International Women’s Day 2026 is coming – and York has lined up a series of events to mark it.
International Women’s Day takes place on Sunday 8 March and is a global celebration of the ‘social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women’.
York will host exhibitions, networking events, poetry, markets, and more to mark the day.
YorkMix are hosting our own event for IWD – a fun networking event on Monday 9 March with refreshments and a quiz!
Are we missing an event? Let us know by dropping us a line at [email protected].
YorkMix International Women’s Day Networking Event
Join us on Monday 9th March for a celebration of Women! It’s International Women’s Day and YorkMix are yet again celebrating this with a fun Networking event. This year we are very excited to be holding the event once again at The Hospitium in Museum Gardens, from 1.30pm until 3.30pm. There will be free coffee and biscuits and the chance to get involved with a little quiz and win a great prize – above all else the room will be filled with inspirational and wonderful women in North Yorkshire to chat and connect with.
- The Hospitium, Museum Gardens, Museum Street, York YO1 7FR
- Mon 9 Mar
- 1:30-3:30pm
- Tickets
York International Women’s Week
York International Women’s Week is held each year around International Women’s Day (IWD), 8th March. Each year in York local people come together to create a community programme. We aim to highlight political and cultural concerns, while also opening up space for women to gather together for fun, creativity, knowledge, and support. YIWW has always been trans-inclusive and as we come close to IWD we wish to re-state our feminist commitment to all women.
This year our theme is ‘weaving women’s stories’, and we are reminded of the words of Minnie Bruce Pratt, US poet, educator and activist: I don’t want woman to be a fortress that has to be defined. I want it to be a life we constantly braid together from the threads of our existence, a rope we make, a flexible weapon stronger than steel, that we use to pull down walls that imprison us at the borders.
We invite you to a week of exhibitions, films, talks, workshops, dancing, tea & chats – and much more.
- Various locations
- Sun 1 – Sun 8 Mar
- Various times
- More info
Women’s Market
We will be selling handmade products (soap, tote bags, cushions…) by women from Muranga and Masai Mara (Kenya). Mbele is a non-profit organization, and since 2023 we provide women in rural Kenya with sewing patterns and sell their products in Spain, and now York. Feel free to ask us about our wider work, including with women in Uganda.
Together with Destiny Gates Foundation, we support two groups of women in Kenya, one in Gatanga and the other in Masai Mara. In August 2023, together with other volunteers, we proposed to the women to make tote bags with African prints. The project was a complete success, and you can currently find the tote bags in various locations in Spain and now also in York.
We love collaborating with these two groups because they provide a meeting place for women to share, laugh, and support each other. By purchasing their products, you help these women achieve economic independence and empower themselves, recognising and supporting their ability to decide their own future.
- SPARK:York, 17-21 Piccadilly, York, YO1 9PB
- Sat 7 Mar
- 10am – 6pm
- More info
Guided Walk: International Women’s Day
Visit five women in the cemetery who made a difference. Some were part of a national movement or event, others more locally impactful. All have fascinating stories. Lead by a group of women who help take care of this beautiful place through membership of the Trust and Friends. The guided walk starts at the Harriet Centre at 2pm. It will be approximately an hour. Please arrive 15 mins before the walk start to be fitted with audio kit. This event is non ticketed, so just turn up on the day. We suggest a donation of £5, or for Friends and children £2.
- York Cemetery, Cemetery Road, York, YO10 5AJ
- Sun 8 Mar
- 2pm
- More info
York Literature Festival: Writing Women in York – A Poetry Workshop with Janine Bradbury
A poetry workshop led by Janine Bradbury, BBC New Generation Thinker and Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Writing and Culture at the University of York. In this poet-led session, participants will be invited to consider poetic practice and how this relates to absences in historical archives.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB
- Sun 8 Mar
- 1pm
- More info
York Literature Festival: The International Women’s Day Poetry Showcase
For the third year running, join local poet Chloe Hanks in welcoming four vibrant voices from the local and surrounding poetry scene in celebration of International Women’s Day.
This year, we we will be joined by York based poet Kayleigh Campbell, author of Sailor’s Blue from Broken Sleep Books, spoken-word poet Minal Sukumar, Bloomsbury author of An Interesting Detail, Kimberly Campanello and Bloodaxe’s Helen Ivory with Constructing a Witch.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB
- Sun 8 Mar
- 7:30pm
- More info
Designed for Who? Who is our city for? – Gender and public space in York
Public spaces shape our everyday lives. They influence where we feel comfortable spending time, how safe we feel moving around the city, and whether public places feel welcoming or not.
This evening brings together a panel of speakers with backgrounds in architecture, active travel, lighting and community work, alongside shared lived experience of using York’s public spaces.
Through a panel discussion, audience questions, and optional informal interactive activities taking place before and after the panel, we will explore how gender affects the way people experience the city. We will look at how design, planning and policy can unintentionally exclude women and girls, and consider what practical change could look like.
This event is for anyone who uses public space and has an interest in making York a city where women and girls feel welcome, safe and able to belong.
- Bluebird Bakery, 201 Acomb Road, Acomb, York, YO24 4HD
- Sun 8 Mar
- 7-9pm
- More info
