Group give free samples from Womad
Taranaki people can get a taste of Womad NZ next week.
Before the March 17-19 festival comes to life in New Plymouth, three events take Womad into the community.
On Wednesday, March 15, children from Tikorangi and Huirangi schools will take part in the Todd Energy community programme with Canadian trio The East Pointers at the Clifton Rugby Clubrooms.
Ontario guitarist Jake Charron and seventh-generation Prince Edward Island musicians Tim (fiddle) and Koady Chaisson (banjo) will teach the youngsters step-dance skills plus melodies and harmonies for a song from the island area.
The day will finish off with parents and teachers joining the children and Canadians for a ‘‘ceilidh’’, a Gaelic word for a social gathering.
After a short performance from The East Pointers, those who took part in the song workshop will join the band to perform and then the dancing begins.
That same day, teams from high schools around Taranaki gather at Witt for the TSB Community Trust Cook-off with celebrity chef Jax Hamilton.
‘‘To be able to get a group of young people who are interested in cooking, to come to the kitchen and inspire them that way, is the ultimate gift as far as I’m concerned,’’ Hamilton says.
This year’s event varies greatly to other years and is more in line with what might be seen on MasterChef.
The top prize gives a team the chance to demonstrate their cooking skills on Womad’s Nova Energy Taste of the World stage at 1pm on Sunday, March 19.
Before it all kicks off at Brooklands Park, people can get a taste of the three-day festival at the New Plymouth District Council Womad Pop-up event on March 16.
To get people into the Womad mood, The East Pointers, Kiwi duo The Swan Sisters and South African a cappella trio The Soil will give a free performance on Puke Ariki Landing from 11.30am to 1.30pm. If wet, it will be at the TSB Showplace.
Emere Wano, festival’s programme manager and event director, says the community programmes are supported by Womad partners Todd Energy, TSB Community Trust and NPDC.
‘‘Our aim is to make Womad accessible through workshops, concerts and artist interactions.’’