WOW Norwich took place at Open and Norwich Arts Centre from 28-29 April 2018. The festival also included exhibitions across venues in Norwich and hosted a schools day for secondary school students on 27 April.

Curated by Rosie Arnold, the festival featured discussions on various topics, including disabled women's voices in feminism, social mobility, the #metoo campaign, everyday sexism, and the representation of non-binary, trans, and intersex people in the media. The program also delved into men's roles as supportive allies in the gender equality fight with Jordan Stephens, survivors' accounts of domestic abuse with charity Leeway, and community action workshops encouraging migrant women to share their experiences with New Routes.

Author Anna Kessel and Jools Walker discussed women and sport, and discussions on media and entertainment included Maria Uzor from Sink Ya Teeth and Vanessa Reed, CEO of PRS Foundation. The program also explored women's roles in politics with West Midlands Council CEO Deborah Cadman and addressed challenges faced by women working in predominantly white spaces with artist Marcia X, Charlene Katuwawala and Enid Otun, founder of Spokeswoman. The festival included The Guilty Feminist live podcast recording with Deborah Frances-White, performances of Dollywould by Sh!t Theatre, live music from Yassasin and poetry by Hollie McNish.

WOW Norwich was presented by Norwich Arts Centre and Southbank Centre, and supported by Spirit of 2012.

Spirit of 2012 funded nine of the UK’s regional WOW festivals across 5 cities (Bradford, Cardiff, Norwich, Perth and Exeter) from 2016-2018. Across the three years, the project trained 107 women in cultural leadership, and supported 68 young women and girls to volunteer as ‘WOWsers’, shaping the festivals themselves. 650 people took part as facilitators, artists and speakers, and more than 9,000 people attended the events.

Spirit of 2012 is a funding charity, established by the Big Lottery Fund with a £47m endowment from the National Lottery. Spirit funds projects that bring people together – to learn something new, do something different, or experience something unique – and that leave behind a social legacy of increased wellbeing at an individual level, as well as happier and more connected communities.

Find out more about Spirit of 2012's work with WOW here.