The WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) festival will return to Cape Town from September 15 to 24, 2026, offering the city ten days of music, arts, and dance events across various venues.
A key part of the program will be an event at the Artscape theatre on Saturday, September 19, featuring a double program: a daytime concert by New Generations and the 'United 4 Humanity' world concert.
These two concerts will bring together performers from South Africa and other countries. Organizers are emphasizing young artists, cultural exchange, inclusivity, and the legacy of Archbishop Desmond Tutu within the Artscape program.
WOMAD was founded by British musician Peter Gabriel in 1982. The WOMAD Cape Town 2026 series is positioned as an opportunity to celebrate creative collaboration between different genres, generations, and boundaries.
Dan Chorbol, Director of WOMAD South Africa, stated: 'We are proud to present our most ambitious WOMAD Cape Town series, an explosion of creativity, extraordinary performances, and epic milestones in the history of our nation.'
Cape Town Mayor Geordie Hill-Lewis noted that holding the festival during Heritage Month is a fitting occasion for the city. He expressed joy at welcoming WOMAD Cape Town 2026 to the Mother City, highlighting the power of music, art, and culture in uniting people.
New Generations Concert
The New Generations concert will begin at 13:30 and feature collaborations between local and international musicians, as well as drumming workshops involving young performers from Cape Flats. Cape Town artist Freddy L will perform with Congolese-Austrian artist Kimian in a performance that WOMAD describes as a modern fusion of African rhythms and electronic music.
The group LUUKHANYO & The Hii Rollers collaborates with Maori artist Kapowairua. This performance will blend hip-hop, R&B, and jazz with traditional cultural elements. The daytime program will also feature SAMA award nominee Mila Smith, alongside a cajon workshop led by Spanish musician Pepe Zapata. Fifty young drummers from Cape Flats will participate in this event.
United 4 Humanity Concert
The 'United 4 Humanity' world concert starts at 20:00 and deepens the evening theme of music, dance, and collaborative creation. The program features South African artists Ancient Voices, JITSVINGER, and Mansour Joseph, as well as the Spanish group Koko-Jean & The Tonics and Swedish artist Anna Felt.
The Disco Kinetic Duo from the UK will perform in partnership with Unmute Dance Company from Cape Town—an inclusive troupe bringing together artists with and without disabilities. Organizers reported that the performers will use sensory gloves to manipulate sound through live real-time looping. The goal of the performance is to explore the relationship between movement, music, and inclusivity, allowing dance to influence the sound perceived by the audience.
Artscape CEO Marlene le Roux said that the partnership with WOMAD reflects the theatre's journey toward inclusivity. Le Roux emphasized that this year, as Artscape marks 55 years of moving from exclusivity to inclusivity, cultural exchange is not just a word but an active and conscious decision, allowing artists from around the world to share their life experiences through music and art, enriching the audience and themselves in a shared journey that reminds us that we are all human.
Korean Culture Concert
In addition to the diverse weekend programming in this hall, the Korean Cultural Centre will host a unique concert at Artscape on Friday, September 18, at 20:00. Tickets for this event are already sold out. The eighty-minute performance will be dedicated to traditional and contemporary Korean culture, including Gugak music performed by the National Gugak Center, powerful Samulnori rhythms, and the grace of the court dance Taepyeongmu. A special fusion of two nations will take place when Korean dancers join South African performers for an exciting K-pop and Amapiano fusion. Before and after the show, visitors can immerse themselves in traditional experience in Hanbok and visit a Korean cultural exhibition in the Artscape foyer.
Tribute to Archbishop Tutu
The 'United 4 Humanity' concert is supported by the Leah and Desmond Tutu Foundation and will take place less than three weeks before Tutu's 95th birthday on October 7. Archbishop Tutu, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for opposing apartheid, dedicated his life to defending human rights and equality. As Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he played a key role in South Africa's transition to democracy and championed the concept of a single, rainbow nation.
Janet Johnson, the Foundation's CEO, announced that the concert will mark the official beginning of the 95th-anniversary celebrations of the Archbishop. She expressed enthusiasm about starting the festivities with this incredible program at the WOMAD festival, stressing that music is one of the most powerful tools for uniting people of different cultures, genres, geographies, and differences.
