Posted November 03, 2017 12:23:01

Womadelaide will remain in South Australia until at least 2024 after the State Government signed a five-year licence extension.

The event's capacity will also be boosted by an extra 5,000 people in 2018, with the Botanic Park venue in Adelaide to expand into Frome Park.

The State Government will also pump an undisclosed extra sum of money into the festival, allowing organisers to sign two large-scale landmark productions for next year.

The French aerial spectacular Gratte Ciel's Place des Anges will see the company's performers appear high above the Botanic Garden treetops.

"It's the sort of event that people will be saying in years to come, do you remember that year when the angels flew above the park at Womadelaide?" Womadelaide director Ian Scobie said.

"The company are really unusual in that they are circus performers, high-level aerial performers and dancers."

Also unveiled will be the nightly showing of the Manganiyar Seduction from India, which will see 43 musicians performing within a 36-windowed, multi-level, purpose-built "jewel box" stage.

The hour-long performance will transpose the songs and traditions of the Manganiyars, a cast of musicians from the heart of the Thar Desert.

"As the sound of their music swells, it's almost like an orchestral gypsy, rajastani music, if you can imagine that," Mr Scobie said.

"As that swells, then the lighting in the structure itself dances across the performers and it turns into something that's quite mesmerising. It's a little bit like a night-time kaleidoscope."

Photo: Manganiyar Seduction presents scores of musicians playing in a wall of individual boxes. (Supplied: Womadelaide)

Womadelaide already attracts 45 per cent of its audience from interstate, which is worth more than $15 million to the state.

Scobie said he wanted to increase that to help deliver value for the State Government's money and the bigger budget would help.

"It's a significant increase that really recognises that the plans for the festival over the next five years is to expand its programming," he said.

Womad founder and musician Peter Gabriel said Womadelaide had flourished over the last 25 years.

"Womadelaide has its own unique style and consistently brings its loyal audience new delights from all over the world under the inspired guardianship of Ian Scobie and his excellent team," he said.

"We really appreciate our partnership with the South Australian Tourism Commission and this big vote of confidence in our future."

Womadelaide runs for four days from Friday March 9.

Photo: An overseas performance of Gratte Ciel aerial spectacle, Place des Anges. (Supplied: Womadelaide)

Topics: arts-and-entertainment, contemporary-art, adelaide-5000, sa