The Her-story of WOW

WOW (Women of the World) was founded by Jude Kelly CBE in 2010, when the first WOW Festival took place at Southbank Centre in London. Since then, WOW Festivals have taken place across the globe, reaching more than two million people. Through festivals, events, schools programmes and more, WOW challenges the belief that gender equality has already been achieved – and hopes to join the dots between people, movements and ideas to change the world.

Why have a festival for gender equality?

A room filled with many hundreds of women, seated and talking to each excitedly.

WOW is a festival because celebration creates optimism, optimism creates determination and energy, and that makes you feel like anything is possible.

It’s for anybody who is thinking about the amazing world we would have if gender equality could come about.

Festivals often evoke happiness, spontaneity, surprise and delight, experiences and experimentation. WOW Festivals are joyful, challenging and surprising. A riot of colour, mind-bending conversation and community, there’s space at WOWs for everything from the most difficult discussions to have to workshops that have you in fits of laughter. They are a space to socialise, dip in and out, and find a personal journey.

WOW events are a glorious fusion of conversations, keynotes, workshops, performances and exhibitions. There are favourite WOW sessions, like WOW Bites, which are short talks, readings and soapbox moments on a wide range of subjects designed to inspire, engage and introduce new ideas.

WOW in Australia

WOW was first staged in Australia as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival in 2013. It has since taken place in Katherine in the Northern Territory in 2013, 2014 and 2016 at Godinymayin Arts Centre, in Brisbane in 2015 at QUT Garden’s Point, and in Melbourne in 2017 at Footscray Arts Centre. WOW @ Festival 2018 was a key part of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games cultural program.

The Queensland Government has supported a three year WOW Australia program with the first planned for April 2020 – the Festival that Never Was! Like many events around the world, our 2020 festival was cancelled due to Covid-19, just three weeks out from the event. Whilst saddened and disappointed at this turn of events, WOW Australia executed a digital pirouette, making sure that artists continued to be commissioned, that connections were facilitated, that the necessary conversations were had: working in with our wider WOW community across the world for #wowglobal24; creating a digital portal of great content on our website -  'The Well'; producing DomestiCITY - three Covid-safe events at Brisbane Festival - and turning each event into a series of short films so that you too can step inside the homes of Brisbane women; and finally, holding Think Ins with communities the length and breadth of Queensland in preparation for our 2021 season.

WOW Global

WOW truly is a global movement, with festivals and events taking place on every continent, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Nepal, the Middle East, Turkey, UK, Nigeria, USA, Australia and the Pacific, and Malaysia.

More than 100 people are gathered for a protest for women’s rights. Many have their hands in the air, and several are holding placards, some of which say, “I am more than my body” “women’s rights are human rights” and “screw beautiful I’m brilliant”

On the 27-28 June 2020, WOW festivals around the world contributed to an international digital festival. With the overarching theme of “Women and Girls in a Time of Crisis”, WOW Global 24 analysed the issues, explored solutions, spotlighted what is already being done, and heard from women, girls and people of all genders who are working towards a better, post Covid-19 world.

WOW (Women of the World) Festivals, are developed in partnership with and on licence from The WOW Foundation. Now in its 10th anniversary year, the spirit of celebration that WOW centralises helps build the stamina, courage, networks and friendships that have led to major change, from individuals through to governments, and seen the genesis of so many artistic projects that have furthered ideas across the world.

International Day of the Girl

Two school girls are smiling at the camera. They are wearing grey uniforms with white collars and yellow piping. The girl on the left has long hair in plaits, on the right she has her hair swept back.

Of One Mind also organises celebrations on and around the UN International Day of the Girl on 11 October each year where up to 100 school girls participate in conversations and workshops with inspirational women and girls. They also have the opportunity to be mentored by professional women from all walks of life in the ever popular WOW Speedmentoring.

In 2018 and 2019 our partners for these inspiring events were QPAC and the Wheel of Brisbane.