WOW Australia | The WOW Foundation

WOW Australia is a dynamic celebration of gender equality – expressed through the stories, art and voices of Australia’s richly diverse communities. Since its first iteration in 2013, WOW has brought together people in places across the country to share experiences, raise awareness and foster the belief that change is not only necessary, but possible.

WOW was first staged in Australia as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival in 2013. It has since taken place in 2013, 2014 and 2016 at Godinymayin Arts Centre in Katherine, Northern Territory, in 2015 at Brisbane's QUT Gardens Point, and in 2017 at Footscray Arts Centre, Melbourne. WOW @ Festival 2018 was a key part of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games cultural program. In 2021-22, WOW Australia held festivals in Charleville, Longreach, Cairns and Logan, as well as our DomestiCITY and Momentum mini-series of events at Brisbane Festival. In May 2024, WOW took place in Biloela, Queensland for the first time, and 2025 will see the very first WOW Gladstone.

Image gallery

Like all WOW Festivals, WOW Australia thrives on deep community engagement. Every Festival is preceded by WOW Think Ins, where women, girls and non-binary people help shape the programme by naming the issues that matter most to them. This ensures that every WOW Australia event is curated by and for the people it serves – whether it’s in a regional town or a capital city. Central to this is the elevation of First Nations women’s leadership, which informs much of WOW Australia’s programming. In collaboration with Indigenous creatives, elders and youth, the festivals are spaces for truth-telling, cultural celebration and cross-generational dialogue.

Image gallery

One of WOW Australia’s most powerful initiatives is Voices Shaping the Future, a youth-led festival launched in 2023 to amplify the voices of young women and girls. It included a National Youth Summit, schools programme, workshops and performances, all designed to inspire new leaders and shift cultural narratives.

At every WOW Australia event, the joy is palpable. Whether through drumming workshops, feminist film screenings, storytelling circles, First Nations-led panels or career mentoring, WOW creates an environment of hope, strength and connection.

Image gallery

About the organisers

Of One Mind is a cultural enterprise formed by Cathy Hunt and Leigh Tabrett in 2014 to develop and support cultural activities which address or communicate pressing social issues and create lasting cultural change. The continuing issue of focus is the need to create a more gender equal world in the belief that it is through gender equality that we will find the solutions to the many other ‘wicked problems’ that the world faces today and make life better for all.

Of One Mind works in partnership with The WOW Foundation to facilitate the delivery of WOW Festivals and activities in Australia. The organisation also creates and promotes year round cultural activities including those for the UN International Day of the Girl Child (11 October) and DomestiCITY for the Brisbane Festival 2020.

Of One Mind works in partnerships with many stakeholders to deliver its programs and is also a member of ES4W economic Security4Women (eS4W), a national women’s alliance, funded by the Australian Government through the Office for Women in the Commonwealth Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Find out more