The fact that women are such a big part of the WOMADelaide Festival is no accident. With women on the management team, and as decision makers, artists and presenters, made celebrating International Women’s Day such a natural and beautiful thing. The mood of the day was one of nurturing and celebrating the beauty inside whilst caring for our diverse cultures and our lands.
WOMADelaide takes care to be a responsible “citizen” when it comes to caring for the parklands it nestles in. The Flying Fox colony over stage 7 has its own helper hut for information about the colony. Recycling stations are monitored to check correct usage, while the beer cups are washed and re-used. Popup exhibitions such as Stan’s Cafe bring some awareness to understanding statistics. Using grains of rice to represent how many homeless people there were in the last Australian census. Voting patterns. How many Stephanie Rice are there?
With market stalls, workshops, kids crafting activities, roving performers, musicians cooking their hometown foods in “Taste the World”, discussions on modern day “Information Wars” at “The Planet Talks” there’s a wide variety of activities to keep any one busy. Fortunately many repeat throughout the festival, so with planning you can see it all. The trick is to enjoy the moment and discover what is on around you. Families congregate on their picnic rugs, while children play clapping games.
One aerial display that is setup near the zoo plaza, is Chloe Loftus Dance with “The Air Between Us.” Legendary disabled artist Florent Develsaver performs with critically acclaimed choreographer Chloe Loftus. As the duo spiral into the air, they exude an energy of connection and power.
At the other end of the parklands, Cie Hors Surface performs “Home” – an acrobatic display of a different kind using a large trampoline and a high wire. His dance amongst the trees is uplifting and fun.
Osadia is a street theatre company from Barcelona that performs “Live hair art”. It feels as though we have been pulled into a renaissance painting while the colourful, yet stern, artists choose volunteers from the audience. Using wire, colour, shapes and hairspray, they transform their subject’s heads into incredible artworks.
Troy Cassar-Daley‘s performance was different to his usual with a string quartet to accompany him. His songs taken from his 2024 album Beneath the Fires reflect on his mother after her passing two years earlier. There were moments of sadness in the audience, which Cassar-Daly described as healing. His haunting song “Shadows on the Hill” tell a story from his childhood about a massacre near the Old Glen Innes Road. A captivating and powerful performance indeed.
The tempo heated up when Nattali Rize hit the Foundation Stage with her energetic, electronic reggae influenced music. Her magnetic personality and exuberant energy had the crowd dancing and cheering. With her 2025 album Liberate and a world tour under her belt, she was confident and powerful. This is an act to watch.
We’ve long been a fan of Adelaide’s own My Chérie, so it was exciting to watch them performing over at stage 7. With the late afternoon sun washing over their flaming red dress, band members contrasted in lacy white, the effect was poetic. It was a perfect chance to play their latest single “Stuck Inside My Head” and celebrate Women’s Day.
We’ve also watched Baker Boy grow from a young rebellious singer to a mature confident entertainer. Young fans lined up against the barrier in eager anticipation. With a nod to country with the set decked out like grassland, his powerful and energetic performance was a masterclass. With two albums out, the 2025 Djandjay and 2021’s Gela, he has a significant body if work under his belt.
For even more photos check out the gallery below by John Goodridge
WOMADelaide is held next to the Adelaide CBD in the beautiful Botanic Park / Tainmuntilla over the March long weekend. Entry to the festival is through the gates on either Frome Road or Hackney Road.
Tickets and more information on their website
