Budapest to Host WOMEX Expo in 2015

World music expo WOMEX announced today that Budapest, Hungary will be the host city in 2015. Host City: Budapest, Hungary. The 2015 edition is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21 – Sunday, October 25, 2015.

WOMEX received host city proposals from over twenty European cities for the 2015-17 editions. Eight cities were shortlisted alongside Budapest, including Barcelona (Spain), Cardiff (UK), Dublin (Ireland), Gothenburg (Sweden), Poznan (Poland), Thessaloniki (Greece), Vienna (Austria) and Warsaw (Poland).

“We are very happy that WOMEX will finally arrive in Budapest in 2015 after so many years of talks and preparations,” says Alexander Walter, WOMEX Director of Music Programming. “Budapest offers exactly the right combination of conditions for hosting an international music event with manifold requirements: from global flight connections to sufficient hotel beds; and from experienced, well-networked partners to suitable festival, conference and trade fair venues – to name just a few. It will be the first time for WOMEX in Central/Eastern Europe during our event’s many years of wandering across the continent.

Hungary has always been at the crossroads of migrating peoples who have brought their own traditions to enrich the cultural fabric of theland. This is just the right place for celebrating the magnificent diversity of our world’s cultures!”

WOMEX’s local partner for 2015 will be Hangveto, who will be cooperating with the two venues, Palace of Arts and Millenaris Park.

“Hosting WOMEX in Budapest had been a longstanding dream that has just come true now,” stated Andras Lelkes, Endre Liber and Balazs Weyer from Hangveto. “After Muzsikas’ WOMEX Award in 2008 and the Hungarian Opening in 2011, hosting the event is a logical, but still giant, next step. We also feel the inspiring weight of Budapest being the first host city from Central and Eastern Europe in WOMEX’s history. We want to use this chance to create a net of opportunities for the world music industry of Hungary and the whole region. But, first of all, we want to provide a memorable and professional event for the global world music community.”

Featured prominently on the World Heritage Site List of UNESCO, Budapest is the fifth most visited capital of Europe. The majestic Danube splits the city into Buda and Pest and hosts one of the biggest festivals on the international touring circuit, Sziget (meaning ‘island’ in Hungarian), every year in August.

For more information on Budapest, visit:

http://gotohungary.com
http://www.budapestinfo.hu
http://www.budapest-criticalguide.hu