\n
Exeter is gearing up for a week of events to mark International Women\u2019s Day 2026, with activities across the city celebrating women\u2019s achievements and raising awareness of gender equality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nInternational Women\u2019s Day, observed annually on 8 March, is a global day recognising the social, economic, cultural, and political contributions of women, while also calling for action to advance equality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis year, the official theme is Give to Gain, reflecting the value of supporting progress for women and girls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCouncillors and community leaders emphasise that these events are about both celebration and action.<\/span><\/p>\nSpeaking on this annual event, Yvonne Atkinson, Exeter City Councillor, said: \u201cToday women are still campaigning and fighting for change using different tools but also learning from the past.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThe Exeter Phoenix Art Centre will host the International Women\u2019s Festival on Saturday 14 March, organised by Devon United Women in collaboration with Multilingua Devon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe festival, free to attend, features music, dance, spoken word, panel discussions, workshops, family activities, and art displays.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis year\u2019s theme, Women\u2019s Voices Rising for Change, is dedicated to the memory of Josie Sutcliffe, co-founder of Dreadnought South West, who devoted her life to campaigning for women\u2019s rights.<\/span><\/p>\nSuead Genem, Chair of Devon United Women, added: \u201cThe campaign for women\u2019s rights is global. Come to Exeter Phoenix on 14 March to hear the stories of women and men from Devon and around the world, and to stand together to be inspired.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThe festival programme is designed to showcase the breadth of women\u2019s contributions locally and globally. Highlights include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDiscussion Panels & Workshops:<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Gaza Inspiring Women \u2013 short film and discussion on women\u2019s experiences in Gaza<\/span><\/li>\n
- Women\u2019s Voices Shaping Safe Support \u2013 CoLab Women session on amplifying voices of women facing multiple disadvantages<\/span><\/li>\n
- Women Leading in Agroecology \u2013 Ruth Hancock shares her story running a sustainable vegetable farm in East Devon<\/span><\/li>\n
- The Co-Chair System and Women Representation \u2013 Kurdish community panel on shared leadership and gender equality<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Music & Performance (Main Stage):<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Newtown Roots Band \u2013 folk music and community performance (10:45)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Le Trikke \u2013 Italian folk music and dance celebrating feminine creativity (11:30)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Ali Jones & Jamie Rudd \u2013 fiddle and multi-instrumental set (12:00)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Zass\u014d by Drum Up the Sun \u2013 community percussion and movement (12:45 & 13:30)<\/span><\/li>\n
- The Velvet Chords \u2013 Exeter band blending jazz, blues, and punk (13:30)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Karina Gracia Flamenco & Students \u2013 flamenco performances reflecting women\u2019s strength and resilience (14:15)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Wren Music \u2013 choir celebrating women in folk music (15:15)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Workshops & Creative Sessions (Downstairs):<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Connecting Our Voices for Change \u2013 visual art and creative coaching workshops led by Emma Pipe & Emma Hayes-Bailey<\/span><\/li>\n
- Drum Up the Sun \u2013 drumming, movement, and voice workshop led by Hannah-Jasmine Brunskill & Flora Pethybridge<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Other Activities:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Variety of women\u2019s stalls (Studio 1, 11:00\u201316:00)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Family & children\u2019s activities hosted by Hikmat Family (Meeting Room, 11:00\u201316:00)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Poppy Movement is Medicine \u2013 percussion-based music and movement session (Dance Studio, 11:00 onwards)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Valentina & Ilaria Tarantella \u2013 Italian folk singing and tarantella dance<\/span><\/li>\n
- Ilaria Belly Dance \u2013 beginner-friendly dance session<\/span><\/li>\n
- Meditation \u2013 <\/span>The Gift of Silence <\/span><\/i>session<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Other local organisations are also marking International Women\u2019s Day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe University of Exeter has scheduled events throughout early March, including exhibitions, panel discussions, and research showcases highlighting women\u2019s contributions across the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDepartments such as Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, and The Law School have renewed or achieved Athena Swan awards recognising efforts to promote gender equality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nEvents at the university explore topics from women in academia to conservation, with opportunities for students and staff to engage in dialogue and reflection.<\/span><\/p>\nExeter Guild and Cranbrook Country Park are also hosting celebrations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCranbrook Country Park parkrun on 7 March will be led by female volunteers, promoting women in sport and marking the one-year anniversary of the This Girl Can \u2013 Cranbrook initiative.<\/span><\/p>\nExeter\u2019s week of International Women\u2019s Day events provides a mix of cultural, educational, and participatory experiences aimed at celebrating women\u2019s achievements, promoting gender equality, and engaging the local community in discussions about women\u2019s rights.<\/span><\/p>\nREAD NEXT: Safety fears as 1,300 sign Exeter street light petition<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.torbayweekly.co.uk \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exeter is gearing up for a week of events to mark International Women\u2019s Day 2026, with activities across the city celebrating women\u2019s achievements and raising awareness of gender equality.\u00a0 International Women\u2019s Day, observed annually on 8 March, is a global day recognising the social, economic, cultural, and political contributions of women, while also calling for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2312328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[308707,427419,448033,448032],"class_list":["post-2312327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-devon","tag-exeter","tag-exeter-city-women","tag-university-of-exeter"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Exeter-celebrates-International-Womens-Day-2026-with-music-workshops-and.jpg-exeter_celebrates_international_women_s_day_20.jpeg;charset=UTF-8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2312327"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2312329,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312327\/revisions\/2312329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2312328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2312327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2312327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2312327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}