WOW Cardiff
WOW Cardiff made history in 2018 as the first full-scale WOW Festival in Wales, and the first bilingual (Welsh–English) WOW event in the UK. Held at Chapter Arts Centre from 24–25 November, it brought together voices from across the country to reflect, challenge, inspire and celebrate.
The festival tackled big issues including menopause, sexuality, domestic abuse, intersectionality, race, and community resilience. The weekend programme mixed talks, workshops, performances and participatory activities, creating a joyful and interactive space. WOW Cardiff included leading feminist thinkers, mothers, striking miners, leading scientists and activists, survivors, clowns, musicians, and boxing champions.
The festival featured a remarkable lineup of speakers including Charlotte Church, Michael Sheen, Hermon and Heroda Berhane, Shahien Taj OBE, and Lucy Owen. There were performances from Sian Evans and Manchester-based artist Layfullstop.
WOW Cardiff stood out not just for its powerful content, but for its spirit of community. Whether through bilingual storytelling or cross-generational workshops, it became a space for shared learning and demonstrated the power of culture to connect people and catalyse change at local and national levels.
About the organisers
WOW Cardiff was presented by Southbank Centre and supported by Spirit of 2012.
Spirit of 2012 funded nine of the UK’s regional WOW Festivals across five 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.
