A Mongolian musician was scalded by boiling water at the opening night of the Womad festival in New Plymouth on Friday.
Nars, the band leader of Anda Union, was playing music in front of the stage where a cooking demonstration was being held on how to make a traditional Mongolian dish.
A wok containing boiling water was accidentally knocked by a cook and landed on Nars, burning him on the neck and back.
The crowd of around 100 were shocked but the band wanted to keep playing.
Staff quickly poured buckets of cold water over Nars before he was taken to hospital.
Fortunately he had been wearing a thick sweatshirt so the burns were superficial and he was discharged that night.
The Tastes of the World segment is a popular part of the festival.
Womad spokeswoman Sally Woodfield said it was a freak accident but festival organisers had taken steps to ensure it didn't happen again.
