To mark International Women’s Day 2025, WOW – Women of the World is partnering with the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the organisation’s 15th anniversary. WOW at 15, which takes place at the Hall on Saturday 8 March 2025, will include political activist and philosopher Angela Davis, WOW founder Jude Kelly CBE, additional guests and more to be announced.
A celebration of everything women, girls and non-binary people have achieved, this one off evening of inspiration and unity will include a panel discussion with an array of special guests. Legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis will headline the event in conversation with Jude Kelly, speaking about love, activism and community building in an age of division. This will be Angela Davis’s first in-person appearance in the UK in over five years. The evening will also feature the world premiere of a newly commissioned work 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.
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.
Founded in 2010 by Jude Kelly, WOW has grown into the world’s largest festival dedicated to gender equality, having hosted festivals and events across six continents, attended by more than five million people. This anniversary event at the Royal Albert Hall will highlight the remarkable achievements of women and girls over the past 15 years, while delivering a powerful reminder of the obstacles women and girls still face, the work that remains to achieve equality and discuss solutions for change.
Jude Kelly, CEO and Founder of The WOW Foundation, said, “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.”
Angela Davis, said, “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.”
Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said, “We’re incredibly honoured to be hosting WOW at 15, as this show marks the Hall’s first ever event celebrating International Women’s Day in our auditorium. Throughout our history, the Hall has served as a crucible of debate and activism including hosting over 20 Suffragette rallies at what Emmeline Pankhurst called a ‘Temple of Liberty.’ Over the past 15 years, WOW has been instrumental in advocating for gender equality and has been at the forefront of creating progressive change. We hope that this momentous anniversary event will celebrate everything that has been achieved so far as well as inspiring and energising the next generation of leaders and voices to create a fairer and more equal society, and we are so excited to be welcoming some of the world’s greatest thinkers, artists and activists to our stage.”
Speakers at previous WOW events have included Malala Yousafzai, Patrick Stewart, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Salma Hayek, alongside thousands of inspirational women. WOW provides platforms for people of all kinds to change attitudes, brings communities together and provides a unique space for people to work together towards gender equality in their own communities.
The WOW Foundation is proudly supported by its Global Founding Partner Bloomberg and Girls Global Champion Standard Chartered.
Tickets for WOW at 15 start from £20 with over 200 £10 tickets allocated for community and school groups.
Tickets for 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.