A ‘first of its kind’ festival celebrating incredible women is coming to Manchester

Wow – Women of the World is all set to take over Aviva Studios from the 24th to the 26th of May for their first ever festival.

Manchester has got some seriously brilliant women we can all look up to and be inspired by.

And now we’re host to an amazing festival celebrating all things female this May.

Wow – Women of the World

The festival will see world-class activists, thinkers, speakers and performers over two days.

They will be taking part in urgent conversations about issues facing women, girls and non-binary people.

What is the lineup for Wow – Women of the World?

On Friday 24 May, WOW Manchester presents an evening with artist and author, Melanie Brown, better known as MEL B.

Celebrating the launch of her critically acclaimed memoir, Brutally Honest, Mel and journalist and co-author Louise Gannon will share an unfiltered discussion on Mel’s journey from being a Spice Girl and global icon, to Women’s Aid patron and champion for survivors of abuse – and everything in between.

Joining Mel B will be some amazing and inspiring speakers, including Australia’s first woman Prime Minister Julia Gillard, actors Maxine Peake and Zawe Ashton, Manchester legend DJ Paulette, author Chimene Suleyman, and activist Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to find solutions to the pressing issues of gender inequality and celebrate the achievements of women, girls and non-binary people both in the Northwest and globally.

Three headline evening events will take place across the weekend.

On Saturday evening, long-time friends and co-conspirators Sandi Toksvig and Jude Kelly CBE will discuss their years of friendship, during which they have witnessed and been a part of huge global change and experienced personal triumphs as well as devastating setbacks.

Sandi and Jude will take an uplifting look at how their personal lives have affected the work that they do and the power and importance of female friendship.

On Sunday evening musician, broadcaster and actor Jordan Stephens will take part in a rare in-conversation drawing on his own experiences of finding fame as a teenager in Rizzle Kicks, navigating success, heartbreak, hedonism, addiction and what happens when it all comes crashing down.

Jordan and a special guest host will explore how his relationship with women, men and masculinity has changed and how he’s learnt to love himself again.

What is Wow – Women of the World all about?

Opening the festival with a powerful Moment of Unity, WOW’s founder Jude Kelly will bring everyone together to look at the highs and lows of the last five years of progress.

Throughout the weekend, household names, local activists and artists will present their big ideas to change the world, whilst inspiring thinkers, activists and world-class speakers will hold frank and lively sessions on everything from the climate, masculinity, menopause myths, reproductive justice, gentrification, divorce, the murky history of the fashion industry, sandwich caring, and orgasms, to urgent conversations around women and conflict with accounts from first-hand survivors.

What’s planned and when?

Jude Kelly will open the Saturday programme with Julia Gillard as they explore the world women, girls and non-binary people face today and look to the future with optimism and hope. Conversations will follow throughout the day spanning a huge range of topics from menopause myths to football, and reproductive justice to being a basic witch.

DJ Paulette, one of the Hacienda’s few woman DJs, will explore Manchester’s music venues from the city’s iconic past, many of which have been lost due to gentrification. The session will look at the impact of absent women from these venues, how buildings shape our cultural landscapes and how we can build inclusive spaces that embody local histories, people and surroundings whilst honouring the shape of their futures.

Author Chimene Suleyman, whose new memoir The Chain starts in an abortion clinic and ends in finding community and sisterhood, will look at how relationships can quickly turn sour and why society allows persistent misogyny to thrive.

Sunday at WOW Manchester will explore topics such as menstrual mapping, gentrification, age, sex, and comedy. Acclaimed actor Maxine Peake joins Jude Kelly to open the Sunday programme with a session about Manchester, the arts, and what the future looks like for the creative industries.

New sessions and speakers have also been announced as part of the daytime programme.

Featuring a different line-up each day, audiences will be provided with the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of events and discussions housed within a huge central marketplace as well as taking place throughout Aviva Studios’ many different spaces.

Household names, local activists and artists will present their big ideas to change the world, whilst inspiring thinkers, activists and world-class speakers will hold frank and lively sessions on everything from the murky history of the fashion industry to urgent conversations around women and conflict with accounts from first hand survivors.

Sessions will also celebrate women and non-binary people in Manchester’s music scene, explore how iconic buildings can shape our cultural landscapes, and discuss football’s ability to transcend boundaries.

Festival-goers will be able to visit the bustling Marketplace – a hub of urgency, generosity and conversation with over 70 spaces to explore.

They will witness pop-up performances from indigenous oud players, poets, choirs and dance troupes; participate in workshops led by Greater Manchester’s rich and diverse talent and explore the city with Walking Tours that celebrate the women usually confined to the footnotes of history from marriage and maternity through to protest and crime.

There will also be the opportunity to meet artists from across the globe in a specially curated South Asian art exhibition.

Jude Kelly MBE on Wow – Women of the World

Jude Kelly said: “We are so excited to be bringing WOW to Manchester and the Northwest for the first time. As a Liverpool girl myself, it is a joy to be able to celebrate the rich diversity of stories across the region and to build a Festival with the people of the Northwest at its heart.

“Factory International is the perfect partner for WOW as we continue to grow and it is a privilege to be able to take over the iconic Aviva Studios with the unique WOW blend of celebration, determination and frank conversation.”

John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International says, “As a long-term admirer of the wonderful WOW festival, I’m delighted that in our very first year, Aviva Studios will be taken over by the energy, ambition and imagination of this extraordinary event.

“We’re delighted to collaborate on the first-ever WOW Manchester and look forward to many moments of inspiration as some of the most dynamic women from the region and across the globe, share their wisdom, experience and vision.”

What is the WOW Foundation?

The WOW Foundation is a UK Charity, set up in 2018 by Jude Kelly CBE, following 8 years of WOW as part of her tenure as Artistic Director at Southbank Centre. It operates across a global network of partners that work with the idea that Festivals and the arts can build the belief across new audiences that a gender-equal world is urgently needed, possible and desirable – whilst also building the determination and optimism to further this aim.

To date, WOW Festivals and events have taken place in over 45 places, across 6 continents, reaching over 5 million attendees. A growing programme of education and leadership for all ages has, for 2023-2024 had a particular focus on girls and non-binary young people.

Alongside WOW Manchester, Festivals for 2024 include WOW Girls Festival, WOW Pakistan, WOW Istanbul, WOW Athens and WOW Rotherham.

Tickets for WOW Manchester 2024

The event will take place from the 24 – 26 May 2024

You can get tickets by clicking here