WOMEX - Worldwide Music Expo

23 - 27 Oct 2024

Buy a festival wristband Book events at Aviva Studios

Date: 23 - 27 Oct 2024
Venue: Aviva Studios

Buy a festival wristband Book events at Aviva Studios

Accessibility features available for this event: Wheelchair Access

WOMEX - Worldwide Music Expo – the most international and culturally diverse music convention in the world – comes to Manchester this October

Discover sounds from across the globe at this year’s Worldwide Music Expo (WOMEX).

Coming to Manchester in October 2024, this prestigious music industry event will open its doors to the public with over 50 acts across 5 venues.

Immerse yourself in a vibrant mix of musical genres and styles, including folk, roots, jazz and electronic, with artists representing diverse cultures and regions from around the world.

Image: Eric van Nieuwland

Events at Aviva Studios

Buy a ticket to access the WOMEX stages at Aviva Studios on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. You can explore the line-up and buy tickets by clicking on the links below.

Tickets

To access WOMEX at Aviva Studios, you can book a festival wristband or individual tickets for each night.

Factory International members get early access to book tickets at Aviva Studios:

Factory International members on sale: Thursday 19 September, 10am

General tickets on sale: Friday 20 September, 10am

A limited number of WOMEX 24 Festival wristbands are now on sale. Choose between a 3-Night Pass and 1-Night Pass to suit your schedule.

WOMEX 24 Festival wristbands give you access to multiple venues, all within walking distance, making it easy to move between gigs, meet friends, and enjoy the atmosphere.

By purchasing a 3-Night Pass, you'll also gain access to the exclusive Opening Night concert on 23 October at Bridgewater Hall, showcasing the very best of Greater Manchester's global music scene.

All artists

From traditional music forms to the latest underground sounds, find out more and listen to the WOMEX 24 artists.

Final artists and a full schedule will be announced in September. Sign up to Manchester Music City’s mailing list to stay up-to-date.

Credits

WOMEX is produced by Piranha Arts. Manchester Music City is the local host partner for WOMEX 24.

Partners:

Manchester City Council, Brighter Sound, English Folk Expo and Marketing Manchester, Piranha Arts, Horizons, Black Lives in Music, Attitude is Everything.

Venues:

Albert Hall, Aviva Studios, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Central, O2 Ritz Manchester, HOME (film programme).

Supporters:

Arts Council England, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Manchester Airport Group.

Access information

All WOMEX venues offer wheelchair spaces in designated areas. These are limited and reserved on a first come-first served basis. Personal Assistant tickets are available for anyone who requires support to attend the event and must be requested in advance.

If you have specific accessibility questions or requests please get in touch at info@manchestermusiccity.com. Further accessibility information can be found on the WOMEX 24 Festival website.

You can find access information specifically for Aviva Studios below.

Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.

You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.

Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.

The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.

The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.

Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.

We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.

There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.

Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.

Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.

The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.

You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.

Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.

If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).

Travel information

Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

Our closest stations are:

Salford Central station: 0.4 miles

Deansgate station and Deansgate-Castlefield tram: 0.6 miles

St Peter’s Square tram: 0.6 miles

Manchester Victoria station is approximately one mile from Aviva Studios

Manchester Piccadilly station is approximately 1.3 miles from Aviva Studios

Click on the links above to find detailed access information for each station.

By Bike

There are 40 bike parking spaces at Aviva Studios including space for two accessible bikes.

National Cycling Route 6 passes close to the venue and this TfGM webpage can help with route planning.

You can also hire bikes from on-street docking stations across the city centre. The closest docking stations to our venue are currently on Deansgate by Liverpool Road and (400m from the building) and by King Street (500m from the building). Take a look at Transport for Greater Manchester’s webpage for advice on cycle hire.

By Walking and Other Active Means

Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street via Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

If you're coming from Quay Street, the safest route to avoid construction works is via the cut-through opposite Gartside Street and past Booking.com.

All footways in the surrounding area are well lit and there are appropriate crossings across all main roads.

Pedestrians with visual impairment are recommended to approach the building via Water Street, from Liverpool Road. This route has traditional carriageway and footway design with fixed street furniture which should help with navigation to the entrance.

A footbridge at Left Bank in Spinningfields provides an accessible link across the River Irwell to Salford Central station, and a further footbridge also links Aviva Studios with the Salford area of Middlewood Locks.

Free bus services stop at all city-centre stations, and near to Aviva Studios along Deansgate, Bridge St and Quay St. Buses on these free routes are wheelchair accessible. For full details of the free bus routes, please visit the TfGM website.

Become a member

Experience extraordinary, all year round by becoming a Member. It’s just £45 for 12 months of benefits including priority booking, discounts, offers and much more. Are you in?

Join now →