Perth-based social enterprise World Music Café (WMC) has been selected as a finalist nominee for the 2026 Australian Folk Music Awards, in the Folk Community Cultural Project of the Year category which recognises outstanding quality and contribution to Australian folk music and culture.
Since 2019, World Music Café has celebrated Australia’s cultural diversity through music, food, and community connection.
Its distinctive intimate Dinner & Show concert format combines quality live performances with global cuisine prepared by the WMC catering crew of refugee and new migrant backgrounds.
The 2025–26 season featured seven sold-out concerts, a northern WA regional tour, three collaborative workshops, with nearly 100 musicians representing a broad range of global music genres.
The WMC program showcases traditional folkloric music, contemporary fusion and cross-cultural collaborations, and has become an important creative development hub, encouraging musicians from diverse backgrounds to collaborate across traditions.
WMC artist engagement has led to the emergence of many quality new ensembles including Mahali, Dragon Odyssey, and Slide Summit, which brings together Grammy Award-winning American Australian musician, Lucky Oceans and Indian sarod virtuoso, Praashekh Borkar.
WMC’s social enterprise model also provides paid employment, training, and community connection for the catering crew and front of house teams of refugee and new migrant backgrounds.
“World Music Café demonstrates how music and food are powerful catalysts for cultural connection, artistic innovation, community wellbeing,” said WMC producer Jon Cope.
“Our shows encourage genuine social connection, belonging and cultural exchange amongst the musicians, audiences, caterers and crew, and World Music Café celebrates the dynamic diversity of contemporary Australian culture,” he said.
The AFM Awards will be held at the Brunswick Ballroom in Melbourne on 21 October 2026.