A launch event for the Women of the World Scotland Festival in the form of a fundraiser is coming to Glasgow on March 5. The fundraiser event will be kicking the festival off with a bang just in time for International Women’s Day, as the rest of the festival is taking place in October.
The inaugural event will be an exciting afternoon of performance, conversation and activism hosted by Elaine C Smith, WOW founder Jude Kelly CBE and a sparkling line up of guests and performers, including Nicola Benedetti, Karine Polwart, Blythe Duff, Gemma Cairney, Jo Clifford, Annie Grace, Roza Salih and Danielle Jam.
WOW is the world’s biggest festival celebrating women, girls and non-binary people. Production Company, Raw Material, known for their award-winning theatre productions, are bringing Women of the World Scotland Festival to a number of Scottish locations in 2023 in partnership with The WOW Foundation.
Margaret-Anne O’Donnell from the WOW Scotland team said: “We are thrilled to embark on this journey of discovery and community and bring WOW to Scotland. Gender equality is an issue which affects so many aspects of our lives. There is so much we all have to share, listen to and learn from living in Scotland today. We want to hear from anyone who considers themselves affected by these issues.”
WOW challenges the belief that gender equality has already been achieved through their events. The festivals, events and more take an honest look at the obstacles women, girls, non-binary and trans-gender people face and help connect the dots between people, movements and ideas that inspire to change the world and bring individuals together.
Every WOW Festival starts with WOW Think Ins, which is a chance for people to share their opinions on what the events should be about. Therefore, WOW Scotland will be hosting a total four WOW Think Ins in the lead up to the first fundraising event, with two taking place online and two in-person sessions. Each WOW Think In will be hosted in partnership with organisations, such as Engender and Girl Guiding Scotland with more to be confirmed.