British Council to host WOW Pakistan 2025 in Lahore

Lahore: The British Council, in partnership with the WOW Foundation, UNFPA and Entrepreneurship and Community Development Institute (ECDI) is set to host the 8th annual WOW – Women of the World Festival Pakistan. The festival will take place at the Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, on the 1st and 2nd of February 2025 and will celebrate women’s achievements, foster dialogue, and address the challenges they face. The festival invites women, girls, and families to enjoy a diverse and inclusive program.

James Hampson, Country Director, British Council Pakistan said: “Celebrating the role of women and championing the empowerment of Pakistan’s girls is at the heart of WOW 2025 in Lahore. If you support what WOW stands for, there is no better place to be this weekend than at Al-Hamra with the British Council and our amazing partners.”British Council launches international awards to celebrate UK alumni achievements

Jude Kelly, CEO & Founder of The WOW Foundation, said: “The brilliant team at the British Council and local voices have ensured that WOW Pakistan will be a joyful, heady, heartfelt festival that supports bold dreams, and also understands that we need patience that lasts years and not just a few months in order to make real and lasting change.”

The festival promises an inclusive experience for all with sign language interpretation, Braille resources, wheel-chair friendly ramps and walkways ensuring participation for everyone.

The festival’s vibrant lineup includes:

• The launch of the British Council’s Sustainable Fashion Report, which explores the intersection of style and environmental consciousness.

• A female qawwali performance curated by musician Arieb Azhar, alongside a touching tribute to Haniya Aslam by Rakae Jamil.

• Renowned performer Suhai Abro will captivate audiences with an enthralling dance performance, while readings by literary icons Attiya Dawood and Zambeel will inspire thought and reflection.

• Families and children can enjoy Khaled Anam’s interactive pop-up featuring stories and songs, and art enthusiasts will witness a collaborative creation in the form of a public mural of impactful women by Summaiya Jillani.

• A compelling film on women in the arts by Destination Media which will highlight the narratives of talented and resilient women.

This year’s theme, Surkhaab, symbolizes women’s inherent worth and resilience, challenging societal norms that compel women to prove their value. Surkhaab is a call to recognize the equality and self-worth of women and to reshape narratives that often marginalize them.

Through the WOW Festival, the British Council continues to create platforms for women to voice concerns, challenge systemic barriers, and celebrate their accomplishments.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ahmed Saqlain

Manager Communications

British Council

Email: [email protected]

For more information please visit:

The complete programme can be found at: https://wowpakistan.pk/

Instagram: @wow.pakistan @britishcouncilpakistan @ecdipakistan

Facebook: @womenoftheworldfestival @BritishCouncilPakistan

Official Hashtags: #WOWPK25 #WOWPakistan #Arts #HerAwazHumAwaz

Notes to the Editor

About WOW Pakistan 2025

The programme for WOW in 2025 has been developed by curating partners and informed by planning sessions held earlier in which a diverse group of people belonging to civil society, women’s rights organisations, disability led organisations, legal community, academics, artists, transgender community leaders, teachers and educators came together to discuss who and what they would like to see at the WOW Festival.

About The WOW Foundation

The WOW Foundation was created by Jude Kelly CBE in 2018 to run the global movement that is WOW – Women of the World Festivals. The festivals began in the UK in 2010, launched by Kelly at the Southbank Centre London, where she was Artistic Director, to celebrate women and girls, taking a frank look at what prevents them from achieving their potential, raising awareness globally of the issues they face, and discussing solutions together.

To date, WOW has reached five million people in 45 locations on six continents, in locations including Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somaliland, the UK and the USA.

Over the last 13 years the festivals have developed a reputation as a space for world renowned artists, activists, thinkers and performers including Angela Davis, Malala Yousafzai, Annie Lennox, Patrick Stewart, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Salma Hayek, to come and participate, alongside thousands of women and girls who don’t have public profiles but are doing amazing things. WOW provides platforms for people of all kinds, changes attitude, brings communities together and provides a unique space for people to work together towards gender equity in their own communities. One example of the Festival’s impact came in 2015, with the founding of the Women’s Equality Party by Sandi Toksvig and Catherine Mayer.

In 2018 Kelly left the Southbank Centre to run The WOW Foundation full time as a charity working to build, convene and sustain a global movement that believes a gender equal world is possible and desirable through festivals and empowering women and girls. The unique festival model creates numerous pathways for participants to take part in WOW projects, amplify their own causes, or start new initiatives which have a wide impact on communities. It is the biggest, most comprehensive and most significant festival dedicated to presenting work by women and promoting equity for women and girls.

WOW Festival was originally produced and presented by Southbank Centre.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.