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WOW - WOMEN OF THE WORLD AND THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL ANNOUNCE WOW AT 15

• Royal Albert Hall and WOW - Women of the World announce a special one-off event on International Women’s Day to celebrate WOW’s landmark anniversary.

• WOW at 15 will feature a rare UK headline appearance by legendary activist Angela Davis in conversation with WOW’s Founder Jude Kelly CBE.

• Further speakers and performances to be announced.

• Tickets for WOW at 15 go on sale at 10am on Friday 20 September (pre-sale 19 September).

• WOW at 15 is the first event to be announced in a year-long celebration of events and programmes to mark the anniversary.

WOW - Women of the World and the Royal Albert Hall have today announced WOW at 15, a special one-off celebration which will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on International Women’s Day (8 March 2025).

A major highlight of WOW’s 15th anniversary year, WOW at 15 will celebrate the significant impact WOW has made shifting the dial on gender equity since being founded by Jude Kelly CBE in 2010, and look to the future to discuss the urgent challenges that still need to be overcome.

In a rare UK appearance, legendary activist Angela Davis will headline the event in conversation with WOW Founder’s Jude Kelly, alongside a bill of world-class speakers, activists and artists for an evening of big ideas and conversations, laughter, joy and performance with further guests to be announced.

Over the past 15 years, WOW Festivals and events have taken place in 45 locations on six continents celebrating women, girls and non-binary people. Attracting five million people worldwide, WOW has supported thousands of activists, brought previously taboo subjects into mainstream dialogue and acted as a catalyst for the launch and success of countless campaigns.

This will be the first WOW event held at the Royal Albert Hall, a venue intrinsically linked with the history of the suffragette movement and the site where some of the most memorable speeches and events took place in the fight for women to gain the vote.

Headlining the event, leading activist, scholar and author Angela Davis will join Jude Kelly for a special in conversation honouring her life and achievements. Angela went from being on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List to becoming one of the most sought after speakers in the world, and a key witness to the historical struggles of the contemporary era. Jude and Angela will discuss the role of love in activism, hope and healing, her dreams for the future - and her love of the Blues..

The evening will also feature the world premiere of a newly commissioned fanfare for the Royal Albert Hall’s spectacular organ written by award-winning composer Isobel Waller-Bridge and performed by renowned organist, conductor, broadcaster and composer Anna Lapwood on the Hall’s 153-year-old 9,999 pipe organ.

Further line-up will be announced this autumn.

Angela Davis says: "I am delighted to be in conversation with Jude Kelly as part of this event to mark 15 years of WOW. I have appeared a number of times at the festival and am always inspired by its energy and mission. I'm excited to see what the next 15 years brings, and look forward to celebrating with you all on International Women's Day."

Jude Kelly, CEO and Founder of The WOW Foundation says: “2025 marks an incredible milestone for WOW – something that started as a dream of mine 15 years ago is now a global movement run by 30 like-minded partners in 45 locations across six continents. It is an extraordinary moment, but also a bittersweet one. I would love to be able to say that WOW, in its 15th year, is no longer needed. That women, girls and non-binary people are seen and valued equally the world over, however this is not the case. Our anniversary year will serve to renew all our energies, and despite setbacks, help sustain optimism and joy that will ultimately enable gender equity to be achieved. We can’t wait to come together for WOW at 15 – Angela Davis has been a true friend to WOW across many years, and in her 80th year we want to honour her unparalleled contribution to work towards equity in all its forms.”

Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, says: “We’re incredibly honoured to be hosting WOW at 15 on International Women’s Day 2025 at the Hall. WOW has been instrumental in advocating for equality and at the forefront of creating progressive change. We hope that this momentous 15th anniversary event will help to energise and inspire the next generation of leaders and voices in ensuring a more fair and equal society, and we are so excited to be welcoming some of the world’s greatest thinkers, artists and activists to our stage.”

WOW at 15 will be the first of several events in 2025 marking WOW’s 15th anniversary, further details will be announced in the new year.

Tickets for WOW at 15 start from £20 with 200 £10 tickets allocated for community and school groups.

Tickets for WOW subscribers, and Friends and Patrons of the Royal Albert Hall go on sale on Thursday 19 September at 10am, with general on-sale on Friday 20 September at 10am on the Royal Albert Hall website.

The WOW Foundation is proudly supported by its Global Founding Partner Bloomberg and Girls Global Champion Standard Chartered.

LISTINGS

Royal Albert Hall and WOW - Women of the World Present

WOW at 15

Saturday 8 March 2025

The Royal Albert Hall

Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP

Box Office

Open 9am – 9pm daily at Door 12 (except when there is no show in the auditorium and we close at 5pm).

Please note that from Sunday 15 September to Friday 20 September the box office at Door 12 and the Royal Albert Hall Café Bar will be closed.

Our phones are open Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm on 020 7589 8212.

Tickets from £20

BSL Interpreted and live captioned

-ENDS-

For further information please contact

Kate Hassell kate@breadandbutterpr.uk

About The WOW Foundation
The WOW Foundation was created by Jude Kelly CBE in 2018 to run the global movement that is WOW - Women of the World Festivals. The Festivals began in the UK in 2010, launched by Kelly at the Southbank Centre London, where she was Artistic Director, to celebrate women and girls, taking a frank look at what prevents them from achieving their potential, raising awareness globally of the issues they face, and discussing solutions together.

To date, WOW has reached six million people in 45 locations on six continents, in locations including Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somaliland, the UK and the USA.

Over the last 15 years the Festivals have developed a reputation as a space for world renowned artists, activists, thinkers and performers including Angela Davis, Malala Yousafzai, Annie Lennox, Patrick Stewart, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Salma Hayek, to come and participate, alongside thousands of women and girls who don’t have public profiles but are doing amazing things. WOW provides platforms for people of all kinds, changes attitudes, brings communities together and provides a unique space for people to work together towards gender equity in their own communities. One example of the Festival’s impact came in 2015, with the founding of the Women’s Equality Party by Sandi Toksvig and Catherine Mayer.

In 2018 Kelly left the Southbank Centre to run The WOW Foundation full time as a charity working to build, convene and sustain a global movement that believes a gender equal world is possible and desirable through festivals and empowering women and girls. The unique festival model creates numerous pathways for participants to take part in WOW projects, amplify their own causes, or start new initiatives which have a wide impact on communities. It is the biggest, most comprehensive and most significant festival dedicated to presenting work by women and promoting equity for women and girls.

WOW Festival was originally produced and presented by Southbank Centre.

The President of WOW - Women of the World is Her Majesty The Queen.

About the Royal Albert Hall:

The Royal Albert Hall is the world’s most famous stage. Throughout its 152-year history, it has welcomed a who’s who of world-renowned figures: artists, athletes and activists. No other place on earth has played host to Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Muhammad Ali; Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles and Adele. This was the Suffragettes’ “temple of liberty” – the site of Votes for Women rallies that helped change the course of British history – the home of the Stonewall concerts, and a place of celebration during Nelson Mandela’s state visit. But its eccentric history has also seen it used for a séance, an indoor marathon and the world’s first bodybuilding contest (judged by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

In an ordinary year, the Hall’s extraordinary auditorium presents around 400 world-class events: encompassing rock, pop and classical music, theatre, dance, films, Cirque du Soleil and sport. It typically welcomes 1.8 million visitors a year, while its 1,000 events in secondary spaces help to attract a young, diverse audience. Its Engagement programme includes music therapy, concerts in the community, and workshops with A-list artists, often in collaboration with other charities, such as Nordoff Robbins and Music for Youth.

About Bloomberg

Bloomberg – the global business, financial information and news leader – is a founding supporter of WOW - Women of the World Festivals. Bloomberg has long supported organisations and causes that advance gender equality and seek to address challenges women face around the world, from maternal and reproductive health to women’s economic empowerment and inspiring the new generation of female leaders. Bloomberg has proudly supported WOW Festivals since 2012 www.bloomberg.com/women

About Standard Chartered

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 53 of the world’s most dynamic markets, and serving clients in a further 64. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.

For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.