A world of music from England, IRELAND, Northern Ireland, Scotland/Alba and Cymru/Wales
WOMEX 2026
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21 - 25 October
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GRAN CANARIA
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WOMEX 2026 • 21 - 25 October • GRAN CANARIA •
WOMEX delegate passes with horizons discount
Attending WOMEX 2026 is your chance to experience the diversity of music created across the globe, forge new creative partnerships and connect with international peers.
WOMEX 26 provides the opportunity for all industry professionals to be part of its creative spirit.
For all other pass information, visit the WOMEX website here.
If you are a based in the UK and Ireland, apply for the HORIZONS discount code below:
The Horizons partnership celebrates the diverse music that comes from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland/Alba and Cymru/Wales – helping talented artists gain international recognition on the world stage.
For 10 years, the Horizons partners have joined together at WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo) to ensure our grassroots musicians reach wider audiences by providing advice, funding, showcasing opportunities and assistance at the event.
WOMEX is the perfect platform to introduce our homegrown artists to peers and industry professionals from across the globe, with plentiful learning and networking opportunities across the five-day exhibition and conference.
The Horizons partnership is managed by British Underground on behalf of Arts Council England, Culture Ireland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Creative Scotland, Wales Arts International, Arts Council of Wales and British Council.
ABOUT HORIZONS
our partners
music SHOWCASES
at WOMEX
WOMEX returns for another year and this time, heads to Gran Canaria, Spain, from 21 to 25 October 2026.
Showcases at WOMEX are famous for celebrating the diversity of global music, from Colombian psychedelic chicha to Estonian neo-zombie post-folk.
Venues across the chosen city host the artists with genres spanning everything from folk, acoustic, traditional roots and jazz, to urban and electronic music.
OFFICIAL SHOWCASING ARTISTS 2026
Introducing the extraordinary artists who performing official showcases at WOMEX 2026 in Gran Canaria:
Listen and immerse yourself in the Horizons at WOMEX 2026 playlist.
Enjoy sounds that connect past and present, local and global in a celebration of musical diversity and heritage.
FARIS ISHAQ
Rooted in the breath of the Nay - a Middle Eastern flute with a 5,000-year history - Faris merges his Palestinian and Arabic musical heritage with contemporary jazz improvisation His distinctive performance setup pairs the Nay with a leg-mounted frame drum, weaving layered acoustic textures.
Faris released Supplication with multi–Grammy Award-winning bassist John Patitucci and contributed as a recording artist to the BAFTA-nominated Assassin’s Creed Mirage soundtrack. His discography includes Tripolarity (2019), Nature Addresses You (2021), Kham (2023), and JASAD (2026), alongside the premiere of A Wildscape, his original concerto for Nay and orchestra.
Soumik datTA
A student of the maestro Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta and Pandit Prattyush Banerjee, Soumik is acclaimed for extending the reach of the sarod, collaborating with artists from disparate global traditions including Beyonce, Jay Z, Nitin Sawhney, Akram Khan, Anoushka Shankar, Arijit Singh, BBC Singers and Philharmonia Orchestra.
Described by Vogue as 'one of the biggest music talents of Britain' Soumik was awarded the status of Honorary Fellow by Trinity Laban. In May 2025 Soumik won both the Eastern Eye ACTA award for Music and the Indian Global Forum award for Distinctive Contribution to Music.
CARMEN SOUZA
Carmen Souza stands as one of Europe’s most distinctive and in-demand award-winning jazz voices. She absorbed all her influences from her ancestral Cape Verde and "the world of Jazz" and has long intersected with academic research and higher education. In 2009, she was invited by Fernando Arenas, a scholar of Lusophone culture and Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Minnesota, to perform at the African Musics of the Portuguese- and French-Speaking World conference.
Growing up between Creole, spoken at home, and Portuguese, and surrounded by Cape Verdean traditions, this bicultural and multilingual upbringing profoundly influenced her music and artistic identity.
good showcasing
With environmental responsibility, resilience and professional development at its heart British Under ground builds on the pioneering Tampere Express in 2025.
The Tampere Express Overland Residency offered a small group of music creators and producers the opportunity to travel overland and sea to WOMEX 2025 in Tampere, Finland. This low-carbon, slow-travel journey was a creative and professional development residency - supporting deeper engagement with cultural showcasing, sustainability and sector resilience.
Led by Dr Daniel Ford, this project serves as tool for reflection, peer learning, and value-led international practice.
For an overview of the project click here.
HORIZONS CONNECT DELEGATES 2026
Horizons Connect is a professional development programme managed by British Underground to enhance international networks at WOMEX.
In-person orientation presentations and community building will take place during the conference, alongside creative development, networking, speed meetings, collaboration and partnership building.
conference programme
The WOMEX conference programme invites expert speakers from around the world to present their topics, projects and passions to the WOMEX delegates. Explore the 2025 conference programme here.
film Programme
Film screenings at WOMEX include outstanding documentaries featuring musicians from all around the globe or those focused on music-related topics.
In 2024, British Underground’s short film The Broadside Hack, explored the UK’s alt-folk scene through performances, dances, and conversations. Watch the trailer here.
