WOMEX highlights 2024
We celebrated WOMEX’s 30th anniversary, bringing the global music industry to Manchester.
More than 2,500 delegates, 738 exhibiting companies, 246 stands, and participants from 56 countries took part in the trade fair.
Manchester’s music scene was well represented with performances from Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet, Agbeko, Vulva Voce, Heather Ferrier, and Dirty Freud, presenting our local talent on an international stage.
We took over six key venues, including Aviva Studios, The Bridgewater Hall, O2 Ritz Manchester, Albert Hall, and Manchester Central, showcasing over 60 acts and 290 musicians from 45 countries.
The film programme at HOME featured a curated selection of 18 music documentaries, including new releases, features, and shorts.
As host nation for WOMEX, Horizons was invited to present its own Regional Stage with nine artists from the UK and Ireland including Gwenifer Raymond, Balimaya Project, Coras Trio, Strange Boy, Amy Laurenson, Gnoss, Cerys Hafana, N’famady Kouyaté and Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet.
WOMEX 24 received significant media coverage, not only attracting more new delegates than past editions but also raising the profile of all Horizons artists. 138 editorial pieces were published, reaching 456 million people worldwide, with an estimated 3.23M lifetime views. Social media engagement hit 3.2K, and 35 articles spotlighted the Horizons stage.
In addition, Brighter Sound produced a wraparound and legacy programme, WE, THE LEADERS, to support and champion new and emerging trailblazers in the music industry. The programme included a Future Forming Symposium, a supplementary schools programme for Manchester’s young diaspora communities, a youth-led music conference, and more.
Manchester Music City is proud to have been the local host of WOMEX 24, and we look forward to seeing what Piranha Arts have in store for WOMEX 25 in Tampere, Finland.
Credits
WOMEX is produced by Piranha Arts every year since 1994. Manchester Music City was the local host partner for WOMEX 24.
Partners:
Manchester City Council, Brighter Sound, English Folk Expo, Marketing Manchester, Piranha Arts, Horizons, Black Lives in Music and Attitude is Everything.
Venues:
Albert Hall, Aviva Studios, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Central, O2 Ritz Manchester, HOME (film programme).
Supporters:
Manchester City Council, Arts Council England, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Manchester Airport Group and VisitBritain.
