WOMAD Glasgow reveals full programme of global sounds ahead of summer debut
Kelvingrove Park will come alive with global sounds this summer as WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) Glasgow reveals its full programme of legendary performances, engaging workshops and vibrant cultural experiences.
Taking place from Friday 3-Saturday 4 July 2026, Scotland will welcome the internationally acclaimed festival for an extraordinary celebration of music, arts and cultural exchange for the first time.
More than 30 sensational artists from 22 countries across five continents will perform, reflecting WOMAD’s spirit of musical discovery as Kelvingrove Park is transformed into the perfect festival destination.
Talent from all corners of the globe, from the Western Isles to West Africa, will showcase everything from folk, trad and jazz, to hip-hop, soul and experimental sounds.
World-renowned names joining the bill today include London-based reggae vocalist and songwriter Hollie Cook, legendary Pakistani instrumentalist Ustad Noor Bakhsh, and Jamaica’s Andrew Chin, better known as the global phenomenon Brushy One String.
Acclaimed Scottish contemporary folk outfit Breabach are sure to have Kelvingrove Park on its feet, alongside Sudanese singer, oud player and composer Sulaf, the inimitable duo of Justin Adams and Mauro Durante and West African favourites Ibibio Sound Machine.
From Puerto Rico, El Laberinto del Coco are a dynamic 14-piece outfit led by Héctor “Coco” Barez, while the beautiful music of South African star Bongeziwe Mabandla is set to captivate Glasgow audiences. They are joined by Indian Man’s blend of UK underground and garage rhythms, live electronics, sampling and storytelling, French artist Lena C, and Türkiye’s Islandman.
A special World-Celtic music mash-up will bring together acclaimed flute, pipes and whistles player Michael McGoldrick and leading Moroccan musician Mohamed Errebbaa. Supported by the Glasgow 2026 Festival, four performers from the Commonwealth diaspora based in Glasgow will also take to the New World Stage, giving global voices rooted in the city a platform at the festival.
The raft of unforgettable performances will take place across four distinctive stages, with two additional spaces for eating, drinking and activities for all the family nestled in Kelvingrove Park.
At the heart of the festival, the main stage, The Kelvin Stage, will sit on the park’s red ash pitch, framed by the park’s picturesque greenery, as it welcomes some of the bill’s biggest names.
The Gravity Stage will take over Kelvingrove skatepark, where a striking, urban-meets-historic backdrop will see audiences soak up the music under the gaze of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
The park’s iconic ‘picnic hill’ will be transformed into The Lookout Stage, utilising the space’s stunning natural amphitheatre, while The New World Stage will spotlight emerging and local talent, and interactive workshops.
Elsewhere among the trees, The Connect area will also house workshops, as well as wellness sessions, and The Grove will become the festival’s hub for global food and drink.
An exciting programme of workshops for both children and adults will be front and centre, nurturing creativity and giving visitors the opportunity to try something new.
The event’s World of Children schedule will give wee ones the chance to try their hand at Chinese lantern making, kite making, screen printing and hand puppet making.
There will also be workshops in carnival head dresses and flower crowns that can be worn all day and plenty of dance on offer including samba, belly dancing, Chinese ribbon and fan dancing.
Come-and-try drop-in sessions led by Music Broth will let little musicians in the making try musical instruments like drums and ukulele, while circus skills, bubbles and face painting will add even more magic for the festival’s youngest attendees.
Glasgow 2026 Festival funding will also allow Scotland’s touring story sanctuary, the Story Wagon, to make its way to Kelvingrove for traditional story sharing activities.
Adults of all ages will be able to embrace health and wellbeing each morning, with Tai Chi and Qigong sessions. Afternoons will welcome multicultural and multi-instrumental workshops of every persuasion, including beat boxing, Persian singing and family harmony singing.
Attendees will also be able to learn from the best, with artists including Shooglenifty, Suntou Susso, MONTAÑERA and Lara Jones leading music and dance workshops.
Festival audiences will be invited to join drop-in art sessions with Make it Glasgow to play their part in decorating the Bella the Beithir sculpture, which sits by the canal in North Glasgow. Participants can decorate clay tiles that will become part of the mosaic running along the mythological water serpent’s spine, creating a shared legacy in the city made collectively during WOMAD Glasgow.
The workshop programme draws on the skills of the city’s rich cultural world, with local arts and music organisations including Wild Hood, Make it Glasgow, Puppet Stew, Ricefield Arts, and Music Broth running the workshops between 12.30pm – 6pm each day.
The full WOMAD Glasgow programme is now available at womadglasgow.com, where tickets are also on sale.
WOMAD first took place in 1982 in Somerset, spearheaded by former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel. In the decades since, it has taken place in 30 countries including Spain, Chile and New Zealand, among others, with an annual Australian version called WOMADelaide.
Scotland’s first edition of the event is being delivered in partnership with WOMAD International, Glasgow Life and Celtic Connections, combining global expertise with local cultural knowledge.
Billy Garrett, Director of Culture, Tourism and Events at Glasgow Life, said: “WOMAD arriving in Glasgow will be a landmark moment for Scotland, showcasing a sensational schedule of global performances. As a UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow is a meeting point of cultures, the best live music and unbeatable audiences – WOMAD has found a welcome home here.
“To have an international arts showcase of this scale on our doorstep is remarkable, with audiences able to enjoy a world of music and wonder against the beauty of Kelvingrove Park. This is your chance to be part of a cultural milestone, so come along, buy a ticket, support the arts and let’s show the world why Glasgow and music go hand in hand.”
Previously announced highlights from across the diverse WOMAD Glasgow programme also include Malian artist Vieux Farka Toure, a global icon of desert blues known as the ‘Hendrix of the Sahara’, high-energy Indian folk group The Raghu Dixit Project, and South London duo, O., who have been likened to a ‘world music White Stripes’.
South Korea’s ADG7, who combine shamanic folk music and glossy K-Pop energy will perform in Scotland for the first time, and Scottish talent will be in abundance, with renowned Hebridean Celtic rockers Peat & Diesel on the bill alongside folk fusion aficionados Shooglenify.
A 12-piece GRIT Ensemble will play the seminal music of Martyn Bennett, while genre-breaking trad trio Talisk will take to their hometown stage having played every WOMAD location around the world.
James Mackintosh of Shooglenifty welcomed WOMAD’s long-awaited arrival in Scotland. He said: “Over the last three decades The Shoogles have been fortunate to have played Womad Festivals all over the globe, from Auckland to Adelaide, Singapore to Johannesburg, enjoying so many magical musical experiences and adventures. So, to finally welcome them to Glasgow is particularly exciting, seeing as Scots are the best audience on the planet! Come and share a day of music without borders.”
WOMAD Glasgow takes place in Kelvingrove Park on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 July 2026. For tickets, visit www.womadglasgow.co.uk.