Global feminist music festival set for first Welsh event
An international feminist music festival known for championing women and non-binary artists is coming to Wales for the first time this year.
LOUD WOMEN is an intersectional feminist music CIC, founded in 2015 in the UK with global chapters run by volunteers. It aims to “put more women on more stages, and turn up the volume”.
The collective hosts regular live music nights, publishes a monthly e-zine, releases compilation records, and honours the best albums by women/non-binary-led bands and solo artists in Britain through its Hercury Prize.
Since its founding, LOUD WOMEN has also hosted music festivals across the world, with previous events in Germany, Australia, Canada, the US, and England.
The coming months will see further events in London and New York, and 2026 will also mark the festival’s first year in Wales.
On Friday, 20 March, LOUD WOMEN announced on Instagram in a bilingual post: “HWRE! LOUD WOMEN Fest is coming to Wales for the first time – landing at Le Pub, Newport on 3 October (our 11th birthday!)
“Expect huge party vibes, an incredible lineup, and all the noise you love. Led by Deb (The NaNaz), celebrating the South Wales scene.”
Applications for performers are open now, with those interested encouraged to reach out via the LOUD WOMEN site or email [email protected].
The final lineup is expected to be announced in the summer, and is set to be what NME previously called “the perfect antidote to male-heavy festival line-ups”.
View this post on Instagram
LOUD WOMEN added that they were “so excited” to make the announcement, and said: “We couldn’t be holding [the first LOUD WOMEN fest in Wales] in a more perfect home than Le Pub.
“A proudly female-owned, LGBTQI+ friendly venue known for the warmest welcome in South Wales, it’s exactly the kind of space where LOUD WOMEN belongs…it’s high time we added a Welsh pin to the map.”
Let’s make our first Welsh fest something unforgettable.
Socialist-feminist author and previous festival performer Janine Booth said: “LOUD WOMEN is a long-overdue opportunity to enjoy fierce and feisty female-led music – and, for me, to take poetry to an audience of people who don’t usually like poetry.”
Instagram users from Wales shared their excitement for the LOUD WOMEN festival debut, with a commenter writing, “Omg I’m there!” while another added that they were “Looking forward to it already!”
Welsh music promoters Tiwn Media also pledged their support, writing: “We’ve been waiting for a @loudwomen show in Wales for years! If @tiwnmedia or our creative hub @audioavenueuk can provide support on this in anyway, please let us know!”
LOUD WOMEN Casnewydd will take place on 3 October 2026, LOUD WOMEN’s 11th birthday. For more information, visit their site here.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
