Womad NZ 2005 Line Up To Be Announced At Parlt.

SWPR
NEWS RELEASE – 30 OCTOBER 2005

Womad NZ 2005 Line Up To Be Announced At Parliament

A Woodstock legend will perform at WOMAD New Zealand 2005, but organisers are keeping tight-lipped until Prime Minister Helen Clark launches the full line-up at Parliament on Wednesday 10 November.

WOMAD New Zealand 2005 is a three-day festival event which will be held from March 11-13 at New Plymouth’s Brooklands Park and TSB Bowl. It follows in the footsteps of the hugely successful inaugural Taranaki event held in March 2003.

“We were overwhelmed with the response we had in 2003 when more than 20,000 people came along. We’re looking forward to an even bigger and better festival in 2005,”says WOMAD New Zealand 2005 director Roger King.

Roger adds that he’s very excited about the line-up of performers for the 2005 event. “We’ve got more than 250 performers coming from 15 different countries including the UK, Australia, Israel, Senegal, the Congo, Belgium, Cote D’Ivorie, India, Scotland and the United States together with outstanding performers from New Zealand.

“I can confirm that the programme includes a performer who was in the original line-up at Woodstock in 1969 – this guy is a living legend.”

WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) will also feature artist workshops, a global food village, and a Kidzone, as well as the option to camp at the adjacent racecourse or stay marae-style in the TSB Stadium.

“In 2003 we were astonished at the range of people who came along to WOMAD, from families with young children to elderly people who enjoyed the range of performance on display. WOMAD is an event for everyone.

“It’s great to be launching WOMAD at Parliament giving it a high level of national recognition which not only reflects the importance of such a multi-cultural international event, but is also a tribute to the people of Taranaki who have made this event a success.

“Brooklands Park and TSB Bowl is proving itself as a world-class venue, and we look forward to welcoming the world to all our Taranaki events."

WOMAD is an international festival which was created by Peter Gabriel 20 years ago. Since then 21 countries have hosted the festival and entertained millions of festivalgoers.

Tickets for WOMAD New Zealand 2005 go on sale at 9am Thursday 11 November. The full line-up and detailed information will be available on the WOMAD website www.womad.co.nz

ENDS

“WOMAD hit New Plymouth with world-class music … drawing big crowds and an atmosphere likened to Woodstock without the rain.” The Dominion-Post

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