WOMADelaide Secured Until 2024, Announces Two New Performance Acts

Government support for WOMADelaide’s extension comes via the South Australian Tourism Commission’s Events South Australia body, and was confirmed with the festival’s UK counterpart WOMAD ltd. Arguing the economic benefit of the annual world music and arts festival, Premier Jay Weatherill described the decision as “not only a boost for the arts sector, but also for tourism and the associated industries”.

“Forty five per cent of the festival’s audience comes from interstate,” Weatherill says, “This unique festival delivers a  $15.1 million Economic Impact annually, and with increased capacity from 2018, the value of WOMAD will continue to grow.”

Roysten Abel’s The Manganiyar Seduction will feature in WOMADelaide 2018

The festival is set to expand its offering under the agreement, having secured a major development program for the years following 2018.

WOMADelaide Director Ian Scobie also announced that the festival had secured two major performance pieces for next year’s event.

“The new agreement has enabled us to confirm the presentation of two large-scale, landmark productions to the 2018 festival; the extraordinary French aerial spectacular, Gratte Ciel’s Place des Anges, and the music masterpiece from India, The Manganiyar Seduction,“ Scobie says.

Angels will descend from the sky above Botanic Park for Gratte Ciel’s Place des Anges

The vivid and ethereal Place des Anges will see a collection of ‘angels’ flying above Botanic Park’s treetrops and descending into the crowd to music. Next year’s performance will mark the first time the performance has appeared outside of an urban environment, and will be presented by 32 French cast and crew members, alongside WOMADelaide’s own crew and volunteers.

Festival-goers who enjoyed 2017’s Manganiyar Classroom performance will be rapt to learn that Roysten Abel is returning with The Manganiyar Seduction from. Altogether a larger performance than Classroom, Seduction will feature a multi-level, 36-window ‘jewel box’ stage, in which 43 Manganiyar musicians hailing from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India, will play. The Manganiyar Seduction will play at the festival nightly.

WOMADelaide 2018 Lineup

Adrian Sherwood  – UK
Anoushka Shankar – India/UK
Architects of Air “Arboria” (site artist)- UK
The Avalanches – Australia
Bixiga 70 – Brazil
Chico Trujillo – Chile
Dan Sultan – Australia
Daymé Arocena – Cuba
Havana Meets Kingston – Cuba/Jamaica
Kamasi Washington – USA
Le Vent du Nord – Canada
Noura Mint Seymali – Mauritania
Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band – Ghana
Rahim AlHaj Trio – Iraq
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Mexico
Thievery Corporation – USA
Tinariwen – Mali
Violons Barbares – France/Mongolia/Bulgaria
Yirrmal and the Miliyawutj – Australia
Gratte Ciel’s Place des Anges – France
The Manganiyar Seduction – India

WOMADelaide
March 9-12
Botanic Park
womadelaide.com.au