WOW Exeter
WOW Exeter took place in 2017 and 2018 and was part of the UK-wide series of regional WOW festivals supported by Spirit of 2012. Held at Exeter Phoenix, the festival brought the WOW ethos of celebration and activism to the South West of England, creating a space where local communities could come together to share stories, ask questions, and challenge inequality.
The first edition in October 2017 welcomed people of all ages to a vibrant programme of workshops, discussions, mentoring sessions and performances. Highlights included a conversation with actor and disability rights activist Liz Carr, a session on Women Leading in Farming, and a confidence-building workshop titled ‘Life Drawing for the Terrified’. Topics ranged from climate change and women’s health to local issues around representation and leadership.
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The 2018 festival expanded its themes and deepened its local impact. Sessions explored mental health in ‘One in Five: Women’s Mental Health’, challenged fast fashion and highlighted sustainability in ‘Women, The Environment and Equality’, and opened space for LGBTQIA+ dialogue and rural inclusion. Practical sessions – on changing a tyre, starting a business, or building confidence – helped equip audiences with real-life tools for empowerment. The festival concluded with an LGBTQIA+ Discussion Group focused on creating queer-safe spaces and addressing issues like hate crimes and rural isolation in Exeter.
Across both years, WOW Exeter included live music, theatre, poetry, self-defence classes, and intergenerational conversations. The festival’s WOWsers programme ensured that the perspectives of teenage girls and students were woven throughout the programme.
WOW Exeter stood as a model for how smaller cities can embrace intersectional feminism through culture. It brought together local thinkers, artists and changemakers, ignited grassroots conversations, and helped build a stronger foundation for gender equality in Devon and beyond.
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About the organisers
WOW Exeter 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.
The festival programmers were Debbie Bucella and Chloe Whipple.