WOW Kaohsiung took place 5-14 November 2021, organised by the city's new and cutting edge National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts Weiwuying. Featuring a mix of online and in person events, the organisers also offered UK audiences the chance to tune in with English translation.

Taiwan's first WOW Festival was centred around the core ideas of #ConnectedDialogue, #EmpathyThroughTransposition, and #CelebratoryCocreation. During the festival more than 30 events took place, including lectures, workshops, discussions and more, all in an effort to break the shackles of convention, tear off gender labels, and allow the public to explore how to truly make gender equality a reality.

The venue's General and Artistic Director Chien Wen-Pin said at the time: “Having been held for ten years in over 30 cities on six continents, the WOW Festival is an event that influences gender issues around the globe. This year, Weiwuying has brought the festival to Taiwan. Through art and a variety of programs, attendees will be able to embrace and gain a better understanding of each other. May all of the women and girls who attend the event leave with a full sense of self-confidence and empowerment and in turn use it to influence more people and create a gender-friendly world.”

To link the festival to the host city of Kaohsiung, Weiwuying held five WOW Think Ins, where people of different professions, levels of education, ages and genders came together to brainstorm and speak freely about the current state of gender roles in society.

The resulting festival included sessions including a talk about professional women in the sports sector who have stepped past the invisible gender boundary, a workshop on how to use essential oils to massage the body and soul, a theatre performance that invited elderly women to share their stories, and a talk with one of the first female puppeteers in Taiwan.

As well as the public programme, The WOW Foundation team from the UK and WOW festival leaders from around the world came together for an Academy for Creative Producers, to share learnings about using art for social change.

WOW Kaoshiung was produced by National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), located next to the Weiwuying Metropolitan Park in Fengshan District. Inspired by the beauty of the local banyan trees and their iconic canopies of leaves, architect Francine Houben's design is an undulating structure composed of a unique skin that can withstand the humidity and salinity in Kaohsiung – a port city – thanks to a collaborative effort with the city's shipbuilders, and a roof under which generous free spaces can flow. In consideration of southern Taiwan's tropical climate and people's love for outdoor night activities, the Center has a fence-free plaza on the grounds that is accessible 24 hours a day for strolling, relaxing and much more, creating a breezy and welcoming space in which theatre and music become part of everyday life. The Center opened on October 13th 2018 and is now operating all-year round , developing and bringing local as well as international talents to southern Taiwan.

Find out more about WOW Kaohsiung here. Stay up to date with National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts Weiwuying here.