Full Line-up and more tickets announced for WOMEX 24 Global Music Festival

19 September 2024

1-Night Venue Passes now on sale alongside full Festival Passes
Manchester icon DJ Paulette to host Opening Night Concert

Manchester Music City, host partner for this year’s WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo), is excited to announce the full music and film line-up for WOMEX 24 Festival.

WOMEX 24 Global Music Festival 50+ Live Acts, DJs Films

WOMEX 24 Festival gives music fans a unique opportunity to access this prestigious music industry event, and discover over 50 live acts from across the world representing a mix of musical genres and styles, including folk, afrobeat, roots, jazz, reggae and electronica.

WOMEX 24 Festival will take place over 3 nights (24th-26th October) at 5 of Manchester’s most iconic venues - Albert Hall, Manchester Central, O2 Ritz Manchester, HOME and Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International, with an exclusive Opening Night concert at The Bridgewater Hall on 23 October hosted by Manchester icon DJ Paulette.

With live music showcases, club nights and films on offer, audiences can now tailor their festival experience with a choice of 3-Night Festival Passes, 1-Night Festival Passes or 1-Night Venue Passes. Tickets for the film programme at HOME are now also on sale. The full line-up, schedule and tickets can be found on the WOMEX 24 Festival website.

Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "We love live music in Manchester and can't wait to welcome WOMEX to the city and the chance it brings for our audiences to enjoy some of the most incredible international musicians from around the globe, performing on local stages at some of our most iconic venues. It promises to be a fantastic few days filled with music that moves you and makes you dance - don't miss it, catch some if you can!"

Amongst the 50+ international artists performing across the festival are Orchestra Baobab, known for their smooth blend of Cuban rhythms and traditional West African sounds; Japanese neo-folk fusion band Mitsune; Parisian group Sarāb, who mix Arabic music, jazz and psychedelic rock; Jamaican artist Kabaka Pyramid who fuses traditional reggae with modern hip-hop; and Les Mamans du Congo x Rrobin who will present an electrifying fusion of Congolese rhythms and modern electronic beats.

Rivca Burns, Head of Music, Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International, said: “We are so excited to be welcoming not one, not two, but three of the WOMEX 24 showcase stages to Aviva Studios. As an international organisation, the diversity of sounds and voices from across the world that we’re going to witness over the festival will create a long lasting impact on the city. We are really proud to be part of such an important festival coming to Manchester.”

In addition to live music at Aviva Studios and Manchester Central, Grade II listed venue Albert Hall will play host to the Horizons Stage - a dedicated stage showcasing acts from across the UK and Ireland: Balimaya Project, Gwenifer Raymond (England), Strange Boy (Ireland), Córas Trio (Northern Ireland), Amy Laurenson, Gnoss (Scotland/Alba), Cerys Hafana, and N’famady Kouyaté (Cymru/Wales). Expect Welsh folk, West African Mandé music, Irish rap, and more. The line-up also includes one act from the host city (Rioghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet), in partnership with Manchester Music City.

The Horizons partnership was founded over 10 years ago at WOMEX 13 in Cardiff, the last time the UK and Ireland hosted this major event. On behalf of the Horizons partnership, Dr Claire Mera-Nelson, Director of Music at Arts Council England, said: “Over the last 10 years the Horizons partners have joined together at WOMEX to showcase the very best of the UK and Ireland’s rich musical offer to peers and industry professionals from across the globe. We are excited to be working with this year’s host partner Manchester Music City to kickstart the global careers of many more talented homegrown artists.”

In addition to enjoying more acts for less, 3-Night Festival Pass holders will get exclusive access to the prestigious opening concert at The Bridgewater Hall on Wednesday 23 October. Hosted by Manchester’s very own DJ Paulette with artistic direction by Jenna G, the night will see performances from four artists that represent the breadth of Greater Manchester’s music scene - Agbeko, Dirty Freud, Heather Ferrier and Vulva Voce.

DJ Paulette said: "I am thrilled to be hosting the Opening Concert for WOMEX's 30th edition. Manchester is the place where innovation, inspiration, music, passion and community collide. I can’t wait to reveal the joys on offer.”

Jenna G also commented: "I love my city and want everyone in it to thrive so I'm honoured to be involved in WOMEX 24 as the Artistic Director for the Opening Concert, ensuring it not only entertains but reflects the diversity in sound and style of Manchester's music culture. I can’t wait to showcase what Greater Manchester has to offer the world!"

WOMEX 24 Festival isn’t just about live music. The Club Summit at O2 Ritz Manchester will play host to a late-night party on Friday and Saturday, showcasing DJs and electronic artists from Latin America, South Africa and more.

Festival goers can also discover music, movements and histories from across the world with a curated selection of documentaries at HOME as part of the WOMEX film programme.

For public tickets for WOMEX 24 Festival visit the WOMEX Festival website, or for more information about attending as a music industry delegate visit the main WOMEX website.

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WOMEX 24 Festival Line-Up

Manchester Music City (MMC) is the local host partner for WOMEX 24.

The Manchester Music City organisations involved in WOMEX 24 are Manchester City Council, Brighter Sound, English Folk Expo and Marketing Manchester, working in partnership with Piranha Arts, Horizons, British Council, Black Lives in Music and Attitude is Everything. WOMEX 24 is supported by Manchester City Council, Arts Council England, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Manchester Airport Group and VisitBritain.

Manchester Music City is a network of people and organisations working together to support and amplify Manchester’s music scene, locally and worldwide. Manchester Music City is a member of the international Music Cities Network, a transnational network of global cities committed to working together to harness the power of music and music industries to support the success of our cities. Since Manchester Music City’s inception in 2019, they have commissioned research, supported grassroots music initiatives and facilitated global exchange programmes for emerging independent artists and businesses.

WOMEX – Worldwide Music Expo – is the most international and culturally diverse music meeting in the world and the biggest conference of the global music scene, featuring a trade fair, talks, films and showcase concerts. Over 2,600* professionals (including 260 performing artists) come together every October from 90 countries, making WOMEX the leading networking platform for the world music industry. Its musical spectrum is unparalleled in the international showcase performance market, ranging from the most traditional to the new global local underground, embracing folk, roots, jazz, local and diaspora cultures as much as urban and electronic sounds from all over the globe. WOMEX hosts 7 stages, around 700 exhibiting companies, 100+ speakers, films, an opening concert and an award ceremony across five packed networking days and rather short nights. The event remains devoted to facilitating and promoting the global music industry and providing a platform to connect, inspire and share experiences, enabling new partnerships across transcontinental markets and an open economic and international cultural dialogue. WOMEX is produced by Piranha Arts, a Berlin-based independent creative company. *Numbers based on previous WOMEX editions.

Manchester City Council - Situated in the North West of England, Manchester's population and economy are amongst the fastest growing in Europe. Over the last 25 years it has been transformed from a struggling post-industrial city with a declining population to the UK's fastest-growing city playing a confident role on the international stage. In 2019, Manchester was listed by the Confederation of British Industry as the second largest creative city in Europe after London with a GVA to the city's economy of £1.4 billion. Manchester was host city for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the city's bi-annual Manchester International Festival, first held in 2007, is now one of the world's leading arts festivals and the first to be entirely focused on the commissioning and producing of new original work, much of which goes on to be seen by audiences in cities around the world. Manchester has been a UNESCO City of Literature since 2017, and joined the international Music Cities Network in 2019. It is also a UNESCO City of Lifelong Learning.

Brighter Sound is a Manchester-based music organisation working locally and internationally to support young and emerging artists and professionals in the North of England. For nearly 25 years equalising opportunity has been part of Brighter Sound’s DNA, and with every step they work to break down barriers to access and create a more equitable, diverse and inclusive music world. From local grassroots activity to global strategy as the sector lead for Manchester Music City, Brighter Sound’s programme includes artistic residencies and commissions, community-rooted workshops, training and professional development, peer-led support networks and live events.

English Folk Expo is a trading name of Sound Roots, a charity which supports sustainable careers in the music industry. English Folk Expo is the annual music industry showcase for folk, roots and acoustic music in England. The organisation is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and a Greater Manchester cultural partner.

Marketing Manchester is the agency charged with promoting Greater Manchester nationally and internationally. The organisation is partnership-led and tasked with delivering activity that raises the overall profile and global perceptions of Greater Manchester. It leads on the visitor economy and incorporates the Manchester Convention Bureau and Sports Bidding Unit, whilst also delivering campaigns in partnership with the inward investment agency, MIDAS, focused on the promotion of frontier sectors including digital, innovation and green, as well as undertaking a range of place promotion activities, for capital investment, and real estate sector.

Horizons is a partnership that celebrates the diverse music that comes from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – helping talented artists gain international recognition on the world stage. For 10 years, the Horizons partners have joined together at WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo) to ensure our grassroots musicians reach wider audiences by providing advice, funding, showcasing opportunities and assistance at the event. The Horizons partners are Arts Council Wales, Wales Arts International, Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Creative Scotland, Culture Ireland, British Council and British Underground.

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022-23 we reached 600 million people.

Black Lives In Music is made up of a number of partners who are all working towards the same goal: to dismantle structural racism in our industry. We aim to support the industry in providing better professional opportunities. We also want to achieve equality for Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse professionals at all levels and in all areas of the UK Jazz and Classical industry. Representation matters, we need to take action together and create a level playing field for everyone to have an equal chance to succeed. Black Lives in Music stands for equal opportunities – for Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse people to be able to work successfully in the UK music industry without being the subject of discrimination.

Attitude is Everything is proud to be a disability-led organisation that provides the music and live events sector with the tools, expertise, resources, and training to become truly inclusive. We enable disabled people to lead the change, whether they’re audience members, artists, volunteers, or professionals. Since 2000, Attitude is Everything has worked with industry professionals and disabled people to break down barriers. We’ve delivered training to 10,000+ creative professionals, worked in partnership with 200+ festivals and venues, and supported 1,000+ volunteers.

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where every one of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. From 2023 to 2026 we will invest over £467 million of public money from Government and an estimated £250 million from The National Lottery each year to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. This year the National Lottery will celebrate 30 years of supporting good causes in the United Kingdom through raising £49 billion and awarding over 690,000 individual grants since the first draw was held in 1994. Visit our website to learn more.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is dedicated to maximising the potential of the UK's creative industries, helping sectors thrive and deliver an incredible impact on people's lives. Through last year's Sector Vision, the department cemented its commitment to grow the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030, support one million extra jobs and help build a pipeline of future talent.

GMCA - Greater Manchester is one of the country's most successful city-regions. Home to more than 2.8 million people and with an economy bigger than that of Wales or Northern Ireland. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is made up of the ten Greater Manchester councils and Mayor, who work with other local services, businesses, communities and other partners to improve the city-region. GMCA invests more than £4m p/a in culture, recognising the role culture can play in enriching the lives of our residents and making our places vibrant and attractive.

Factory International is the organisation behind Manchester International Festival (MIF) and the city’s landmark new cultural space, Aviva Studios. Factory International commissions, produces and presents a year-round programme of original creative work and special events at Aviva Studios, its landmark new home in Manchester, online, and internationally through its network of co-commissioners and partners. It also stages the city-wide Manchester International Festival every other year.

Media contact

Laura Bradley

[email protected]

07966 435026

Full Line-up and more tickets announced for WOMEX 24 Global Music Festival

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