With a record 89,500 attendances through the gates – 7,000 attendances higher than the 2010 event - and glorious weather, the WOMADelaide festival’s four-day format has received another resounding tick of approval from its dedicated national audience.

“Aside from the wonderful attendance figures and incredible performances, we are delighted that WOMADelaide has established itself on the national arts calendar as a must see event. For the second year in a row, our surveys revealed that around 50% of our audience travelled from interstate or overseas to attend the festival. This is a fantastic result which both reinforces the cultural status of Adelaide and enables it to generate millions of dollars for the South Australian economy. Given the natural disasters and difficulties that many interstate people have experienced this year, we were  thrilled to see an increase in people travelling from New South Wales and Queensland to Adelaide specifically for WOMADelaide." - Director, Ian Scobie

Memories - Joanna Newsom attacked by bugs on stage, Angus and Julia Stone topping the Triple J Hottest 100 just after being announced, Fefe, and Afro Celt Sound System returned to draw BIG crowds. Amadou & Mariam, Martha Wainwright, Nitin Sawhney, DakhaBrakha, Tanya Tagaq, and Le Phun’s Les Gumes

view archived website

2011 Poster

WOMADelaide 2011 Lineup

Music & Dance
  • 17 Hippies (Germany)
  • Adam Page (Australia)
  • Afro Celt Sound System (UK)
  • Afro Mandinko (Australia / Senegal / Gambia)
  • Alan Kelly Quartet (Ireland)
  • Amadou & Mariam (Mali)
  • Ana Moura (Portugal)
  • Angus & Julia Stone (Australia)
  • Archie Roach (Australia)
  • Asa (Nigeria / France)
  • Ash Grunwald (Australia)
  • Band of Brothers (Australia)
  • Bob Brozman (USA)
  • Caliente Guitar Trio (Australia)
  • Calypso Rose (Trinidad & Tobago)
  • Creole Choir of Cuba (Cuba)
  • DakhaBrakha (Ukraine)
  • Dereb The Ambassador (Ethiopia / Australia)
  • Don Letts (UK)
  • Dubmarine (Australia)
  • Faiz Ali Faiz (Pakistan)
  • Fefe (France)
  • The Gadflys (Australia)
  • Hanggai (China)
  • Horace Andy & Dub Asante (Jamaica / UK)
  • Imelda May (Ireland)
  • Joanna Newsom (USA)
  • Juan De Marcos Afro-Cuban All Stars (Cuba)
  • Leah Flanagan (Australia)
  • Leigh Warren & Dancers (Australia)
  • Luka Bloom (Ireland)
  • Marshall McGuire (Australia)
  • Martha Wainwright (Canada)
  • Nathalie Natiembe (Reunion)
  • The Necks (Australia)
  • Nitin Sawhney (UK)
  • Norman Jay (UK)
  • Omar Souleyman (Syria)
  • Os Mutantes (Brazil)
  • Rajendra Prasanna (India)
  • Rango (Egypt / Sudan)
  • Rhombus with Michael Tuffery (New Zealand)
  • ScrapArts Music (Canada)
  • The Shaolin Afronauts (Australia)
  • Sidestepper (Colombia / UK)
  • Space Invadas (Australia / UK)
  • Tanya Tagaq (Canada)
  • Tim O’Brien Two Oceans Trio (USA / NZ / Ireland)
  • Whitireia Performing Arts (New Zealand)
  • Wildbirds & Peacedrums with Voices (Sweden)
  • The Woohoo Revue (Australia)
  • The Yabu Band (Australia)
  • Yasar Akpence HAREM’DE (Turkey)
Site & Roving Artists
  • Compagnie Ekart - "Not So Beastly" & "Maurice & Jules" (France)
  • Flags of the APY Lands - "Tjukurpa Mulapa Tjukaritja" (Australia)
  • Gracie Spoon - "The Tiger's Bride" (France)
  • Huri Duna Dancers (Papua New Guinea)
  • Le Phun - "Les Gûmes" (France)
  • murundak: Songs of Freedom (Australia)
  • Roundabout Theatre Company - "The Slow Show" (Australia)
  • Tawdry Heartburn's Manic Cures (Australia)
KidZone
  • Adelaide Face Painters
  • The Amazing Drumming Monkeys
  • Nico & Martin's Instant Orchestra
  • Evelyn Roth's Nylon Zoo
  • Whitireia Performing Arts

The once-off WOMAD Earth Station sister event happened in October 2011 in Belair National Park – the original site planned for WOMADelaide back in 1992 before it was abandoned due to the threat of bushfires.

The event, which was both forum and festival, built on WOMADelaide’s distinguished environmental sensitivity to explore, celebrate and share concern and ideas for sustainable life on our planet. A focus on environmental science and art across a three-day program drew together some of the world’s most innovative environmental thinkers and finest local and international musicians, dancers and visual artists in a program holding environmental sustainability at its core.

Earth Station 2011 Lineup 

Music & Dance
  • The Kronos Quartet (USA)
  • Abdullah Ibrahim (South Africa)
  • Rickie Lee Jones (USA)
  • Zakir Hussain (India) 
  • Toumani Diabate (Mali)
  • Konono No. 1( Democratic Republic Of Congo)
  • The Tallest Man On Earth (Sweden)
  • The Audreys (Australia)
  • The Catholics (Australia)
  • Emma Donovan Band (Australia)
  • Frank Yamma & David Bridie (Australia)
  • Iwantja Band (Australia)
  • Ellis  Pearson - “Man Up A Tree” (South Africa – Site Artist)
  • Mark Atkins (Australia)
  • Mista Savona (Australia) 
  • Pacific Curls (Nz)
  • Paris Wells (Australia)
  • Shanghai Chinese Orchestra (China)
  • Stan’s Cafe “Of All The People In All The World” (Uk – Site Piece)
  • Vika & Linda Bull (Australia)
  • Wu Man (China)
  • The Yearlings (Australia)
The Planet Talks Program 
  • Bruce Thom AM (Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and Emeritus Professor University of Sydney)
  • Cate Blanchett & Andrew Upton (Sydney Theatre Company)
  • Giselle Weybrecht (USA) (Author of The Sustainable MBA)
  • Hunter Lovins (USA) (Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions)
  • Samantha Mostyn (Founder of the ‘1 Million Women' movement)
  • Robyn Williams (ABC: The Science Show)
  • Ian Lowe OA (President of Australian Conservation Foundation)
  • John McTernan (UK) (Global expert on public service leadership, adviser to Tony Blair)
  • Matthew Wright  (Director, Beyond Zero Emissions)
  • Rod Quantock (Australian Comedian)
  • Mike Young (Director, Environment Institute Adelaide University)
  • Mike Sandiford (Director, Melbourne Energy Institute & Professor of Geology Melbourne University)
  • Paul Gilding (Author of The Great Disruption, former Head of Greenpeace International)
  • Peter Cosier (Director, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists)
  • Prof Lesley Hughes (Head of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University and Climate Change Commissioner)
  • Roy Neel (USA) (Vice President Al Gore’s Chief of Staff)
  • Paul Willis (Director, RiAus)
  • Stephen Pekar (USA) (Assoc Professor School of Earth & Environmental Science, Queens College New York State)
  • Tim Stubbs (Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists)
  • Bernie Hobbs (ABC: The New Inventors)
  • Associate Professor David Paton
  • Dominic Skinner (Freshwater Ecology Expert)
  • Associate Professor Keith Walker
  • Dr Graham Turner (Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems)
  • Fiona Heinrichs (Author, Sleepwalking to Catastrophe)