First wave of WOMEX 25 Artists announced!

The first wave of WOMEX25 artists has just been announced! Between 22–26 October 2025, Tampere, Finland will host artists, delegates, and music lovers from around the world for five days of discovery, networking, and celebration of global sounds.

This year’s festival received over a thousand applications in its open call. In a rigorous selection process, the independent WOMEX Jury settled on a lineup that balances emerging talents with established performers, highlighting artistic excellence from across a variety of styles and cultures all around the world. The first batch of Official Showcase Artists features 18 acts from 25 different countries, ranging from the folkloric to the futuristic, and the traditional to the experimental.

The first set of Jury-selected WOMEX 25 Showcase artists are: 

• Akram Abdulfattah (Palestine / USA)

• Dal:um (South Korea)

• Dur-Dur Band International (Somalia / UK)

• Fleurs Noires (Argentina / France)

• Gordan (Serbia / Austria / Germany)

• Kizaba (DR Congo / Canada)

• La Santa Cecilia (Mexico / USA)

• Liraz (Iran / Israel)

• Mario Lucio & The Pan African Band (Cabo Verde)

• Manhu (China)

• Meral Polat (The Netherlands)

• Oumy (Senegal)

• Spafford Campbell (UK)

• Toasaves (Belgium / Spain)

• Vimma (Finland)

• Yegor Zabelov (Belarus / Poland)

• Yeison Landero (Colombia)

• Zily (Madagascar / Mayotte / France)