WOMAD Festival has announced a Glasgow edition for 2026. The festival, which stands for World fo Music, Arts and Dance, was founded in 1980 by Peter Gabriel with the aim of highlighting a mixture of genres. Since then, the festival has taken place in 27 countries across the world.
Last year, it was announced the WOMAD would take a break in 2025, before returning to a new location for 2026 due to the festival “re-evaluating, regenerating and reinvigorating” after challenges being faced post-COVID.
In October, Peter revealed the 2026 edition of the festival will be held at Neston Park in Wiltshire on July 23-26. Now, WOMAD has announced that another event will be taking place in Glasgow July 3-4, and will be the first Scottish edition of the festival. It has also been named WOMAD Glasgow.
The line-up is yet to be announced but will feature “high-profile and emerging artists performing a range of global music, including pop, dance, folk, jazz, and hip-hop and more across three stages”, according to a press release. There will also be free workshops led by musicians and dancers, food cooked by artists, and talks that will teach the audiences about different cultures.
When speaking about the festival, Peter said, “It’s brilliant to see the first Scottish WOMAD and thanks to Glasgow Life for giving us this wonderful opportunity. Glasgow is one of the first UNESCO cities of music and it’s always had a warm and welcoming attitude to the people and cultures of the world.”
He added, “At a time when hatred is being deliberately whipped up and when differences are being exploited for political gain, it’s increasingly important to have a meeting place which goes in the other direction; where our differences are celebrated, enjoyed and bring us together.”
The festival has been launched in partnership with charity Glasgow Life and the folk, roots and world musical festival Celtic Connections.
Director of Culture, Tourism and Events at Glasgow Life, Billy Garrett said, “It is fitting that Glasgow, the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music, will add WOMAD Festival to the growing list of spectacular cultural events taking place in the city in 2026. Glasgow’s UNESCO City of Music status continues to open doors for international collaboration, tourism development, and inclusive cultural programming, reinforcing our city’s standing as a dynamic global hub for music lovers and creators alike.”
He continued by saying, “The addition of WOMAD further enhances Glasgow’s enviable cultural events calendar, which already features the likes of Celtic Connections, Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow International Comedy Festival, the Glasgow Mela, TRNSMT and the Merchant City Festival, among others. Glasgow will proudly join other WOMAD host cities around the world like Adelaide, Las Palmas, Rome and Santiago in hosting a celebration of extraordinary arts performances which emphasises the importance of community, diversity and mutual respect.”
