Womadelaide, a three day festival of world music, began in 1992 as a part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts program. From 1993 it became an independent event held biennially. It became an annual festival from 2004 onwards. The festival is held in Botanic Park behind the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and it is estimated that it draws 50 000 spectators over its three days. Artists perform on several stages and the festival has a 'Global Village' of food, market and arts and craft stalls.

The program includes an extensive agenda of workshops in which musicians demonstrate and share their skills. Past performers at Womadelaide include the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Youssou N'Dour, Sheila Chandra, Afro-Celt Sound System, the Drummers of Burundi, Peter Gabriel, Baaba Maal, Yothu Yindi, Geoffrey Oreyema, Salif Keita and the Holmes Brothers.

Womad stands for world of music, arts and dance. Womad festivals are held around the globe in locations such as South Africa, the Canary Islands, Singapore and Sicily. The festivals were established by musician Peter Gabriel and the first held in the UK in 1982. The festivals aim to enable audiences to learn about other cultures through artistic expression.