‘Good vibrations for these turbulent times’: top US hip-hop band to headline WOMADelaide
An iconic American hip-hop band will headline next year’s WOMADelaide Festival, as organisers today announced the final 20 acts for the 2026 event.
Legendary American hip-hop band Arrested Development has today been announced as one of the headline acts for next year’s WOMADelaide Festival.
The trailblazing band found fame in the 1990s with hits such as Everyday People, Mr, Wendal and Tennessee, showcasing their socially conscious lyrics and funky hip-hop beats.
Today’s WOMAD announcement includes the final 20 artists to make the 2026 lineup. It will be a return performance for Arrested Development who played at the music festival in 2014, a show that WOMADelaide associate director Annette Tripodi describes as “joyous”.
“They were a delight to work with,” Tripodi says. “In July, when I read that the first single from their latest album was ‘much-needed good vibrations for these turbulent times’ it struck a chord, because that’s what WOMADelaide is, too.
“Community and positivity are things that Arrested Development have always radiated and exemplified over their decades-long career so it felt like the perfect time to bring them back.”
The band’s groundbreaking 1992 debut album 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of… sold six millions copies and in 1993 Arrested Develpment became the first hip-hop group to win Best New Artist at the Grammys, as well as a second Grammy for Best Rap Performance for a Duo or Group.
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While they will be a headline act, it’s still unclear what day and time the iconic band will take to the WOMAD stage.
Other major artists announced today include one of Africa’s greatest female voices and activists Oumou Sangaré, beloved Italian pop icon Jovanotti who will headline the opening night of the festival, Canadian jazz-fusion group BADBADNOTGOOD, The Netherlands/NZ blues-funk trio MY BABY, American gospel family band Annie & The Caldwells and psychedelic Amsterdam-based six-piece Nusantara Beat.
They join soulful blues guitarist/singer Fantastic Negrito from the USA; festival favourites KAIIT and Mama Kin Spender, and newcomers including Brazilian Australian artist Alcides Neto.
WOMADelaide director Ian Scobie says: “I’m excited about the return of Oumou Sangaré from Mali, who will close the night on International Women’s Day. Her performances at the 2004 and 2017 festivals were just extraordinary and she is such a powerful singer and advocate for women, with an incredible career – from singing in the streets as a child, to becoming an artistic ambassador for African music.
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“I’m also looking forward to Jovanotti, our very first headline artist from Italy, whose career has covered everything from funk and rap to pop and rock, and who has a reputation for amazing live shows.”
Tripodi says today’s announcement of artists “beautifully rounds out” the festival offerings for 2026.
“Every day will be completely different,” she says. “I’m keen to see Canadian jazz-fusion outfit BADBADNOTGOOD making their festival debut, Australia’s The Necks returning for a fully-improvised late-night show and Scotland’s reggae sound system Mungo’s Hi Fi feat. Eva Lazarus.”
WOMAD ticket sales to date, Tripodi says, show that just over 40 per cent of ticket buyers will be visitors to South Australia.
Today’s announcement follows the release of the initial 49 acts for WOMAD 2026, including iconic Australian band Yothu Yindi who will celebrate 35 years since the release of their ARIA award-winning album Tribal Voice.
The full A-Z list of WOMADelaide artists, including those announced today (listed in bold) is:
- Åkervinda (Sweden)
- Alcides Neto (Brazil/AUS)
- Alfio Antico & Go Dugong (Italy)
- Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy (Ghana)
- Annahstasia (USA)
- Annie & The Caldwells (USA)
- Any Young Mechanic (AUS)
- Arrested Development (USA)
- Ashkan Shafiei (Iran/AUS)
- Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou (Morocco)
- Australian Art Orchestra with Kojoe & Hikaru Tanaka — Raw Denshi (Japan/AUS)
- BADBADNOTGOOD (Canada)
- Baker Boy (AUS)
- Balaganesan & Bageswari (India)
- BARKAA (AUS)
- Beoga (Ireland)
- Bhutan Balladeers (Bhutan)
- Blinky Bill (Kenya)
- Bobby Alu (Samoa/AUS)
- Born in a Taxi – Higher Order, Illuminati, Please Wait Here, Sleep Keepers & Zebras (AUS)
- BVT (Philippines/AUS)
- Chloe Loftus Dance – The Air Between Us (NZ/Belgium)
- Cie Hors Surface – Le poids des Nuages & HOME, Damien Droin (France)
- Crazy P (DJ set) (UK)
- Daughters of Donbas (Ukraine/Canada)
- Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek (Germany)
- Džambo Aguševi Orchestra (Macedonia)
- Fantastic Negrito (USA)
- Ganavya (India/USA)
- GANNA (Ukraine)
- Georgia Knight (AUS)
- Iron & Wine (USA)
- Jalen Ngonda (USA/UK)
- Jovanotti (Italy)
- Jyoty (UK)
- KAIIT (PNG/AUS)
- Kankawa Nagarra (AUS)
- La Perla (Colombia)
- The Lazy Eyes (AUS)
- Lewis Major Projects – Triptych REDUX (AUS)
- MĀ (NZ)
- Mama Kin Spender (AUS)
- Mantis (Vanuatu)
- Marlon Williams (NZ)
- Maryam Rahmani (Iran/AUS)
- Meganesia (PNG/AUS/West Papua)
- Megatronic (UK)
- Mungo’s Hi Fi feat. Eva Lazarus (UK)
- MY BABY (The Netherlands/NZ)
- My Chérie (South Africa/AUS)
- Nattali Rize (AUS/Jamaica)
- The Necks (AUS)
- Nusantara Beat (The Netherlands)
- Obongjayar (Nigeria/UK)
- Orange Blossom (France)
- Osadía (Spain)
- Oumou Sangaré (Mali)
- Roberto Fonseca (Cuba)
- Rosas – Rosas danst Rosas, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker (Belgium)
- Sama’ Abdulhadi (Palestine)
- SAN DRAGAN (Myanmar/China/AUS)
- Stan’s Café – Of All The People In All The World & The Commentators (UK)
- Troy Cassar-Daley (AUS)
- Xylourides (Greece)
- YASHA (Japan/AUS)
- Yothu Yindi (AUS)
- Yuka Okazaki (Japan/France)
- The Zawose Queens (Tanzania)
- Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange (AUS)
WOMADelaide Festival, March 6-9, Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla, for more information go to womadelaide.com.au