Free events to celebrate International Women's Day

The day, which runs from 10am to 5pm, will feature a specially curated programme of inspiring speakers, activists and innovators, workshops, arts and crafts, causes and campaigns for all the family.

It’s completely free and everyone is welcome.

The events at Brighton Museum are as follows:

Brighton Museum Art Room – Children’s Area (all day)

The Early Childhood Project host a dynamic and nurturing children’s area for children and their carers to enjoy together. There will be activities for a range of ages from 0 – 12, plus plenty for parents and carers to browse and talk about.

Brighton Museum Lab: Wonder Women (all day except 1-2pm),

Meet some incredible women from history, including Brighton suffragette, Minnie Turner, and fossil hunter Mary Anning, whilst getting up close and personal with some of Brighton Museum’s Collections.

Brighton Museum Lunch Room: Brighton Women’s Centre Drop-in Space (all day, women only)

For the first time ever they are providing a safe, nurturing environment for all self-identified women at International Women’s Day. The space will be free to access and experienced BWC staff and volunteers will offer support and a kind ear, information about specialist organisations, or simply company.

10am – 4pm, Brighton Museum: Virgin Territory Workspace

Take a moment to reflect and make something in response to how our highly digitized, porn-infused culture is affecting young people’s identities, personal choices and relationships.

10.30am – 11.15am: Sing Your Heart Out with Aneesa Chaudhry! (women only)

No judgement, even from yourself. Just a chance to get together with women from all around and to use that voice of yours to sing, have fun and make some new friends.

10.30am – 11.30am, Brighton Museum Seminar Room: Heritage Voices, Women Write

Poet Evlynn Sharp will facilitate this workshop and encourage everyone to write from the heart of ourselves; to write through our daring, our courage, our vulnerability; to share our words in community, in hope, and in tribute to creative freedom.

11am – 11.30am, Brighton Museum Education Pavilion: Feminism in Theory with Simi Dosekun

Simi, a Nigerian feminist, makes a case for why feminism needs theory, but also more. By drawing on examples from black and African feminist thinking, she will take us through some of the ways in which theory can sharpen our activist practice.

11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm, Brighton Museum: Walking Talking Curator on the hour every hour

Pop up talks with curator Dr Alexandra Loske, looking at paintings brought out specially from the museum store, by Dame Laura Knight, Angelica Kauffmann, amongst others.

11.30am & 2.30pm, Brighton Museum: Discover the Women of Brighton with tour guide Louise Peskitt

Explore the important women of Brighton’s history with a walking tour of the Royal Pavilion Estate (approximately 45 minutes long). Meet in the Museum Foyer

11.45am – 12.45pm, Brighton Museum Mezzanine Landing: Women’s Self Defence (women only)

Time to get active and equip yourself with some valuable self defence skills at the same time. Anna’s class is designed to be fun and can be taken at a pace suitable to you.

11.45 – 12.15pm, Brighton Museum Education Pavilion: A Beginner’s Guide to Intersectionality with Arianne Shavisi

Arianne Shavisi will introduce the idea of intersectionality, which simply means that feminists should consider the many different, interlinked ways in which people are affected by the way our society operates.

11.45am – 1pm, Brighton Museum Temporary Exhibition Gallery: Open Space Discussion with Brighton Women’s Centre

Sophie Gibson of Brighton Women’s Centre invites you to join our Open Space Discussion: What does it mean to be a Feminist in the twenty first century?

12pm – 5pm, Brighton Museum Seminar Room: Complementary Therapies (Women Only)

Maja Jordan and her team will be offering a range of low cost complementary therapies including Indian Head Massage and Reiki.

12pm – 1.45pm, Brighton Museum Old Courtroom: In Conversation: Women and Photography

Join renowned photographers Marilyn Stafford and Nina Emett as they each present a selection of photographs from their work based on the theme of women, hosted by Miniclick facilitator, Jim Stephenson.

12pm – 2pm, Lunch with Real Junk Food Project

Come and fill your bellies at IWD with the most delicious AND ethically sourced food.

12.30pm – 1pm, Brighton Museum Education Pavilion: Travelling Alone with Laura Barton

Join Laura Barton as she talks about her experiences of travelling alone as a woman” Education Pavilion

1pm – 2pm, Brighton Museum Lab: Zine Making Workshop

Anyone can make a zine. You don’t need a computer, fancy programming, or super cool contacts. You just need something to say, and some materials with which to express that!

1.15pm – 1.30pm, Brighton Museum: Staging the Female Experience with Charlotte Vincent

Vincent talks about why her work interrogates gender stereotypes, power, violence and pornography and discusses the need for women’s stories to be heard to counter the insidious sexism and creative bravado that seems to persists within our culture and beyond.

1.15pm – 1.45pm, Brighton Museum Education Pavilion: Leap In with Alexandra Heminsley

Alex discusses her latest book, LEAP IN

2pm – 2.30pm, Brighton Museum Education Pavilion: Fat Bodies with Mathilda Gregory

Mathilda Gregory is a writer and a performer who makes work about bodies and popular culture. She is the most famous author of werewolf erotica in the world.

2.45pm – 3.15pm, Brighton Museum Fashion & Style Gallery: Helen McCookerybook: Women in Punk

Helen Reddington, aka musician and writer ‘Helen McCookerybook’ lifts the lid on women in the punk scene. Plus the last chance to see the display Photo-Punk: 40 images from the birth of UK punk by Ian Dickson and Kevin Cummins

2.45pm – 3.45pm, Brighton Museum Education Pavilion: Blog to Express, not to Impress

Join Brighton Girl editors Pippa and Sofaya for a workshop encouraging you to break all of the rules you’ve heard about blogging and do it your own way. New display: Marvellous Mary Merrifield

From 4 March, Museum Lab display case (adjacent to North Balcony, free with admission), Brighton Museum

Mary Philadelphia Merrifield (1804–1889) was a remarkable, self-educated woman who spent most of her life in Brighton. She wrote about colour, dress history, marine algae and even Brighton’s tourist features, and was actively involved in shaping the natural history collections at Brighton Museum in the later 19th century. To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March this small display outside Museum Lab will include images, maps, letters, books and other items relating to Merrifield’s life.

Events at Brighton Dome:

Brighton Dome Cafe bar – Communal Quilting (all day)

Join SmallHillArts to make a communal, unconventional patchwork quilt.

Brighton Dome Cafe bar – Radical Self Portraits (all day)

Brighton Dome Mezzanine bar – Cultural Sharing (all day)

2pm – 3.30pm, Brighton Dome Concert Hall: Panel Discussion: Do We Need Women Only Spaces?

Join our panellists Katharine Sacks-Jones, Lisa Dando, Natasha Scott, Caroline Lucas MP, Larissa Kennedy, and Sophie Heawood.

3.30pm – 4pm, Brighton Dome Café Bar: Raffle Prize-giving

4pm – 5pm, Brighton Dome Concert Hall: Miss Represented Sharing

Women only events are open to all self-identifying women