GalleryDitch This MagazineMarch 12, 2026gallery, live, Kerrie Geier, Adelaide, Heilung, Eivor

WOMADelaide 2026 @ Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla 6-9 March

GalleryDitch This MagazineMarch 12, 2026gallery, live, Kerrie Geier, Adelaide, Heilung, Eivor

photos: Kerrie Geier
@kerriegeier
words: Jess Bendle

There’s something special about stepping into WOMADelaide each year. Within minutes of entering Tainmuntilla/Botanic Park, the world expands with the songs and rhythms of many cultures, finding their community amongst the trees and on the stages through musical discovery and celebration.

Whether you plan a schedule or wander the festival grounds and let the music guide you, it’s always a wonderful journey. The Foundation stage played host to the hypnotic blues-funk sound of My Baby. Consisting of Dutch siblings Cato and Joost van Dijck and New Zealand guitarist Daniel ‘DaFreez’ Johnston, they delivered a mesmerising dance-heavy set that captivated the crowd and had feet dancing and hands in the air.

Anatolian folk singer Derya Yildirim and Grup Şimşek brought a completely different atmosphere. Yildirim’s delicate playing of the bağlama (a traditional Turkish lute) carried through the air at Stage 3, captivating the audience with a performance that was beautiful, unique and transportive.

One of the weekend’s most significant moments arrived on Saturday night, with the much-anticipated return of Yothu Yindi to WOMADelaide for the first time since 1993. Celebrating 35 years of their landmark album Tribal Voice, the band’s set was both nostalgic and powerful. The crowd broke into exuberant dance to beloved single Djapana and when the unmistakable opening to Treaty hit the party was well and truly started. The powerful protest song continues to echo the truth of the Australian Governments failures in progress towards a treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples three-and-a-half decades after the iconic dance song was first releases.

As Yothu Yindi wrapped up on the Foundation stage the crowd took the short walk to Stage 3 to catch Malyangapa and Barkindji rapper BARKAA brought fierce energy and passion to the stage, connecting with her crowd with unapologetic and endearing presence. In between songs, BARKAA spoke about rising above struggles and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, delivering strong and empowering messages in and out of song.

The theatrical peak of WOMADelaide was Saturday night headliner Grace Jones. True to her legendary reputation, Jones delivered a bold, larger-than-life performance that felt equal parts concert and spectacle. She reclined in a throne as she crooned Nightclubbing and prowled the stage for This Is. Sharing moments of unique humor in between songs, during multiple costume changes (including a wonderful Keith Haring print skirt), Warm Leatherette and My Jamaican Guy had the crowd grooving, and she rounded with her set with hits Pull Up to the Bumper  and and Slave to the Rhythm.

As Monday rolled around, it brought with it a reflective closing-day atmosphere, but the energy stayed high, starting with charismatic Nigerian-British artist Obongjayar who ushered in the afternoon with a genre-blurring set of Afro-funk experimental pop. Next, The Zawose Queenstook over the Foundation Stage engaging the crowd with their joyful, rhythmic dance music of the Wagogo people.

The electronic sounds of Kenyan artist Blinky Bill (who thanked Australia for his name) delivered a unique flavour with his eclectic funk, followed by a shift in gears to the melodic, dreamy vocals of Marlon Williams. The New Zealand singer’s captivating stage presence and buttery vocals was one of the weekend’s most quietly spellbinding moments.

Closing the night were hip-hop pioneers Arrested Development, whose classics like Mr. Wendaland People Everyday had the crowd singing along beneath the darkening sky, a fitting end to a weekend defined by connection, rhythm and discovery. As the final notes echoed through the parklands we said a found farewell to our joyful weekend of culture, community and unforgettable music.