World Music Festival lineup boasts Ragamala and Pan Latin Music celebrations, Global Peace Picnic, and more

Alsarah & The Nubatones (Sudan | New York City, USA) will perform Sept. 28 at Navy Pier as part of this year’s World Music Festival. | ©Nousha Salimi

Global sounds will fill Chicago come September, in what’s billed as the largest music festival of its kind in the world.

The lineup for the 21st annual World Music Festival, taking place at 17 venues Sept. 13-29, was announced Thursday by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Among this year’s highlights are an all-night Ragamala Festival of Indian Classical Music at the Chicago Cultural Center (Sept. 13) featuring Hindustani and Carnatic music.; ¡SÚBELO! — A celebration of Pan Latin Music and Culture in Millennium Park (Sept. 14) featuring salsa, timba, electronica Mexicana and more; and a Global Peace Picnic (Sept. 22) at Humboldt Park Boat House in celebration of International Peace Day, featuring music and family-friendly activities for all ages.

Here’s the lineup for this year’s festival. Complete information on the festival can be found at worldmusicfestivalchicago.org.

September 13– 14

Ragamala – A Celebration of India Classical Music

Chicago Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall, 3^rd Floor South, 78 E. Washington; ALL AGES

• Josh Feinberg, Kunal Gunjal and Amit Kavthekar; 6–7:15 p.m.
• Akshara Music Ensemble 7:45–9 p.m.
• Jay Gandhi and Nitin Mitta 9:30–10:45 p.m.
• Prasanna, Patri Satish and Samyuktha Sreeram 11:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.
• Nandkishor Muley and Ambi Subramaniam with Mahesh Krishnamurthy and Raj Deshmukh 1–2:30 a.m.
• Roopa Mahadevan, Rajna Swaminathan and Arun Ramamurthy 3–4:30 a.m.
• Samarth Nagarkar with Amit Kavthekar and Vikas Falnikar 4:45–6 a.m.
• Saraswathi Ranganathan with GS Rajan, Patri Satish and Ganapathi Ranganathan 6:15–8 a.m.

September 14

¡SÚBELO! – A Celebration of Pan Latin Music and Culture

• Pirulo y la Tribu (Puerto Rico)
• Los Wembler’s de Iquitos (Peru)
• Centavrvs (Mexico)

Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph, 3–7 p.m.; ALL AGES

• Lucibela (Cape Verde) | Girma Bèyènè and Akalé Wubé (Ethiopia| France | USA)

The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. W., 6 p.m. doors open, 7 p.m.; 21+over

September 15

• Girma Bèyènè and Akalé Wubé (Ethiopia| France | USA)
• Khalil El’Zabar Ethnic Heritage Ensemble (Chicago, USA)

Constellation, 3111 N. Western, 7 p.m., 21+over

September 18

• The Englewood/Soweto Exchange (Chicago | South Africa)
• Jeremy Dutcher (First Nation/Canada)

Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, 7 p.m.; ALL AGES

Ireland’s Lankum will play the Beverly Arts Center on Sept. 19 as part of the World Music Festival.

September 19

• Jeremy Dutcher (First Nation/Canada)

American Indian Center, 3401 W. Ainslie, 7 p.m.; ALL AGES

• Lankum (Ireland)
• Yandong Grand Singers of China (China)

Beverly Arts Center, 1309, 2407 W. 111th St., 7 p.m.; ALL AGES

September 20

• MABANG! (China)
• Yandong Grand Singers of China (China)

Ping Tom Memorial Park, 300 W. 19th St., 5 p.m.; ALL AGES

• Lankum (Ireland)

Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox, 7 p.m.; ALL AGES

September 21

• MABANG! (China)

DePaul University, Holtschneider Performance Center, Mary Patricia Gannon Concert Hall, 2330 N. Halsted, 7 p.m.

• Ikebe Shakedown (New York, USA)

Martyrs’, 3855 N. Lincoln, 8 p.m.; 21+over

• AfrotroniX (Chad | Montreal, Canada)
• KOKOKO! (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Chop Shop & 1st Ward Events, 2033 W. North, 9 p.m.; 21+over

The Garifuna Collective from Belize is on the bill Sept. 22 at the Global Peace Picnic at the Humboldt Park Boathouse.

September 22

Global Peace Picnic: In commemoration of the International Day of Peace

• The Garifuna Collective (Belize | Central America)
• KOKOKO! (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Hermán Olivera y su Orquesta (New Jersey, USA)

Humboldt Park Boathouse, 1301 N. Sacramento, 2–6 p.m.; ALL AGES

September 25

• HaitianDansCo (Haiti)
• Gurdjieff Ensemble (Armenia)

Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, 7 p.m.; ALL AGES

September 26

• Les Filles de Illighadad (Niger) | Kim So Ra (South Korea)

Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont, 7 p.m.; 21+over

September 27

• Gamelan Çudamani (Bali, Indonesia)

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 6 p.m.; ALL AGES

September 28

• Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited (Zimbabwe | USA)
• Alsarah & The Nubatones (Sudan | New York City, USA)
• Funkadesi (Chicago, USA)
• Chief Boima (New York City, USA)

Concord Music Hall, 2047 N. Milwaukee, 9 p.m.; 21+over

September 29

World Music Festival meets the World Dumpling Fest at Navy Pier

• Fidel Nadal featuring Mr. Pauer (Argentina | Venezuela)
• Alsarah & The Nubatones (Sudan | New York City, USA)
• LowDown Brass Band (Chicago, USA)

Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand; noon–7 p.m.; ALL AGES