• NEXT EDITION
  • 22-26 OCT 2025
  • Tampere, Finland

WOMEX - Worldwide Music Expo


Next Edition: WOMEX 25 Tampere, Finland, 22 - 26 October 2025

WOMEX – Worldwide Music Expo – is the most international and culturally diverse music meeting in the world and the biggest conference of the global music scene, featuring a trade fair, talks, films and showcase concerts.

Over 2,600 professionals (including 260 performing artists) come together every October from 90 countries, making WOMEX the leading networking platform for the world music industry. Its musical spectrum is unparalleled in the international showcase performance market, ranging from the most traditional to the new global local underground, embracing folk, roots, jazz, local and diaspora cultures as much as urban and electronic sounds from all over the globe.

WOMEX hosts 7 stages, around 700 exhibiting companies, 100+ speakers, films, an opening concert and an award ceremony across five packed networking days and rather short nights.

WOMEX and its community aim to support and strengthen the role of culture around the globe and to spread its values through nurturing and promoting creativity and music. As a result, the local and global music community is able to – and needs to – contribute to cross-cultural understanding in a welcoming, tolerant, diverse and productive manner.

The event remains devoted to facilitating and promoting the global music industry and providing a platform to connect, inspire and share experiences, enabling new partnerships across transcontinental markets and an open economic and international cultural dialogue.

Since 1994 WOMEX has been travelling all across Europe, stopping off in

  • Berlin (1994, 1999, 2000) Brussels (1995) Marseille (1997)
  • Stockholm (1998) Rotterdam (2001) Essen (2002, 2004)
  • Newcastle (2005) Sevilla (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008)
  • Copenhagen (2009, 2010, 2011) Thessaloniki (2012) Cardiff (2013)
  • Santiago de Compostela (2014, 2016) Katowice (2017)
  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (2018) Tampere (2019)
  • Budapest (2015, 2020) Porto (2021) Lisbon (2022)
  • A Coruña (2023) Manchester (2024)

WOMEX 24 took place in Manchester, UK from Wednesday, 23 to Sunday, 27 October 2024.

Previous Editions

Intrigued? Want to see what WOMEX is for yourself? Take part in our annual expo! You can book a trade fair stand for your company, promote yourself, send in a proposal for a chance at a programme slot at WOMEX, or simply come as a delegate and take in the many sights, sounds and opportunities on offer. Find information on registration and pricing here!

The Call for Proposals for WOMEX 25 will open in early 2025 for.





WOMEX 2024 in Manchester



Professionals

2,850


Companies

1,530


Speakers

88


Artists

290

Impressions

Photos

Check out our Instagram page here
You can find further information on our photographers here


WOMEX Flickr Page

Videos

For footage of previous WOMEX performances, you can take a look at our YouTube Channel.


WOMEX YouTube Channel

virtualWOMEX

Stay connected throughout and beyond the event by signing up to our online community and directory virtualWOMEX.


virtualWOMEX


The most important international professional market of world music of every kind. This international fair brings together professionals from the worlds of folk, roots, ethnic and traditional music and also includes concerts, conferences and documentary films. It contributes to networking as an effective means of promoting music and culture of all kinds across frontiers.

- UNESCO Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity

IN 2024, WOMEX SAW...


2,850 professionals (including 290 performing artists) from 118 countries representing 1,530 companies.
1,000 event promoters.
560 labels, publishers and distributors.
510 governmental, educational and other institutions.
680 individual booking agents, 590 managers and 280 producers.
237 national and international journalists.
A bustling Trade Fair with 738 exhibiting companies from 56 countries at 246 stands.
61 Showcase acts with 290 musicians representing 45 countries on 7 stages.
88 speakers from 22 countries in 20 Conference Sessions, 9 Networking, 6 Mentoring Sessions, and 3 Associated Presentations.
The Film programme at WOMEX 24 featured a hand-picked selection of 18 music documentaries, including new releases, features, and shorts.
The Opening Concert ‘Together In Music: We Welcome the World'.
Two WOMEX Awards honouring Hermeto Pascoal from Brazil with Artist Award; and In Place Of War (IPOW) with Professional Excellence Award.
WOMEX Academy 2024: accompanied an international group in collaboration with the British Council, a Global Music Leaders group organised by Manchester Music City / Brighter Sound, a delegation from Brazil supported by Funarte and BM&A, a delegation from the USA brought by Western Arts Alliance, as well as new delegates from Cameroon and Senegal.
The WOMEX Radio Studio in partnership with EBU - European Broadcasting Union, NRK (Norway) and the BBC (UK)


 

Media & Press

For photographs, logos, videos and other media from WOMEX, see our press section and media downloads.