General Info + FAQs

WOMADelaide is held in Botanic Park, between Hackney Road and Frome Road in the inner city of Adelaide. See the location on a map HERE or check out our Getting Here page.

The easiest way to get to the festival site is by walking, riding, or jumping on public transport from the CBD or surrounding areas. The festival offers bike parks to accommodate more than 700 bikes, located adjacent to both the Hackney Road and Frome Road entrances. Check out our Getting Here page for some further pointers.

Friday 10 March: Gates open 4:30pm - 1am
Saturday 11 March: Gates open 11am - 1am (Frome Rd Gate is open from 9am to Speakers Corner area ONLY)
Sunday 12 March: Gates open 11am - 1am
Monday 13 March: Gates open 11am - Midnight

Saturday and Sunday night passes: Gate access from 5:30pm

Parking is very limited near the festival site. See our Getting Here page for some options / alternatives. If you are driving, be prepared for road works - Hackney Road is experiencing a major upgrade, so we recommend parking on the CBD side and accessing the festival through the Frome Road Entrance.

There is strictly no camping on site at WOMADelaide as the venue is part of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and no tents will be permitted on site. Adelaide Caravan Park is the closest camping ground to the festival site and is within walking distance. Further accomodation options both in the Adelaide CBD and around South Australia can be found at www.southaustralia.com.

To help you choose which day(s) you want to come, artists’ play dates will be online in December (subject to change). The final schedule of all show dates, times and stages will be posted in February.

We ask that you do not leave ANY of your possessions in the park overnight, or try to "stake out" a spot for the four days. Anything left unattended overnight will be removed by security staff.

We love a good happy snap and encourage you to share your good times with us on social media, however professional-grade still and video cameras will not be allowed on site. This is a requirement of our artists' performance contracts and is requested out of respect for their artistic and intellectual property rights. In addition, the use of long-lens cameras can interfere with other patrons' enjoyment of the performances. Audio recording equipment is similarly prohibited.

A professional-grade camera is considered to be any camera with a detachable lens.

Fundraising is not permitted by anyone on site. If you would like your organisation to have a presence at WOMADelaide you may like to apply for a Not For Profit stall. Please find information for WOMADelaide Stallholders on our APPLY page.

Absolutely no flyering is permitted inside the festival grounds or outside the entrances due to our obligation of care for Botanic Park and our zero waste-to-landfill policies. WOMADelaide's distribution of paper handouts is restricted to the official pocket-guide.

WOMADelaide takes steps to do everything possible to minimise any damage to Botanic Park and look after the comfort and well-being of our audience. These measures include watering the park twice a day prior to the festival and across the weekend. We implement traffic restrictions for vehicles entering the park before and during the festival to reduce dust, ground protection mats are laid for heavy vehicle access and ‘walkways’ for high foot traffic areas, mist stations (when needed) for cooling off and provide several drinking fountains to stay hydrated. 

For asthmatics or those sensitive to dust or pollen, WOMADelaide will be working with Asthma Foundation SA to assist festival-goers with their asthma management. Please visit Asthma Foundation SA in the Terry White Chemmart Pharmacy next to the Info Booth.

Sorry guys, busking is not permitted at WOMADelaide. If you wish to apply to perform at WOMADelaide, please see information for artists on our APPLY page.

Please head to our APPLY page for info on how to get involved with the festival.

Your wristband is your access to the festival. Every wristband is uniquely identified by a barcode, linking the pre-purchased pass back to the purchaser. Passes are non-transferable - you cannot share your multiday pass. On entry to the festival you will be fitted with a wristband corresponding to your ticket type. You must leave your wristband on for the duration of its validity. Once the wristband is removed it becomes void.

WOMADelaide will be employing a new style of wristband for 2017 - radio frequency identification, or RFID, tagged wristbands.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object wirelessly using radio waves. RFID is used in many industries and in our case takes the form of a chip that is inserted into each WOMADelaide Festival wristband for event access.

The tag has a transmitter and receiver. The pod (reader) on the festival gate transmits an encoded radio signal to identify the tag. The tag receives the message and responds with its identification information. Once validated we can instantly admit you into the festival. The tags' information, or customer’s booking information, is stored electronically on a secure database. The wristbands themselves do not hold any personal information. Wearers cannot be tracked and the chip has a read range of centimeters, so your privacy and location remains anonymous. Similarly, if a wristband is lost or stolen, it is simply cancelled and another wristband is issued, there is no tracking.

RFID wristband scanners streamline gate access by eliminating crowd congestion and queuing times; making the ticket scanning process easier and more efficient. The technology also eliminates fraud by ensuring people with fake wristbands cannot enter the festival.

“The pod devices can scan through thousands of patrons an hour flawlessly. The RFID chip inside the wristband is read when placed within a close proximity to the pod. Patrons wearing their wristband simply hold their wrist up to the case as they walk through and a light and beep signals to event staff if the wristband is valid.” TryBookings CEO - Grant Dunoon

RFID pods (readers) will be placed at site entrances. Upon entry patrons will be asked to tap their RFID wristbands on the pods for instant access!

Wristbands will be sent out from early December.

Heck yes you can! Gift vouchers are available for purchase in any amount. For more information, or to purchase, please contact bec (at) womadelaide.com.au. All vouchers must be redeemed prior to the festival. Vouchers will not be redeemable at the gate.

The following entitle you to a concession-priced ticket: Full-Time Student, Australian Pension Card holder, Centrelink Health Care Card holder and YHA member. Please note that you must bring your relevant proof of concession as you may be asked to provide this at the gates. Sorry, a Seniors Card does not entitle you to a concession ticket.

Yes we do - for youths aged between 13 - 17 years of age! Youth Pass holders must be 13 - 17 years old at the time of the festival and proof of age may be required to gain entry. It is a condition of the event Liquor License that after midnight all people under the age of 18 are in the company and supervision of an adult.

Minors are not permitted to enter the bars even if they are with a parent or responsible adult. Anyone who is considering being the nominated adult must consider this responsibility carefully as they will not be able to enter bars or licensed areas with minors. Proof of age ID is required when collecting a youth wristband - age must be under 18 on the last day of the festival.

Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. There is no limit on the number of children under 12 an adult can bring in and they do not need a ticket in advance. Children must enter with a responsible adult, unaccompanied children will not gain access.

We ask parents and guardians to obtain a kids wrist band from the volunteers stationed just the inside the gates, the Info Booth or KidZone, to write contact details on in case of separation.

Fringe Membership is again offering discounted WOMADelaide tickets for under 30's. Details on how to redeem this discount were included in the Fringe Membership e-Newsletter on Wednesday 21 December 2016 and on Wednesday 1 February 2017. Please check your inbox for this discount code.

WOMADelaide is a participant of the National Companion Card scheme, offering disabled patrons holding a current companion card a second ticket for their accompanying companion at no charge.

When you arrive at the Festival Box Office present your National Companion card, our staff will then allocate a corresponding complimentary pass. There is a limit of one companion pass issued on a daily basis. When attending the Festival for multiple days and retaining the same companion, a 3 or 4 Day pass will be issued to your companion. For further information please visit www.companioncard.gov.au/

Please choose carefully, WOMADelaide does not refund tickets. Refunds are sometimes offered in extenuating circumstances and in accordance with the applicable Live Performance Australia Code of Practice for Event Ticketing. WOMADelaide is an all-weather event - no refunds will be made if you choose not to attend due to inclement weather.

Advertised ticket prices are exclusive of postage and credit card Merchant Service Fees. The Merchant Service Fee is calculated at 1.5% of the entire dollar value of each order. Please note this fee is displayed as the booking fee on your tax invoice.

Yes! You are able to scan in and out of the festival site as many times as you wish each day - just remember to scan each time you pass out otherwise you won't be able to scan back in!

In purchasing a ticket to WOMADelaide you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions. Please find the WOMADelaide Terms & Conditions HERE.

Please call our ticket hotline on 1300 496 623. The ticket hotline is open:

Before the festival:
10am - 4pm  MON - FRI

During the festival:
10am - 6pm  FRI - SUN
10am - 5pm  MON

This year we will be installing more toilet facilities than ever before across the four main toilet locations, with additional privacy screening and accessible toilets. Toilet facilities are clearly marked on the maps in the pocket guide, the festival app and on our website.

St John's Ambulance are always present at WOMADelaide and the Royal Adelaide Hospital is only minutes away. Wearing sunscreen is always advisable during WOMADelaide, but if you forget to bring your own, ChemPlus and Channel 9 will be supplying free sunscreen during the festival.

We ask that parents get a childrens wristband upon entry from just inside the gates, the Info Booth, or KidZone. Please write the parent's name AND mobile number clearly on the wristband. Parents should arrange with children to meet at the Info Booth if they get separated. If a lost child arrives at the Info Booth, WOMADelaide staff will try to contact the number on the wristband. If unsuccessful, they will contact the Emergency Operations Centre.

During the festival, please report any lost property to the Information Booth. Any found items unclaimed during festival hours will be returned to the festival office on the Wednesday following the event (tel 08 8271 1488) and held until Friday 31 March. Thereafter, valuables will be taken to the Norwood Police Station (tel 8207 6800) and the remaining items will be donated to charity.

We believe good karma is part of the WOMADelaide experience, so if you find any valuables please do the right thing and hand them in!

The cloak room will be located next to the Info Booth. No valuables can be left there (e.g. wallets/phones/cameras) and only small-to-medium sized, closed/zippered bags/daypacks will be accepted (e.g. no loose items of clothing / coats / jumpers, no prams, no plastic / shopping carry bags etc.). The cloak room will close at midnight every night. After this time your items will be unavailable for collection and the marquee will be closed and unattended. All items are left at your own risk and WOMADelaide takes no responsibility for items left behind.

ATMs / Cashpoints will be located next to the Info Booth, Zoo Corner and Speakers Corner, however we recommend coming prepared as they can become quite busy at peak times. PayWave/PayPass is also accepted at all bars and some stalls.

Yes! Uniti Wireless will be providing free, essentially site-wide WiFi coverage. Read all about it HERE

There will be phone charging stations scattered around the park. You can also head down to the Uni SA tent for some sustainable phone charging options!

Accessible seating is provided in front of the Foundation Stage, Stage 2 and Stage 3 alongside "Take a Rest" seating banks at Foundation Stage and Stage 2 in consideration of our diverse and multi-generational audience.

Those who want to remain seated for a performance must sit at the outer edges / rear of the audience areas at each stage. For selected performances, the audience will be asked by the stage MC to sit down and, in these cases, those who want to stand/dance will be asked to move to the outer edges/rear of the audience area. Please be aware that "staking" out a spot in front of a stage with chairs / blankets or the like for any performance not designated as a "seated performance" is prohibited as this can become a safety concern when large crowds of people can unpredictably converge at stages. Please only bring low-standing, beach-style chairs to WOMADelaide.

Up to 22,000 people attend the festival each day and it's an on-the-move crowd, so please understand that you can’t "reserve' a spot. Generally speaking it is a 'stand up and dance' crowd – the ‘D’ in WOMAD does stand for dance after all!

We also ask that out of courtesy to your fellow festivalgoers you do not leave picnic rugs in the park overnight to "save" a spot, as this is particularly unfair on our single-day pass holders. In addition, for security reasons any possessions left unattended overnight may be removed.

SMALL pop-up sunshades can only be set up WELL away from high-traffic areas and in ‘the pines’ area marked out near Hackney Road. They must be taken home at night and any set up outside of the allowed areas will be removed by security. Tents or other structures of any kind are not permitted in the park. You may bring a small, FLAT parasol for personal sun protection but umbrellas will not be allowed into the park.

There are over 50 food stalls to choose from at WOMADelaide with prices ranging from around $3 - $15, a sit down restaurant, five bars, and multiple other drinks stalls. We take great pride in presenting a diverse selection of international cuisines prepared by some of Australia’s finest food vendors. Of course you can bring your own food and un-opened, non-alcoholic drinks, but absolutely no glass bottles or containers are allowed on site.

Many! Some stalls will also be offering gluten-free and dairy free options, see our FESTIVAL DELIGHTS pages for information on stalls at the festival.

There are a number of drinking water fountains set up around the park, locatable via the map, so bringing an EMPTY refillable bottle with you is a great idea. Otherwise only SEALED plastic bottles of water will be allowed into the park.

The WoShop will be selling a wide variety of official WOMADelaide 2017 and artist merchandise, and Mr V Music will have artist CDs available for sale all weekend, as well as books from some of our Planet Talks Speakers.

Artist signings will be located next to Mr V Music, so keep an eye on the blackboard out the front for each day's signing schedule!

We love our little humans and we have an entire area dedicated to them - drop into the KidZone for daily activities programmed specially for kids!

You are more than welcome to bring prams or strollers (although we recommend avoiding the crowds directly in front of the stages) and baby changing facilities can be found in the KidZone as well as next to the Plane Tree Drive toilet block.

Please note that disposable nappies are one of the greatest contaminants of our waste streams, so please be mindful of our zero waste-to-landfill policy and if you are using disposable nappies, we ask that you remove them from the park with you when you leave. If you are unable to do this, PLEASE utilise the clearly marked dedicated Nappy Disposal Bins located at the change stations and around the park.

While WOMADelaide encourages you to bring your children, we do not offer any child minding services. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

It is a condition of the event Liquor License that after midnight all people under the age of 18 must be in the company / supervision of an adult.

We ask that parents get a childrens wristband upon entry from just inside the gates, the Info Booth, or KidZone. Please write the parent's name AND mobile number clearly on the wristband. Parents should arrange with children to meet at the Info Booth if they get separated. If a lost child arrives at the Info Booth, WOMADelaide staff will try to contact the number on the wristband. If unsuccessful, they will contact the Emergency Operations Centre.

WOMADelaide is situated in Adelaide's Botanic Park, and the terrain consists of a combination of mostly flat grass, paved areas and gravel. During peak traffic periods, and especially after rain, parts of Botanic Park can become more difficult to negotiate. People who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids are advised to use a wheelchair with large wheels if possible. We are continually aiming to improve access to WOMADelaide and enhance the experience of our patrons with disability, please contact us if you require any information or advice further to the below.

An accessible parking and drop-off zone is located next to the Hackney Road entrance, immediately to the South of Plane Tree Drive on Hackney Road. Accessible parking and drop-off will also be reserved outside the Frome Road entrance, between the Zoo and Victoria Drive on the eastern side of Frome Road.

Accessible seating is provided in front of the Foundation Stage, Stage 2 and Stage 3 alongside "Take a Rest" seating banks at Foundation Stage and Stage 2 in consideration of our diverse and multi-generational audience.

Accessible toilets will be located alongside the main toilet block on Plane Tree Drive, as well as the toilet blocks near Stages 3, The Zoo Stage and Novatech Stage in Speaker's Corner. Accessible toilet facilities are installed where possible along the sealed surface cycleway which runs around the perimeter of Botanic Park, with privacy screening and clear marking to encourage use only by patrons who require accessible facilities. Please see the festival map for specific locations.

WOMADelaide is a participant of the National Companion Card scheme, offering disabled patrons holding a current companion card a second ticket for their accompanying companion at no charge.

When you arrive at the Festival Box Office present your National Companion card, our staff will then allocate a corresponding complimentary pass. There is a limit of one companion pass issued on a daily basis. When attending the Festival for multiple days and retaining the same companion, a 3 or 4 Day pass will be issued to your companion. For further information please visit www.companioncard.gov.au/

• Your wristband (or your booking reference number/confirmation email)
• Valid photo ID
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Medication (especially for asthma or hayfever as the park can get dusty) 
• Clothes to suit the weather / rain poncho

• Portable phone charger
• Insect repellent if the mossies love you
• Smiles
• Sturdy shoes
• Friends
• Sunnies

• Party pants

Pop-up sunshades can be brought to WOMADelaide, but must only be set up in areas of the park WELL away from all sightlines and traffic areas. For Stage 1 the only area which can be used is ‘the pines’ area marked out towards Hackney Road. Sunshades MUST be removed when you leave at night and tents or other structures of any kind are not allowed anywhere in the park.

If you bring a chair to sit on, it must be of the low-standing, beach-style variety, especially if you want to use it in front of the stages for seated performances. These will be available for purchase at the WOshop also.

Umbrellas will not be allowed into the park as they can be a safety concern in addition to disrupting other patrons experience of the event. In the case of inclement weather, we recommend packing a light rain proof jacket w/ hood and/or a lightweight poncho. Small, flat parasols can be brought for personal sun protection if desired.

Absolutley no glass will be allowed on site (this includes bottles as well as any food containers).

Guide dogs excepted of course!

• Drones, remote control aircraft / cars are prohibited
• Professional Cameras
• Selfie Sticks
• Audio recording devices
• Fire twirling equipment

And weapons, fireworks, illicit substances, bad attitudes, nasty stuff.... Just leave it home please, our festival is one of peace and community, so come join us!

In keeping with the South Australian Government health regulations introduced on 1 July 2016 that ban smoking from all outdoor dining areas, WOMADelaide will be a smoke-free event as of 2017. Festival goers wishing to smoke will be able to do so in three designated smoking areas.

The new legislation from the SA Government (see sahealth.sa.gov.au) focuses on protecting the community from exposure to potentially harmful tobacco smoke and increasing the comfort and enjoyment of outdoor dining areas for all patrons. For many years WOMADelaide has worked to guide festivalgoers who wished to smoke, to do so in ways that were mindful of other people’s comfort – away from KidZone, the front of the stages, food and bar areas. Over time this voluntary policy has become increasingly difficult to manage and this, combined with the new regulations has led to the decision that while the 2017 festival will establish three designated areas for patrons who wish to smoke, all other areas of the WOMADelaide site in Botanic Park will be smoke-free. Cigarettes are not sold at WOMADelaide.

There are plenty - but they're friendly. At the gates, security will check your bags for alcohol and glass which cannot be brought into the park (bottles/wine glasses etc). SEALED plastic bottles of water/juice are permitted but anything open will be disposed of at the gates.

Security will keep an eye out for people filming live performances (a no-no), and for any antisocial behaviour in the crowd (along with the SA Police).

Everyone in the park must be wearing a valid wristband, no exceptions. PLEASE don't try and jump the fence to get in - you will be seen by security and people have been seriously injured in the past. Anyone without a valid wristband will be referred to the Police.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the average maximum temperature in Adelaide in March is 26.3C and the average minimum is 15.2C, although it can be significantly hotter reaching the mid-to-high 30’s. WOMADelaide is an outdoor festival and can be very warm, although Botanic Park has lots of shade and it can get quite cool at night too! Remember to make sure you drink plenty of water, wear a hat and sunscreen and bring a change of clothes relative to the local forecast as WOMADelaide will go ahead rain, hail or shine! Get the latest forecast from the BOM

If you have any suggestions or comments, please write to us at info (at) womadelaide.com.au. During the festival itself, you can also refer any feedback to the staff at the Info Booth.