What a world of magic _{by Madelaine Empson}

WOMAD Taranaki (Winter 2025)

On a sunny Friday at lunchtime, my friend Toula and I set off for WOMAD, Taranaki’s World of Music, Arts and Dance festival. It would be my third time attending and Toula’s first, so in the car, I tried to describe it by throwing out adjectives like colourful, welcoming, and energising. None of them really come close to capturing the vibes, but more on those later!

First, it was time for me to forget to tell Toula we needed petrol. We were already powering up Transmission Gully by this point, so a wee diversion was in order. What a fun adventure! Cutting it very fine, we made it to a small-town petrol station on an empty tank, then back onto the Kāpiti Expressway for smooth cruisin’ from thereon out. Probably because Toula was driving, not the girl who still manages to live up to her childhood nickname.

Crash Maddi and Toula pulled into New Plymouth and parked up at the most perfectly located accommodation, Pukekura Motor Lodge, which I’d highly recommend if you’re in town for WOMAD, any event at the New Plymouth Raceway (which is just across the road), or simply for its proximity to everything. You can walk into town in under 20 minutes or drive there in under five from this well-appointed, sparkling-clean motor lodge.

We met the warm and welcoming head housekeeper Shaleigh at reception, who showed us through our modern, light, and spacious one-bedroom unit. It was the best kind of tour – quick but thorough and filled with good yarns. Once we popped our bags down and grabbed our evening gear, it was time for a picturesque walk through Pukekura Park to catch the first act of the night and a favourite of mine, English and New Zealand alt rock and indie band The Veils.

The Veils are fronted by Finn Andrews and can really go off, filling grotty bars and grand concert halls alike with the kind of noise grunge that makes you stomp with stank face, or brooding ballads that catch you breathless, mouth agog, hand clutching your chest. Their set with NZTrio: Amalia Hall (violin), Ashley Brown (cello), and Somi Kim (piano) was an inspired combination. Stripped back with stirring strings, this was one heck of a festival opener. “Overjoyed to be thawing themselves in the warm glow of Aotearoa once more”, The Veils performed classics from their back catalogue in tandem with new tracks from their seventh album Asphodels, so named for the Ancient Greek flower of the Underworld. A lovely moment came midway through the set when Finn told the fizzy crowd that his daughter was here and hearing Daddy sing for the very first time. The camera then panned down to the audience, where we watched the little girl – who must’ve been no older than three – look up and spot Finn, pointing and gabbling with excited recognition. Such a sweet start!

As the sun started to set, neon, UV, and LED lights flickered on across Brooklands Park – it was time for the Friday night dress-up contestants to strut their stuff! Everywhere Toula and I looked, we saw metallic moons and sparkling suns, radiant rainbows and beautiful, buzzing bees, birds, and butterflies. I have to confess, I totally forgot about the costume comp – this year themed Skies of Wonder – so thought that everyone was just turning it up for the joy of it! That’s not wildly off base: we did see a number of light-up costumes throughout the rest of the weekend too, but nothing quite as magic as this fab Friday fiesta.

Closing out the first night of the festival with a bang was Protoje & The Indiggnation at the Bowl Stage. Blending hip-hop, soul, and jazz into his native reggae and dancehall, Protoje has collabed with the likes of Alicia Keys and Wiz Khalifa. Toula and I vibed hard to this set and, judging from the ecstatic crowd vibrating around us, so did everyone else. The atmosphere was electric, the Jamaican reggae joyous. And the moon? A partial eclipse!

One quick and pretty walk through Pukekura Park later and we were back at Pukekura Motor Lodge, where we were out like lights. Saturday dawned scorching and by lunchtime, we’d set up on the grass at the Gables Stage in time for one of Toula’s festival favourites, Black Comet. Led by the instantly recognisable velvet voice of Laughton Kora (of Kora, L.A.B, and Fly My Pretties fame), Black Comet graced us with their galactic grooves and funk in this surprise encore performance just before boarding a flight to Auckland for another gig that night!

In the light of day, Toula and I went full explorer mode, checking out the different zones and all the amazing resources and supplies dotted throughout the festival. We found free sunscreen and water at every turn, clean toilets in strategic locations, plenty of recycling stations supporting the zero-waste ethos, and vibrant volunteers ready to answer every question under the sun. Within the Global Village, we delighted in treats and trinkets, fashion and food spanning Spanish to South Indian and more, demolishing the dosa from Arranged Marriage and the bún thịt nướng Vietnamese noodle salad from The Skewerz. The Tui Ora manaaki tent was also a standout, with tea and comfy armchairs for those wanting a quiet space to chill and watch live Māori wood carving (shoutout to Meka Mauriri of Matariki Whakairo) right by Te Paepae, the home of WOMAD’s artist workshops. Another place that impressed was the Kidzone, which we visited with my friend Ruth and her nephew Alasdair, who had made a rather fly set of nunchaku at the arts and crafts station. With a massive playground, face painting, cool workshops on offer, ice cream galore, and more fun to be had, it’s clear to see why this family-friendly festival is so beloved by all ages. I was surprised and delighted to learn that children under 12 can go free, with one per grownup ticket holder.

Putting the M in WOMAD, our final night was filled with back-to-back music. We were part of the huge turnout for Aotearoa indie rockers The Beths, whose Sunday set stunned – especially with the giant fish head they brought with them onto the Bowl Stage. A quick Reddit search reveals this is “a kingfish – I guess, maybe named Blue”. While I suspect Blue is the mascot brought to life from the cover of their third and latest album, Expert in a Dying Field, I’m also inclined to agree with the Redditor who declared the fish to be “a member of The Beths” and was promptly thanked by the rest of the community for clarifying.

That night we saw one of my favourite acts, Queen Omega, who brought such a soulful energy to the Gables Stage. Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago and nicknamed Queenie by her fans, Queen Omega has slayed at some of the world’s biggest reggae festivals. Hail!

While not amongst the original lineup, MY BABY was next up, stepping in at the Brooklands Stage as one of the penultimate acts of the fest. I had interviewed this Dutch-New Zealand trio twice but hadn’t seen them live and was always intrigued by their music, described as ‘psychedelic blues-trance rave’. Bathed in a red and blue glow, the crowd crackled along as hazy lasers beamed down on this pulsating act.

And, finally, at 9pm on the Gables Stage, CHAII. There’s no better way to describe this Aotearoa artist and producer, who sung in Farsi and was nominated for five 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards at the time of press, than cool. So cool it makes you nearly want to cry. Honestly, I reckon no one will ever be as cool as her. Mesmerising, meteoric, and dressed all in red, she wove Persian rhythms together with punchy beats, electronica, and rap as she announced to the crowd that her parents were in the house. Cue collective whoop!

Crashing from all that glorious adrenaline and with faces sore from smiling, we slept as deep as you can imagine. After a smooth checkout the next morning and a chill drive home (no incidents or near-misses to report), I asked Toula what she thought of it all. She told me it wasn’t just her first WOMAD, but her first family-oriented festival – and to her surprise, she preferred it over R18 events.

“It was beautiful to see both adults and kids in absolute awe of everything WOMAD had to offer”, she said. “I really loved how much effort the organisers put into making it a safe environment for kids, including a dedicated Kidzone. In turn it also made it a really friendly and safe environment for the adults too.”

Overall, she hadn’t been sure what to expect and was “sincerely overwhelmed by how awesome it was”, adding Brooklands Park was the perfect venue.

“I loved how many different stages, markets, and food stalls there were to explore as well as being able to experience a massive range of music genres presented by bands from all over the world. It was truly beautiful.”

Couldn’t agree more!