WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 New Acts + World Of Words & STEAM Lab Programmes Announced

The WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 family continues to grow, as even more international acts have joined the Ngāmotu / New Plymouth festival's already stellar bill, plus special guests for the World Of Words and STEAM Lab programmes have been officially announced. New musical additions include West African organic-electronic feminist collective Nana Benz Du Togo, genre-melting Jamaican hip hop / soul / jazz / dancehall star Protoje with his group The Indiggnation, UK baritone sax / drums powerhouses O. aka Joe Henwood and Tash Keary, Papua New Guinea songwriting figurehead Telek (of Painim Wok), and Naarm / Melbourne art-rockers Not Drowning, Waving. That's all on top of the announcement of Irish electronic pop artist Róisín Murphy (Ninja Tune) of Moloko earlier this month.

The World Of Words and STEAM Lab programmes expand the WOMAD Aotearoa 2025 beyond sound — engaging attendees with a multi-sensory array of poetry slams, author talks, podcasts, comedy and first-hand insights from innovators and visionaries. Delve into the three day arts and music festival's full updated programme below and make a beeline to Brooklands Park and the Bowl of Brooklands this coming March...

WOMAD AOTEAROA 2025
Friday 14th to Sunday 16th March - Brooklands Park and the Bowl of Brooklands, Ngāmotu / New Plymouth

Featuring... 47SOUL (Palestine/Jordan), Amaru Tribe (Australia), Ana Carla Maza (Cuba), Bala Desejo (Brazil), Black Comet (Aotearoa), CHAII (Aotearoa), Delgres (France/Guadeloupe), Etran de L’Aïr (Niger), Goran Bregović & his Wedding & Funeral Band (Serbia), Nana Benz Du Togo (Togo), Nitin Sawhney (UK), Not Drowning, Waving (Australia), O. (UK), Protoje & The Indiggnation (Jamaica), Satish Vyas & U Rajesh (India), Queen Omega (Trinidad & Tobago), Róisín Murphy (Ireland), Talisk (Scotland), Telek (Papua New Guinea), The Beths (Aotearoa), The Veils & NZTrio (Aotearoa), Ukulele Death Squad (Australia), WHO SHOT SCOTT (Aotearoa/Iraq) + more to be announced

World Of Words Speakers...
Bariz Shah (Author - Beyond Hope – From an Auckland Prison to Changing Lives in Afghanistan), Craig Hoyle (Author - Excommunicated), Courtney Dawson (Comedian), Emily King (Author 0 Re-food - Exploring the troubled food system of Aotearoa New Zealand), Jared Savage (Author - Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise), Joana Joy (Comedian), Lauren Keenan (BOOK CLUB - Author - The Space Between), Leah Dodd (Poetry Slam), Morgana O'Reilly (Showy Ovaries Podcast Guest), Penny Ashton (Poetry Slam/Showy Ovaries Podcast), Tusiata Avia (Poetry Slam)

STEAM Lab Speakers...
Anne Gaskett (Biologist), Frau Knotz (Electronica Artist), Dr. Greg Holwell (Naturalist, Zoologist and Behavioural Ecologist), Liv Sisson (Author - Fungi of Aotearoa: A Curious Forager’s Field Guide), Maddi Brown (Wellington Chocolate Factory), Matt Williams (Wellington Chocolate Factory), Michael Mansvelt (Author - Everyday Opulence), Professor Emeritus Philippa Gande (Author - Early Birds and Night Owls), Rochelle Constantine (Professor of Marine Ecology and Conservation Biology), Sam Johnson

Tickets on sale now from www.womad.co.nz

Watch Nana Benz du Togo perfroming 'Tite' live on KEXP...

Watch the video for O.'s 'Green Shirt' (featuring Poppy the dog) from their new album WeirdOs...

Hit play on Protoje's new video for '80's Wild'...

Press release:

WOMAD Aotearoa is excited to welcome four dynamic new artists to the 2025 festival lineup. These include organic-electronic feminist songs from West Africa’s Nana Benz Du Togo, Melbourne's art-rock pioneers Not Drowning, Waving, who are reuniting with acclaimed Papua New Guinean artist George Telek, a London-based baritone saxophonist and drummer duo, O. and Protoje, the Jamaican artist blending hip hop, soul, and jazz with reggae and dancehall rhythms with his band The Indiggnation.

In addition to the music, the festival offers a range of cultural and intellectual experiences. The Kunming Garden will once again host the World Of Words, featuring poetry slams, author talks, podcasts, and comedy.

While, the STEAM Lab will offer fascinating sessions with innovators and visionaries in diverse fields such as marine biology, chocolate making, song creation, and the science of sleep, providing attendees with the opportunity to explore new ideas and challenge the status quo.