International Women's Day Open House

Brighton Dome and Brighton Women's Centre present our annual celebration of International Women's Day, taking place in every nook and cranny of the cafe-bar, Founders Room and Corn Exchange on Saturday 5th March from 10am – 4pm. Free and open to all, expect an action-packed day of entertainment, films, workshops, exhibitions, discussion, children’s activities, stalls, delicious food and more!  
Full event programme

There will be a full schedule of talks and performance on our main stage hosted by Rachel Nwokoro, the new UK SLAM! Champion. Acts include Qukulele (a 9 women ukulele band), We Bop (all wmen a capella choir), Bellatrix (singer and champion beatbox performer) and the programme is rounded off with a panel discussion asking 'What are the key issues facing women today and how can we work across divisions to achieve progress?'. Panellists include MP Caroline Lucas, FGM campaigner Nimco Ali, local activist Emily Wright, performance and deaf theatre-maker Nadia Nadarajah and student youth worker Poppy Burt, and is chaired by Razia Aziz.

Brighton Dome’s flagship outreach project Miss Represented, which works with young women from across Brighton, will showcase some of their past performances and exhibitions, and artist Bern O’Donoghue will be presenting Dead Reckoning, an installation bearing witness to the deaths in 2015 of an estimated 3,771 migrants and refugees who have attempted to cross the Mediterranean in their efforts to reach Europe.

Other treats include a women’s history walk around the Pavilion Estate, the stamping ground of headstrong princesses, era defining queens, writers, artists and businesswomen. Or, pamper yourself with low cost holistic therapies, beginning with a 'gong bath' from 10.30am until 11.30am (there are a maximum of 12 spaces so it's first come first served). In the afternoon from 1-4pm you can book a taster session of reiki, a shoulder or head massage each for £5.

Drop in to the culture-sharing zone where you can place yourself on our interactive world map and celebrate the diversity of our city by exploring the cultural experiences of other women. The Early Childhood Project will keep the 0-12 year olds amused with their all- day children’s activities. Workshops include Women’s Self Defence, creative writing workshop Women Writing: Poetic Encounters and Sing Your Heart Out. 

A delicious ‘pay what you can afford’ lunch will be provided by The Real Junk Food Project, a local initiative that ‘feeds bellies not bins’ with some of the 18 million tonnes of perfectly good food that is wasted in Britain every year, from 12 -1.30pm.

(image © Thom Undrell) 

And that's just the tip of the iceberg... 

All activities, except for the complementary therapies, are FREE. Workshops can be booked on the day and are for those who identify as women, places are limited, so come early to reserve a space and make a day of it!