WOMEX 2026 brings global music industry to Gran Canaria

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Gran Canaria to host WOMEX 2026, the world’s leading global music event

Gran Canaria will become the international epicentre of world music from 21 to 25 October with the celebration of WOMEX 2026, the sector’s leading professional gathering, which will bring more than 2,500 professionals from around 90 countries to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The fair, which combines trade activity, conferences, professional meetings, cinema and concerts, will place the island on the global map of the cultural and music industry for five days.

Recognised by UNESCO’s Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity as one of the leading professional gatherings for the promotion of cultural diversity, WOMEX will offer a broad showcase of the planet’s music and cultures, from traditional expressions to new trends, urban sounds, electronic music and proposals from different diasporas.

An open programme for the public

The programme, featuring 53 concerts, panel discussions, conferences and film screenings, will also include a significant offer open to the public as part of WOMEX Festival, which seeks to bring the cultural and musical diversity that characterises the gathering closer to the city’s residents. The organisers expect more than 2,500 professionals from some 90 countries over these five days in October, for which a broad and eclectic programme has been designed, open to the public, with 53 concerts, conferences, panel discussions and screenings. Part of the musical programme held over the five days of the professional fair will be open to the general public as WOMEX Festival.

With a programme of 53 showcase concerts spread across five stages in the various rooms and spaces of the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Plaza de la Música and the Gabriel Rodó hall at the headquarters of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, and a professional fair located in Plaza Jerónimo Saavedra, WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria has been designed as the most public-facing edition in its entire history — the warmest and most tropical of recent editions for geographical reasons, which represents an extra incentive for professionals who regularly attend this industry event.

Official presentation at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus

The organisers of WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria and the various collaborating institutions presented the event’s programme this midday at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in the Gran Canarian capital, at an informative event attended by the Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias; the President of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales; the Councillor for the Presidency of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Teodoro Sosa; the Director-General for Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries of the Canary Islands Government, Cristóbal De la Rosa; the Executive Director of WOMEX International, Frank Klaffs; and the executive producers of WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria, Antón Martín, Santi Gutiérrez and Juan Salón.

For the Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias, “from 21 to 25 October the city will once again become a meeting point for the music industry, with thousands of participants from 90 countries — an extraordinary opportunity to remind the world who we are, from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, an open, cosmopolitan, diverse and culturally connected city that understands culture as a tool for encounter, coexistence and also international projection”. This edition takes on special significance for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, as WOMEX will help to boost the city’s bid to become European Capital of Culture. The nights of concerts open to the public will be an opportunity to bring this multicultural gathering closer to residents and to add their support to a project that aspires to place the Gran Canarian capital on the European cultural map.

The President of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria recalled how, in 2018, Gran Canaria took an important step with WOMEX: “It was an extraordinary success and that is why we are here today, because there was a response from our people and from the world of culture and music. Eight years later, the world is worse than it was then, and music is an element of transformation, a space to build bridges and not put up walls. I am convinced that this WOMEX will be a success,” he assured.

The Director-General for Cultural Innovation, Cristóbal de la Rosa, highlighted that WOMEX offers “a truly incredible opportunity”, on the one hand with the Canarias Suena project, in which up to 50 projects by Canarian artists can take part to try to establish relationships and new business opportunities, and also because at the WOMEX opening ceremony, thanks to a collaboration with the organisation, three Canarian artists will perform.

Frank Klaffs, Executive Director of WOMEX International, highlighted the destination of this year’s edition, “which has a unique history and culture and which for centuries has been a meeting point and bridge between Europe, Africa and Latin America, and this position is one of the reasons why WOMEX feels so at home here. We want the city and its inhabitants to be able to experience WOMEX, feel it and discover the enormous diversity of the world’s music.”

The presentation included a performance by timple player Germán López and guitarist Yuniel Rascón, who played the Isa del Parralito at the start of the event. WOMEX producer in Gran Canaria, Antón Martín, thanked the Canarian timple player for his presence at this year’s presentation, noting that “in 2014, at the first WOMEX we produced in Santiago de Compostela, he was the first artist to introduce the timple to the international community, and I think it was a success and that is really where the idea of holding a WOMEX in the Canary Islands came from.”

Santi Gutiérrez, executive producer of WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria, conveyed “emotion and excitement to the entire population of Gran Canaria and its capital”, inviting them to attend WOMEX as “it is the first time in 30 years that we will have a completely free stage with nine concerts next to Las Canteras beach, something we have achieved with the support of WOMEX and the sponsoring institutions”.

Canarian talent on the opening night

WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria celebrates music made in the Canary Islands with performances at the opening gala on Wednesday 21 October at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus by Lanzarote producer and musician Ale Acosta; singer-songwriter and timple player from Fuerteventura Julia Rodríguez; and Makasi, the artistic project led by Marta Bolaños, a musical bridge between the traditions of the Canary Islands and Macaronesia. Three Canarian artists who will share the stage with the duo Alba Carmona and Jesús Guerrero, who is taking part in the event in collaboration with Sounds From Spain.

Also taking part in WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria is Lula Mora, a finalist group in the Sonora 2026 competition, which received the Sonora Passport to WOMEX. Lula Mora will perform on the Atlantic Connections stage, a space that showcases artistic talent from the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America and the Atlantic coast of Africa, with the Canary Islands as a crossroads between continents. In addition to Lula Mora, this stage will feature Bi Fado (Portugal), Espirales (Cuba), Fillas de Cassandra (Spain), Ketekalles (Spain), Le Parody (Spain), Samuel Diz & Jonathan Alvarado (Spain/Argentina) and T Trips & Fake Latinos (Portugal).

Gran Canaria hosts WOMEX for the second time

Following the previous fairs held in Manchester (United Kingdom) in 2024 and Tampere (Finland) in 2025, the island of Gran Canaria is hosting this major global showcase of world music for the second time in 2026 — the meeting point where the trends and artists who will tour international stages over the coming years are decided.

The event aims to facilitate and promote the global music industry from Gran Canaria, as well as to offer a platform to make contacts, inspire and share experiences, enabling new collaborations in transcontinental markets and fostering an open international economic and cultural dialogue.

It is the second time that the Gran Canarian capital has hosted WOMEX, following a first edition in 2018 whose success in terms of organisation and satisfaction among the professionals who travelled there, as well as the economic impact generated by the event, has helped the island to once again become the international epicentre of the music industry.

Economic and cultural impact

WOMEX 2026 once again places Gran Canaria on the global map of the cultural industry. Beyond the obvious relevance in the international music sector and the important cultural offering it represents for the public, WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria boosts the local economy, the tourism sector and the island’s projection abroad.

The 2018 edition generated a direct economic return of 3.2 million euros in local business, as well as the creation of 400 jobs, both direct and indirect. The organisation returned 80% of the production budget to local companies and attracted 2,700 international delegates from 92 countries to the island, along with nearly 300 specialist journalists.

The holding of WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is possible thanks to the support of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria through its Department of Culture, Turismo de Gran Canaria, Turismo de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música (INAEM) and the Government of the Canary Islands, as well as the collaboration of the Office for the Cultural Capital Bid and the Fundación Auditorio-Teatro Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The Auditorio hosts most of the programme, with a total of 26 activities distributed across different rooms, including performances, talks and film screenings. It houses the Theatre Stage, Borondón Stage, Atlantic Connections, OffWOMEX, Club Summit and Plaza Stage, the latter in the surroundings of the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in the Plaza del Espigón.

Showcase programme spans the globe

The official showcase concert programme, whose artists have been selected through the annual call, will feature proposals from different geographies such as Aizhan Sultan (Finland/Kazakhstan), Baile do Mestre Cupijó (Brazil), Carmen Souza (Cape Verde/Portugal/United Kingdom), Claudio Rabe (Madagascar/La Réunion), Diyet & The Love Soldiers (Canada), Fabiola Méndez (Puerto Rico/USA), Faris Ishaq (Palestine/United Kingdom), Indus (Colombia), Ivo Dimchev (Bulgaria), Kadinelia (Greece), Kaito Winse (Burkina Faso/Belgium), Kasiva Mutua (Kenya), La Ciguë (France), Mehrnam Rastegari (Iran/USA), Sauljaljui (Taiwan) and Soumik Datta (India/United Kingdom), among others. In addition, the offWOMEX stage hosts another nine concerts with artists who could not be accommodated in the official programme.

WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria also celebrates music made in the Canary Islands with performances at the opening gala on Wednesday 21 October at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus by Lanzarote producer and musician Ale Acosta; singer-songwriter and timple player from Fuerteventura Julia Rodríguez; and Makasi, the artistic project led by Marta Bolaños, a musical bridge between the traditions of the Canary Islands and Macaronesia. Three Canarian artists who will share the stage with the duo Alba Carmona and Jesús Guerrero, who is taking part in the event in collaboration with Sounds From Spain.

Also taking part in WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria is Lula Mora, a finalist group in the Sonora 2026 competition, which received the Sonora Passport to WOMEX. Lula Mora will perform on the Atlantic Connections stage, a space that showcases artistic talent from the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America and the Atlantic coast of Africa, with the Canary Islands as a crossroads between continents. In addition to Lula Mora, this stage will feature Bi Fado (Portugal), Espirales (Cuba), Fillas de Cassandra (Spain), Ketekalles (Spain), Le Parody (Spain), Samuel Diz & Jonathan Alvarado (Spain/Argentina) and T Trips & Fake Latinos (Portugal).

Club Summit and electronic music

Highlights of the musical programme include the Club Summit stages, dedicated to electronic music and club culture, which will feature Aziz Konkrete (Morocco), Cryst Hunt & Akron (Austria), DJ Fantôme (DR Congo), Puppy Sierna (Colombia) and Taiga (China) in the night-time slots.

Tickets and festival information

The organisers will put a three-day pass on sale in the coming days at a price of 85 euros, giving access to the entire programme of concerts and film screenings, as well as day tickets at 25 euros for Thursday and 30 euros for Friday and Saturday, which include entry to Club Summit. Tickets are available at: https://womex-festival.com/es/#tickets. The detailed programme, timetables and ticket sales can be consulted on the festival’s official platform at: womex-festival.com.

Conferences and film programme

The WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria conference programme aims to support music professionals by fostering connections, collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the global music community. It is a space for inspiration, where attendees can discover new initiatives and opportunities, make contacts with new partners and join forces to shape the future of the sector. Through open dialogue and knowledge exchange, a wide variety of speakers and topics offer valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities shaping today’s music landscape.

The WOMEX 2026 Gran Canaria film programme, with screenings in the chamber hall of the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, is a selection of documentaries portraying music, movements and stories from around the world at a time as turbulent and difficult as ever. The programme is an opportunity for filmmakers, artists, producers and distributors to reach new markets and explore new distribution and production channels. This section also offers an immersive experience for programmers, curators, record label directors and publishers, among others, to discover new musicians and projects, and to reflect on alternative programming opportunities. The documentaries are available online on demand throughout the year, accessible to virtualWOMEX subscribers.

This edition offers the titles: Croatia in Dub (Croatia, 2025), by Lorenzo Mantovani, a documentary narrating an unusual musical encounter between Croatian folk traditions and contemporary electronic music; A Free Daughter of a Free Kyrgyzstan (Switzerland, 2025), by Leigh Iacobucci, a film in which Zere Asylbek, a 21-year-old singer and activist, fearlessly denounces the injustices faced by women in her country; Electric Amazonia (USA/Brazil, 2026), by Darien Lamen, which narrates how alternative media helped cultivate a vibrant Caribbean dance music subculture that culminated in the emergence of lambada in the 1970s; and Luzmila and the Birds (Argentina/Bolivia/USA, 2023), by Pablo Mensi, a portrait of Bolivian singer of Quechua origin Luzmila Carpio, an artist who has dedicated her life and career to revitalising indigenous traditions and spreading a message of social justice, female empowerment and ecological awareness.

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