Tuuletar. Photo / Supplied
The public will get to experience just what makes WOMAD special in a free event the day before the internationally acclaimed festival opens.
New Zealand group Albi and The Wolves, Tuuletar from Finland and local dance performance group Tansi Productions will be on stage at Puke Ariki Landing for the free two-hour event, starting at 11.30am on Thursday, March 12.
If it happens to be wet, it will be held at TSB Showplace.
NPDC recreation and culture manager Teresa Turner says the pop-up gig brings a free flavour of what WOMAD is all about to the city centre.
"This is the sixth year that we've brought WOMAD into the CBD and it's always a great event with families enjoying the great acts on the beautiful setting of Puke Ariki Landing," she says.
As well as music, there will be food trucks so those working in New Plymouth can pop down on their lunch breaks.
"We are proud to be the Host City Partner and support the festival through our Major Events Fund. Our teams have done a fantastic job in getting the city and the stunning Brooklands Park ready for the three-day festival.
"Our See it in the City initiative is supporting the pop-up gig which we see as a curtain-raiser to the main festival, and it's always a pleasure to work with WOMAD NZ and to welcome artists from across the globe to our wonderful corner of the world."
WOMAD NZ event director and programme manager Emere Wano says the NPDC WOMAD pop-up event is always popular and attracts hundreds of people, and she expects this year's show to be another awesome event.
"There's always a fantastic atmosphere at the NPDC pop-up gig. It's a really relaxed vibe, with people coming out in the lunch breaks to enjoy the music and entertainment on offer in the lead-up to WOMAD weekend," Emere says.
"Not only is it a great opportunity for the audience to get a taster of what they can expect to experience at WOMAD, it means people in the community who may not be able to attend WOMAD get the opportunity to be part of what makes this festival so special. We are very thankful for the support of NPDC to enable this event to take place."
The NPDC pop-up gig line-up:
Described as a soulful, energetic, electric, and uplifting trio, Albi & The Wolves took out the Best Folk Artist at the 2018 New Zealand Music Awards.
This band prides itself on pushing the limits of what three musicians can do using only an acoustic guitar, an electric violin, a double bass and three voices.
All the way from Finland, Tuuletar take a novel approach to traditional Finnish folk music with their fierce energy, fresh beat box rhythms and other-worldly harmonies.
Pioneering the genre of 'vocal folk hop', the singers won the prestigious Finnish EMMA award (the equivalent to a Grammy) for the best ethno album in 2017 and continue to enchant audiences with their ethereal, tribal energy.
The NPDC pop-up gig will kick off with Taranaki's own Tansi Productions dance crew.
Tansi Productions will also perform alongside Taranaki school children on the Te PaePae stage on the Sunday of the WOMAD festival at Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, March 13 to 15.