Details of First Ever WOW -WOMEN OF THE WORLD HULL Announced for UK City of Culture

In a year that has seen momentous change across the globe, trailblazers from the arts, politics and activism are set to take part in the first ever WOW -Women of the World festival in Hull, created by Hull UK City of Culture 2017 as part of the global WOW Festivals originated by the Southbank Centre.

Comedian Lucy Beaumont, actress and writer Maureen Lipman CBE, world champion boxer Barbara Buttrick and director Gurinder Chadha OBE will join women from the city, as well as men, girls and boys, for a weekend of lively debate, music, comedy, art and more.

WOW Hull runs from Friday 10 - Sunday 12 March at various city centre locations and tickets are available from www.hull2017.co.uk/wow.

WOW Hull festival programmer Madeleine O'Reilly said: "Globally, women are uniting and making their voices heard on a scale not seen for decades, with millions taking to the streets. The fight for gender equality is more crucial now than ever and WOW Hull provides an opportunity to come together, put the debate at the heart of our daily lives and achieve change. It also offers a chance to discover and celebrate the many inspirational trailblazing women from this city and beyond."

WOW - Women of the World festival founder and gender equality pioneer, Southbank Centre Artistic Director Jude Kelly CBE said: "My vision for WOW - Women of the World festivals has always been that they are agents of change in each host city, providing a vibrant space for women and men - wherever they're from and whatever their background - to come together to share stories and experiences and work together to create solutions to challenges facing women and girls today. We need this now more than ever, and it's fabulous to see such an exciting and packed programme for WOW Hull, adding to the wealth of opportunities created by Hull's new city of culture status."

Harnessing the energy and spirit of International Women's Day (8 March), WOW Hull kicks off on Friday 10 March at City Hall with composer and singerErrollyn Wallen MBE, spoken word artist Kate Fox and the Freedom Chorus led by conductor Alison Bullivent. This will be followed by Hull-born Lucy Beaumont and Maureen Lipman, who will present the first ever live staging of To Hull and Back - Where Do You Think You're Going? Written by Beaumont, the acclaimed Radio 4 sitcom is set in Hull and about a mother and daughter struggling to make ends meet.

The weekend will culminate with a red carpet screening of the new film Viceroy's House, followed by a Q&A with director Gurinder Chadha OBE.

Lucy Beaumont said: "With national attention focused on Hull in its City of Culture year, WOW Hull is a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the lives of Hull women and the contribution we make to the life of this city and the country as a whole. With the world going through incredible change, one thing that is certain is that gender inequality still remains. I hope that the women - as well as girls, men and boys - joining us for WOW Hull will be inspired to join this global movement to transform lives."

Maureen Lipman CBE said: "I'm thrilled to be joining Lucy for a live staging of To Hull and Back in what is a home crowd for both of us. I'm proud to be getting involved with WOW Hull, which is an opportunity to bring women's many achievements to the fore, especially the women of Hull."

Lucy Beaumont, whose documentary Welcome to Hull - City of Culture airs on BBC2 this Saturday (11 February), is also hosting a two-hour comedy masterclass on Saturday 11 March Laughing Out Loud, in which she will share her tips on writing. Places are limited and people wanting to attend the workshop should email to express their interest wow@hull2017.co.uk.

At the heart of the festival will be a series of panels inspired by the series of conversations held across the city with the women of Hull last Autumn, including issues such as domestic abuse, inequality in the performing arts, equal pay, body image and championing care. Panellists include Bee Lady Jean Bishop, actress Maxine Peake, Kingston upon Hull North MP Diana Johnson, Humberside Police Chief Justine Curran, Hull-born entrepreneur Michelle Dewberry, Kurdish Women's Rights Activist Houzan Mahmood, writer Tazeen Bari, documentary Producer and BBC Radio 1 presenter and TV broadcaster Gemma Cairney.

There will also be a special event with world champion boxer and Hull's Mighty Atom Barbara Buttrick, who will talk to BBC Look North's Anne-Marie Tasker about her career and success in a typically male sport. Barbara's life will also be celebrated by Single Story Theatre's new one-woman playDelicate Flowers. Another Hull trailblazer, composer and conductor Ethel Leginska, will be celebrated at a special concert and exhibition, alongside debates around the lack of female composers and conductors represented in contemporary classical music.

Working in partnership with Hull's Contemporary Theatre festival, Heads Up Theatre, WOW Hull presents a series of performance inspired and led by women including Ad Infinitum's acclaimed production telling a powerful story of one Mexican woman's fight for justice, Bucket List. Other theatre includes Blazon Theatre's Icons is a bold modern re-telling of the Amazon warrior myths and for families, at Central Library there is an immersive experience inspired by Peter Pan for under 3s, Neverland. At Hull Truck TheatreSoror, reveals a new acrobatic dance performance about female friendship; and The Roaring Girls' new production Weathered Estates inspired by Euripedis Women of Troy.

Other highlights include speed mentoring from engineers, journalists, scientists, artists and other experts; WOW Bites with Great British Bake-off winner Nancy Birtwhistle, accidental activist Lian Bell, former British judo champion Karen Briggs MBE, best-selling author Val Wood and midwife Comfort Momoh MBE, known for her pioneering work on Female Genital Mutilation; the Under 10s Feminist Corner, a space where young people can discuss equality and fairness.

There will also be a number of workshops and demonstrations from a seminar by "Courage Queen" Rachael Alexander to a burlesque performance celebrating sisterhood hosted by Britain's Got Talent's Ruby Red Ladies.

There will be three installations in Hull City Hall. Artist Alinah Azadeh has worked with the people of Hull to create Revolutionary Makers. The project saw Alinah uncover the revolutionary women of the city to create wearable craftivist objects. Award-winning cartoonist and illustrator Jacky Flemingwill showcase commissioned portraits of Hull Trailblazers alongside work from her recent book the Trouble With Women; and Anything is Possible an installation by JZ Flowers, led by head designer Kirsty Wordingham, which is inspired by the extraordinary histories of the women in the city.

There will also be a series of films exploring female stories and experience, identity and equality across the globe. The WOW Hull Film programme, supported by the British Film Institute in partnership with Film Hub North, includes Ovarian Psycos, about an all-women bicycle crew in Los Angeles; Wadjda, the first feature-length movie by a female Saudi director; Funny Girls, five new comedy shorts by emerging British female directors; Kiki's Delivery Service, the 1989 Japanese animated film from Studio Ghibli about a thirteen year-old girl who must leave home to train as a witch; an exploration of the Israeli criminal system in 3000 Nights; the Emma Thompson produced film Sold starring Gillian Anderson which tells the story of a 13-year-old Nepali girl sold to a brothel; and The Fits, a psychological portrait of a young girl learning to dance.

Visual arts include The Female Gaze at Kingston Art Gallery (3 - 25 March). Presented by Kingston Art Group, the Creative Communities Programme supported event is a journey exploring the unique and diverse perspectives of Hull's fantastic female artists. On Friday 10 March, also at Kingston Art Gallery, London street artist Shuby will talk to Hull-based artist Chloe Roach about her journey through the art world. COUM Transmissions at the newly opened Humber Street Gallery (until 22 March) focuses on the work of Cosey Fanni Tutti and Genesis P-Orridge, two boundary-breaking artists who called the city home. Also at Humber Street Gallery is Women in Power by Sarah Lucas (until 22 March) which features a series of plaster cast figures depicting the female body.

Other highlights include Kate Fox previewing her new solo show on body image, The Wrong Bits, and Art Celebrating Equality, a showcase of poems, photography and songs which explore gender equality and freedom created by The Warren Youth Project. And for a unique Saturday night, WOW Hullunites infamous female DJs of Hull to take to the decks for Club WOW at legendary pub, Hull Cheese.

Today's announcement follows this Wednesday's visit to Hull by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, the current President of WOW, where she met with members of WOW's Circle of Friends.

WOW Hull is one of four weekend festivals taking place during Hull 2017 looking at contemporary political, social and cultural issues affecting the UK. The others are Where Are We Now (part of Root & Routes season), presented by Neu! Reekie!, reflecting on the state of the nations, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, at a time of great change; Freedom Talks (Freedom), which is inspired by Hull's role in the abolition of slavery; and Substance (Tell the World), which will focus on the significance of the North framed within a cultural context.

To post a comment, you must register and login.