí Sensi”, remain as potent and as current as ever.

Finally, audiences will delight in Swedish Argentinian José González (Sweden) gentle acoustics stylings. The former biochemist became a full-time musician when his debut album Veneer - and its lead single ‘Heartbeats’ - became a massive hit across Europe, his soothing sound acting as a balm to a troubled world. Getting the party started on Thursday will be K.O.G (Ghana) – a multi-dimensional creative force who will bring song, rap, afro-future and funk to the festival.

Joining them is a host of global boundary-pushing talents including: Glasgow’s Mercury Prize-shortlisted jazz innovators corto.alto (UK), New York-born, Chennai-raised vocalist ganavya (USA/India) who will weave together spiritual jazz with classical music of south Asia, and Afrobeat royalty Mádé Kuti (Nigeria) – son of Femi, grandson of Fela – who will showcase his own sound which sees him injecting a pop sensibility into the music made famous by his forebears.

As ever with WOMAD, the spirit of discovery runs deep. Artists announced A-Z include:

Ana Lua Caiano (Portugal), is updating her homeland’s traditional folk Fado sound with bold, hip-hop-influenced rhythms, Mississippi family band Annie and the Caldwells (USA) will unleash their powerful gospel-fuelled disco soul, and the latest sensations out of West Africa, seven-piece band Bénin International Musical (Benin), will delight with their voodoo-inspired rock guitar sounds.

Audiences will revel in Country Gongbang‘s (South Korea) Bluegrass sound, proving the genre knows no borders, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek (Germany/Türkiye) will journey through a combination of Turkish Anatolian folk with ’60s&’70s psychedelic touches, percussionist Dudù Kouate (Senegal) merges centuries-honed traditions with modernist sounds and one-woman musical force-field, while Ganna (Germany/Ukraine) celebrates traditional Ukrainian folk singing via head-spinning loops and electronics.

Central America’s Garifuna Collective (Belize) sing and play the soulful songs of the displaced Garifuna people, combining the ancient and modern. Fado singer, Gisela João (Portugal), sets her traditional songs against a backdrop of delicious pop moments, and, hailing from the village of San Basilio de Palenque (the self-styled “first free Black territory in the Americas”), Kombilesa Mí (Colombia) specialise in Palenquero folk-rap, fusing together ages-old Afro-Colombian rhythms with sharp-tongued hip hop.

Eleven-piece horn collective, Mixanteña de Santa Cecilia (Mexico) celebrate the music of Mexico’s Pacific coast, so expect cumbias and boleros aplenty, and Bogotá-based all-female trio La Perla (Colombia) take inspiration from the sounds of Colombia’s Caribbean coast culminating in a heady brew of speedy percussion and spirited vocal harmonies.

Dublin duo Lemoncello (Ireland) are redefining Irish Folk with their Indie and Pop additions, and Belfast rapper and nu-soul singer Leo Miyagee (UK) is making serious waves across the Irish Sea, with his self-titled jazz-infused boom-bap, and raw lyricism. Signed to WOMAD’s sister organisation Real World Records, Lamisi (Ghana) is a singer and activist specialising in ultra-contemporary Afro-soul.

Also joining WOMAD is the Master of Iranian percussive instruments Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (Iran) whose experimentation of traditional instruments into the worlds of jazz and electronica will mesmerise. Nakibembe Xylophone Troupe (Uganda) specialise in exhilarating polyrhythms, with up to eight musicians playing an enormous embaire xylophone at once, and the daughter of legendary Mauritanian singer Dimi Mint Abba, Noura Mint Seymali (Mauritania), a worthy inheritor of the family business, will command audiences with her strong voice.

Manchester’s Secret Night Gang (UK) are at the forefront of the UK’s jazz, funk and street-soul scenes thanks to their head-turning, smooth genre blends. Anarchy comes to the UK via Japan’s drum and flute punk gang Seppuku Pistols (Japan), and explorative Barcelona-based duo Shanghai Restoration Project (China/USA) combine field recordings made in China with sharp-edged electronica, joined here by Soweto rapper and spoken-word artist Tebza Majaivane (South Africa).

New York-raised, Berlin-living Sorvina (USA) operates at the intersection of hip hop, jazz-rap and gospel-flecked poetry, Spafford Campbell (UK), will serve up a masterclass in contemporary folk and member of pioneering trio DAM, and godfather of Arabic rap, Tamer Nafar (Palestine) returns to WOMAD stepping out under his own name -- expect storytelling ingenuity and unflinching, ultra-candid lyrics in Arabic, English and Hebrew.

Mixing musical inspirations from their Chinese mother and dubby experimentalism, passed down by their father Jah Wobble is brothers Tian Qiyi (UK/China). Revered musician Ustad Noor Bakhsh (Pakistan), now in his eighties, only came to the attention of Western ears a handful of years ago; his mastery of the benju dulcimer-like instrument prompted Pitchfork to praise his “electrifying” playing that creates “a vivid tapestry of emotion”. Finally announced today are Mumbai quintet Wild Wild Women (India), the sari-wearing, all-female rap outfit – quite possibly India’s first – whose sparky wordplay and political agenda have made a seismic impact on their homeland’s cultural scene.

WOMAD is, of course, far more than just music. The festival’s legendary World of Words returns with fascinating talks and thought-provoking conversation; the Hip Yak Poetry Shack showcases the best-spoken word artists. Alongside the cultural discoveries, there are also plenty of spaces designed for pause and restoration. Scattered across the festival grounds, the World of Wellbeing offers an oasis of calm, complete with wood fired hot tubs and all-day yoga. Meanwhile, at the unique Taste the World stage, some of the weekend’s performers will swap stages for stoves, sharing culinary secrets and flavours from their homelands.

Festivalgoers can learn from the experts with a vast array of workshops. From dance lessons to trying an instrument from the other side of the globe. And at the World of Children, there are more child-friendly activities than any other festival, culminating in the legendary Sunday afternoon parade. All children 13 years and undergo free.

Chris Smith, WOMAD Festival Director, said:

We are so excited to be counting down to the start of WOMAD Neston Park in July. Everyone around us has been so supportive in helping us achieve the move to a fabulous new home. Our audience, the artists, and the local community all believe in the importance of WOMAD as much as we do. Thank you!

More artists for WOMAD UK 2026 will be announced in the coming months.