WOW Festivals were initiated in Bangladesh through divisional Chapters from 2017 in Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Sylhet, leading to a national festival in Dhaka in 2019 and as a response to the pandemic, the festivals also moved online and expanded to represent women's voices from more divisional cities through WOW Virtual Bangladesh Festivals. Since its initiation in Bangladesh, the festivals have collectively reached over 50,000+ festival audiences.

WOW Bangladesh 2023, the biggest festival for women in Bangladesh, took place on 24-25 February in Dhaka. This two-day inclusive festival proudly highlighted the achievements and obstacles women face in Bangladesh and around the world on a national scale. There were open-for-all and thought-provoking panel discussions, workshops, mentoring, theatre and dance performances, exhibitions, marketplace fairs, and concerts to celebrate the strength, resilience, and indomitable spirit of women in Bangladesh. From showcasing the formidable spirit of women choosing unconventional career paths to addressing global issues that are hindering the growth of gender equality and inclusion, WOW Bangladesh 2023 has been hailed as the most successful festival for women in Bangladesh.

WOW Dhaka is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the city and the incredible people that live and work here every day, as well as to showcase visiting speakers, performers, panellists and many inspiring women. Aimed at celebrating women and girls, looking at the challenges they face, encouraging debate as well as positive change and action, WOW Dhaka is a festival where hundreds of women’s stories will be shared, feelings vented, fun had, minds influenced, and hearts expanded. Our work in the area of gender and equality is a recognition of the need to share experiences and approaches to tackle the continuing inequalities and discrimination faced by marginalised groups in our societies, and WOW Dhaka is yet another initiative that does exactly that.

The British Council has been organising WOW in Bangladesh since 2017. The last six years have seen successful WOW Festivals in divisional and national chapters, covering most of the divisions in Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, and Rangpur).

WOW in Bangladesh is organised by the British Council in strategic partnership with Mongol Deep Foundation and CCD Bangladesh. The curators for the festival are Creative Pathways Bangladesh, COTAKE, Monsoon Letters, Together WE Can, and Women in Digital. These teams have been working together dedicatedly since 2017 to plan, design, implement, and promote WOW programme throughout Bangladesh. Utilising arts and culture to create everlasting and sustainable change in the gender arena in Bangladesh, the WOW organisers have also connected to governmental and non-governmental initiatives along with women-led organisations.

Stay up to date with WOW in Bangladesh here. You can also follow the British Council in Bangladesh on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.