The Women of the World festival (WOW), founded by theatre director Jude Kelly CBE, will return to its original home in the Southbank Centre in London in 2027. The festival, which celebrates women, girls, and non-binary people, will be held at Royal Festival Hall on March 5-7 2027, with speakers, activists, musicians, artists and comedians expected to perform over three days. WOW hosted a roundtable this week to address violence against women and girls, with over 20 experts from government, business, philanthropy, the arts, and the third sector participating. Since its debut in 2010, WOW has hosted 150 festivals around the world, including in Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somaliland and the USA.