On 8th March 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrates women’s achievements and promotes gender equality.
The theme for the IWD 2025 campaign is “Accelerate Action.” Focusing on the need to Accelerate Action emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.
Read on to find out the special events and activities in the city to celebrate International Women's Day.
On Monday 3rd March from 5.30pm, Councillor Lorna Fielker will host the International Women's Day #AccelerateAction Panel Event. Guest speakers are from industries such as the arts, fostering, community work, education and events. Speakers are:
Residents can join the event virtually from home using Microsoft Teams, the link can be found on the Southampton City Council website here.
Tues 5th March | 9.30am – 11am
Metro Bank (Westquay)
Get Connected at Metro Bank will host a special networking event in celebration of International Women's Day.
Launched in February 2024, Get Connected is a free monthly business networking event run by Get Ahead in partnership with Metro Bank. Designed to provide a relaxed and welcoming space for local businesses.
This session will feature Samantha Acton, founder of Domestic Angels, as a guest speaker. A passionate advocate for community-focused businesses, Samantha is actively involved in Savvitas, a House of Commons-based thought leadership group supporting women’s leadership and entrepreneurship. Her talk will align with the IWD 2025 theme, ‘Accelerate Action,’ offering valuable insights into empowering women through local business.
The event is free to attend, with refreshments provided. Find out more here.
Fri 7th March | 6pm - 9pm
God's House Tower, Town Quay Road
God’s House Tower is hosting an International Women’s Day celebration featuring five women-led community projects from across Southampton and a research project by the Centre for Homelessness Research and Practice (CHRP) based in the School of Psychology at the University of Southampton.
Attendees will have the chance to explore the exhibitions, meet the artists and researchers, listen to some music and even take part in a skate jam! Find out more here.
7th - 30th March
God's House Tower, Town Quay
International Women’s Day: Community Projects is an exhibition showcasing five women-led community projects from across Southampton. It provides an opportunity for the people involved to share and celebrate the amazing work they’ve done over the past 12 months. The five projects are:
Fri 7th March | 2pm - 8pm
The Spark, Solent University
Solent Students' Union will be hosting an event reclaiming the night by marching through the Southampton parks.
The event is free for all to attend and you can join from 2pm to help make signs to carry on the march. At 5pm there will be a DJ set before the march starts at 7pm. Find out more and register your place.
Fri 7th March | 12pm - 1pm
Clockwise Southampton
Clockwise Southampton is hosting a special International Women’s Day event to explore the power of resilience, confidence, and authenticity. Joy Donnell, trauma therapist and entrepreneur, will share her journey from a decade in the military to leadership roles in male-dominated industries and co-founding a multi-award-winning consultancy.
Her talk will offer valuable insights into breaking through limitations and making a meaningful impact. Attendees will also have the opportunity for some networking.
Fri 7th March | 9.30am - 2pm
Hilton Southampton (Utilita Bowl)
Join The Southern Sustainability Partnership at Hilton Southampton (Utilita Bowl) for a day dedicated to celebrating women in business. With a strong focus on sustainability, the event features inspiring talks from influential speakers, including Laura Read, Chief Executive at Marwell Wildlife, Astrid Davies from Intersectionality, and representatives from RNLI Women in Search and Rescue (SAR). You'll also have the chance to network with like-minded professionals and enjoy a light lunch. Get your tickets here.
Sat 8th March | 1.30pm - 3pm
John Hansard Gallery
John Hansard Gallery will host a special talk with artist Emma Critchley and curator Marleen Boschen, exploring themes from Critchley’s solo exhibition, Soundings.
Discussions will delve into the critical conversations raised by Soundings, which combines filmmaking, choreography, and public engagement to address the urgent issue of deep-sea mining. Critchley and Boschen will explore topics such as imagining life in the deep, researching through the body, and the role of art in policy spaces.
The event will also feature a short reading from Rights of the Deep, included in Soundings, before examining how artistic practices can influence environmental and political discussions.
Soundings is on display at John Hansard Gallery until 3 May 2025.
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