Women of the World, Southbank Centre

‘A seismic change in global women’s affairs is coming about and we feel that everyone needs to be part of building a new gender equal world,’ said Women of the World (WOW) founder Jude Kelly, speaking about 2019's Women of the World Festival. WOW was established at the Southbank Centre in 2010, when Kelly was Artistic Director there. It’s since grown into a global movement with a presence in 17 countries across the world. Its mission? To be the biggest festival dedicated to connecting the stories of women and girls to active change-making globally.

Now going into its 10th year, the annual WOW Festival returns to the Southbank Centre on 6 – 8 March 2020, coinciding with International Women’s Day.

The festival has boasted impressive line-ups of influential female speakers in past years, with Malala Yousafzai, Lupita Nyong’o and Annie Lennox among those who have been involved. The 2019 line-up was no exception, with activist Angela Davis; journalist, activist and author Naomi Klein; Women’s Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer; and comedian Jo Brand among those who gave talks.

The full programme for the 2020 WOW Festival is yet to be released, but those organising it have promised nothing less than ‘the biggest and bravest festival yet’, including a tenth anniversary celebration on the International Women’s Day.

Those who are politically inclined can get excited about the discussions taking place on Friday 6 March, when guest speakers will investigate topics such as politics, business and economics. The Friday line-up will also include a number of events exploring everything from motherhood to fashion.

On Saturday 7 March, visitors may pick and choose from talks with some of the best thinkers, most inspiring activists and compelling speakers of our time, dealing with big topics including reproductive rights, leadership, ageing and climate change.

Between the festival’s many discussions, workshops and performances, which will cover diverse topics including finances, sex, global feminism and climate change, the intent of the event remains the same: to explore the state of gender equality across the globe and tackle the most talked-about issues facing women and girls today.

Tickets for the individual events will be announced later this year.

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