And that’s a wrap for WoWFEST 25 – Celebrating 25 Years of Radical Writing.

Over the past four weeks, we’ve held 30 events attended by 3000 people, with an amazing line-up of writers, artists, journalists, commentators and activists. The conversations, performances, and ideas at these events inspired reflection, challenged perspectives, and brought people together. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped shape and deliver this incredible programme, representing the best of everything we have achieved over 25 years.

Whether you performed, volunteered, attended, or supported us behind the scenes, your energy and commitment helped make this year’s festival unforgettable, and we send you all a huge thanks from everyone at WoW.

We’re now gathering photos and film from across the festival and will be updating the website soon. If you joined us at an event, keep an eye out—you might spot yourself in our highlights! We’d love to see any photos or video footage that you took too, so please send it on.

Reaching this milestone is something we’re deeply proud of, and we couldn’t have done it without the ongoing support of our artists, audiences, communities, and partners. Thank you for helping us celebrate—and for continuing to shape what WoW is and what it can become.

Special thanks to Ged at Plast-c Design for the design of WoWFEST 25!

Festival Events

Irvine Welsh: Resolution

May 2, 2025
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WoW’s 25th Birthday Party with Frank Cottrell-Boyce

May 4, 2025
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Phil Scraton: Public Inquiries

May 6, 2025
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A Climate of Lies

May 7, 2025
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Spycops: Spies Out Of Lives

May 8, 2025
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Ukraine: Resisting Through Writing

May 8, 2025
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Levi Tafari: Book Launch ‘Being Human’

May 9, 2025
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Wild Writing: Shores of Memory, Tides of Truth

May 12, 2025
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Small Talk ‘Beyond Black America: Insights from Brazilian History’ with Stephen Small

May 12, 2025
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The Best of Everything: Kit de Waal

May 13, 2025
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Exploring Modern Ireland: Diversity, Change, and Challenges 

May 13, 2025
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Brian Bilston & Henry Normal

May 14, 2025
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Stephen May: Green Ink

May 14, 2025
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Decades of Denial: Paddy Hillyard & John Finucane

May 15, 2025
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Oglet Shore: Past, Present and Future

May 15, 2025
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Building Resistance in a Time of Crisis with Gary Younge

May 16, 2025
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Liverpool Rising Against Racism

May 17, 2025
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The Singh Twins: Slaves of Fashion

May 18, 2025
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Democracy: Rights on the Line

May 19, 2025
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Health and Happiness: Two Plays for the Human Voice

May 19, 2025
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Addressing Palestine

May 20, 2025
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Literary Echoes

May 21, 2025
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Liverpool and the Un-Making of Britain

May 21, 2025
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Eric Scott Lynch Writing Competition

May 22, 2025
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Absurdageddon: Armando Iannucci with Michael Spicer

May 22, 2025
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Women of WoW

May 23, 2025
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John Rees: The Fiery Spirits

May 27, 2025
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Against All Odds: Class and Resistance in the Arts

May 27, 2025
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From Spellow to Southport… with Love

May 28, 2025
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The Resilience of Refaat: Honouring a Voice of Gaza

May 29, 2025
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Dr. John Cooper Clarke

May 30, 2025
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