On 29th July 2023 WIMIN Festival, a progressive one-day event organised entirely by women, will take place at Lock & Quay, Bootle. Founded by Scrapyard Studios C.I.C. in collaboration with businesses and organisations across the North West, WIMIN Festival is bringing to light gender discrimination across the creative industries and celebrating women in music on the stage and behind the scenes.
In 2022 the USC Annenberg Inclusion initiative found that within the top 1000 top charting songs from 2012 – 2021, women made up only 21.8% of artists, 12.7% songwriters and 2.8% of producers. WIMIN Festival responds to the music industry’s gender imbalance with direct action, proving that women are not only capable of creating and producing music worth platforming, but that those women are in abundance, leaving no excuses for a lack of representation within the industry.
WIMIN aims to be an example to festivals, local independent organisations and industry giants alike, showing the possibilities for championing gender equality in music. Unlike some ‘all-women’ line-ups which can feel like an easy and tokenistic response to hitting diversity quotas, WIMIN festival has lived experience embedded throughout, with women running each and every part of the festival from marketing and production to the artists and speakers taking to the stage on the day.
Many marginalised musicians report the lack of safety that comes with feeling you are an anomaly both on stage and off. The story of artists experiencing misogyny when interacting with sound technicians, managers, promoters and other behind the scenes figures is all too common. By listening to these stories of discrimination and partnering with women across production roles, WIMIN aims to create a safe and progressive live music space that pushes the boundaries of what seems possible within the industry.
The content of the one-day event is equally as exciting, including support network groups, panel discussions, industry talks, workshops, activities, stalls and live performances across genres. The festival welcomes people of all backgrounds and identities to attend, using the festival as an opportunity to highlight North West trailblazers and platform the very best emerging women artists and creatives. With a diverse array of events to engage with, the festival has something for everyone. As Festival Director Holly Tulloch states, WIMIN Festival’s goal is to “challenge the status quo and foster an environment where women can thrive in the industry without limitations or barriers.”, by attending this event you are part of making that change.
With the line up set to be announced in the coming weeks, now is your opportunity to get stuck in and be one of the first to support the WIMIN community by getting an Ally Access ticket found here; https://www.seetickets.com/event/wimin-festival/the-lock-quay/2610707
Where are the Girlbands is a partner organisation for WIMIN Festival, providing exclusive content on our Instagram page @wherearethegirlbands. For a personal insight to the festival, check out our ‘Where are the Girlbands April Catch-Up’ episode on Melodic Distraction radio in which we spoke to Festival Director Holly Tulloch and marketing partner Anna Grace from Fierce PR. For more information about WIMIN Festival and any opportunities to get involved check out @wimin_festival on Instagram.
