Celebrate International Women’s Day in London

Sunday (8 March) marks International Women’s Day (IWD) – a day celebrating the great women in history, the countless achievements of women around the world, and the barriers that they have had to overcome to get to this point.

If you’re in London this weekend, we’ve come up with a list of the best places to visit to mark the day.

Women of the World Festival

The Women of the World festival will coincide with IWD, with a weekend of lectures, debates, workshops and panel discussions. Famous faces will be speaking at a number of the events, including Sandi Toksvig, Shazia Mirza, Elif Shafak, and the former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson.

International Women’s Day Ride

IBikeLondon has arranged a big bike ride across the city with an IWD theme – ‘an equal world is an enabled world’. With opportunities to chat with others and stop for food and drink along the way, this is a great way to see the city and meet new people.

Visit the Florence Nightingale Museum

Take a trip to the Florence Nightingale Museum to celebrate the life and work of the world’s most famous nurse.

Learn more about one of the UK’s most iconic women by exploring the museum, with a new exhibition – Nightingale in 200 Objects, People and Places – celebrating 200 years since she was born.

Lady of the Grapes

If you’re a wine fan and looking for a new venue to try this IWD, visit Covent Garden-based Lady of the Grapes. A wine bar, restaurant and shop, Lady of the Grapes champions women in the wine industry and serves natural wines made by female winemakers from across the world.

The food menu will encompass a natural and organic theme too, including sharing boards and dishes designed to complement the extensive wine list.

Persephone Books

Well-known Persephone Books reprints neglected fiction and non-fiction by mid-twentieth century writers. Reprinting mainly women writers, the bookseller publishes novels, short stories, diaries, memoirs and cookery books. The name of the bookstore was chosen as a symbol of female creativity and new beginnings.