After a year’s pause, the globally‑minded festival WOMAD is making a welcome return for its 43rd edition in July 2026, this time setting up shop at the scenic estate of Neston Park in Corsham, Wiltshire.
Australians living in the UK will want to pencil this one into the calendar for the 2026 edition of UK summer. The next chapter of WOMAD – the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival – is moving to a new home in Wiltshire. Tickets go on sale on 13 November 2025, with the festival running from 23rd to 26th July 2026.
This will be WOMAD’s first change of location in almost twenty years. Since 2007, it’s been held at Charlton Park near Malmesbury, but the organisers decided to take 2025 off to regroup and refresh the event. Founder Peter Gabriel said the team wanted a place that felt right for the next stage of its journey, describing Neston Park as “a warm and welcoming home into which we could sink our roots.”
He also added: “In a world in which many bad actors seem to be achieving power by fanning the flames of hatred, racism and division, a meeting place for all the world’s cultures and dreams, built on mutual respect, seems all the more precious.”
The park’s owners, Sir James and Lady Venetia Fuller, said they were thrilled to open their estate to the WOMAD crowd for the first time.
“This will be the first time we’ve opened the estate to any type of event,” they officially responded. “And WOMAD’s message and what it stands for is something we’ve long admired.”
Meanwhile Festival Director Chris Smith explained: “We took a break to reflect on what makes WOMAD so special and what our incredible community of artists and audiences deserves. We return, still a truly independent festival, with an exciting future.
“We are building on our incredible legacy with a clear vision for the next 40 years.”
Next year’s festival will stick to WOMAD’s winning formula: a long weekend of global music, art, food and community. Over the years, its stages have featured a wide mix of performers, including Australians such as The Cat Empire and Xavier Rudd, who’ve helped shape the festival’s easy-going international feel.
For Aussies based in Britain, WOMAD is a great way to escape the city for a few days and soak up something that feels both relaxed and worldly. And for anyone visiting from home, the new site in Wiltshire makes it an easy trip from London, Bath or Bristol.
It’s the special kind of rural gathering that reminds you why British summers are worth sticking around for.
To purchase your tickets for WOMAD 2026, go to www.fixr.co/event/womad-neston-park-2026-tickets-291628277
For further information on the festival, go to www.womad.co.uk
Read our review feature of an earlier edition of WOMAD at its previous location: www.australiantimes.co.uk/lifestyle/review-womad-2018/
