Make a note in your diaries – 8 March is all about you. International Women’s Day is the annual celebration of all of our biggest achievements as well as a chance to raise awareness of gender inequality that still exists. Several events are being held to mark the occasion – so whether you want to celebrate women in film or simply raise a glass to your nearest and dearest, here’s how to get involved.
1. Listen To Inspiring Talks (And Drink Champagne) At Searcys
Kicking off the proceedings a little early this year, Searcys is inviting you to enjoy an evening of feminism and fizz on 1 March. The famed champagne bar has invited four inspirational women to talk about issues spanning the work/life balance, entrepreneurship, how to get ahead in business and personal branding, all of which you can enjoy with a glass of bubbles in hand. Taking place in the Knightsbridge hot spot, the evening will also see a Duval-Leroy champagne tasting session, complimentary Jo Malone hand massages as well as a Pinkster Gin bar for those who prefer spirits over fizz.
Tickets can be booked at searcys.co.uk
2. Celebrate Women In Film With HeForShe
Emma Watson’s HeForShe initiative is launching a brand new film series celebrating women in film, in partnership with Jimmy Choo. The inaugural event, appropriately taking place on International Women’s Day, will see a screening of Emily Dickinson biopic A Quiet Passion followed by a post-film Q&A with director Terence Davies. The life of the American poet makes for a fitting subject, as her talent was somewhat supressed by her status as a single woman – of the 1,800 poems she wrote, less than a dozen were published in her lifetime.
Tickets can be booked at curzoncinemas.com
3. Enjoy A Concert Celebrating Female Composers
Classical music is without doubt a male-dominated industry (name one famous female composer) but Harmony Sinfonia are keen to dispel that myth, putting on a special concert celebrating women on Saturday 4th March. With all music composed and performed by women, and conducted by a woman, it’s a night of girl power not to be missed.
Tickets can be booked at harmonysinfonia.co.uk
4. Join The Tea Party At Browns Covent Garden
There’s nothing a good brew can’t solve, which is perhaps why Browns Covent Garden is hosting a ‘Phenomenal Woman Tea Party’ to celebrate female achievement (and to inspire others on to greatness) on Saturday 4th March. Hear from women who have built impressive business empires and realised their dreams, all while enjoying the prerequisite sandwiches and cakes of an afternoon tea.
Tickets can be booked by emailing thesmileers@gmail.com
5. Head To The V&A For A Free Feminist Tour
To celebrate International Women’s Day, the V&A is putting on a free tour on Thursday 2nd March to reflect this year’s special theme – Be Bold For Change. Curated by Nikki Ariff, it will highlight the objects in the museum that were considered bold and forward-thinking in their time, inspiring change on both social and personal levels.
You can drop in for free to this event, meeting in the V&A reception.
6. Join CARE International’s ‘#March4Women’
CARE International will lead a rally on Sunday 5 March, ahead of International Women’s Day. The march will be led by Annie Lennox, Helen Pankhurst, Sadiq Khan and Bianca Jagger, and will be joined by people raising their voice in support of the women and girls worldwide who endure inequality and injustice.
Dr Helen Pankhurst, the great-granddaughter of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, said: 'Our solidarity and the fight for the equal rights of women should not end at the shores of our own country. Join us ahead of International Women’s Day, in solidarity with the many refugees who have trekked hundreds of miles to find safety, many of them mothers, forced to carry their children from one danger zone to the next.'
Join the rally at 12pm on 5th March at The Scoop by City Hall in London.
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