From Emmeline Pankhurst to Pussy Riots, Manchester gets ready to celebrate feminism

Manchester will be flaunting its feminist credentials in March with a celebration of the achievements of women.

The city is famed as the birthplace of the Suffragette movement and home to Emmeline Pankhurst and her family, who led the rallying cry of votes for women more than a century ago.

Mrs Pankhurst will become the first woman since Queen Victoria to be honoured in the city with a public stature it was revealed recently - proof if any was needed that she remains one of history’s most resolutely radical figures.

And her influence lives on in other ways. One being the annual Wonder Women festival celebrating women’s achievements.

From March 3rd-13th, Manchester’s great cultural institutions led by The People’s History Museum will join forces in celebrating the creative force of females in a diversity of ways.

Stars such as actor Anne Marie Duff, Bridget Christie and Sandi Toksvig are joining in the event which embraces everything from football and coding to Mean Girls and Thelma and Louise. The event showcases performance, film, debate, talks, workshops and exhibitions that will explore women’s achievements.

Through film, theatre discussion and more, the city’s museums, galleries, theatres and mills are celebrating female creativity and ingenuity and asking just how far feminism has come since women first began campaigning for the right to vote more than 150 years ago.

This will be the fourth annual Wonder Women Festival in the city attracting an audience of around 40,000 people and is part of a five year project leading up to the centenary of women winning the first partial right to vote in 2018.Manchester will be flaunting its feminist credentials this month with a celebration of the achievements of women.

From March 3rd-13th, an all-star cast of Manchester’s great cultural institutions led by The People’s History Museum will join forces in celebrating the creative force of females in its annual Wonder Women festival.

From football and coding to Mean Girls and Thelma and Louise; the event showcases performance, film, debate, talks, workshops and exhibitions that will explore women’s achievements.

Through film, theatre discussion and more, the city’s museums, galleries, theatres and mills are celebrating female creativity and ingenuity and asking just how far feminism has come since women first began campaigning for the right to vote more than 150 years ago.

This will be the fourth annual Wonder Women Festival in the city attracting an audience of around 40,000 people and is part of a five year project leading up to the centenary in 2018 of women winning the first partial right to vote in 2018.

February 19th – March 19th: Husbands and Sons, Royal Exchange Three of DH Lawrence’s greatest dramas are interwoven in Husbands & Sons in which the heroes are the women. Directed by Marianne Elliott and featuring Anne-Marie Duff. Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 0161 833 9833

March 3rd-31st: Feminism is Dead, People’s History Museum An exhibition examining the relevance of modern feminism in today’s society. People’s History Museum, Manchester, 0161 838 9190

March 3rd: What IS She Wearing? Manchester Art Gallery This evening of feminist debate, performance and film explores the aesthetics of protest and considers how clothing and style is used to shape, define and own gender, sexuality and identity. Manchester Art Gallery , Manchester, 0161 235 8888

March 6th: Girlfriends with Q&A, HOME A rare film screening of Claudia Weill’s cult film Girlfriends, chronicling female friendship in New York City. HOME , Manchester, 0161 200 1500

March 7th: FLIM NITE presents Thelma and Louise, 3 Minute Theatre What would Thelma and Louise look like distorted by poets, comedians, and musicians? A retelling of this classic film through an exciting mix of live art, each performer has been given a chunk of ‘Thelma and Louise’ to turn into something new. Three Minute Theatre, Manchester, 0161 834 4517

March 8th International Women’s Day www.internationalwomensday.com

March 9th: Freedom or Death? The Women’s Suffrage Movement John Rylands Library holds key archives of the women’s suffrage movement in Britain. Join them as they look at original documents providing a captivating insight into the social and economic, as well as political position of women in the early twentieth century. John Rylands Library, Deansgate, Manchester, 0161 306 0555

March 9th: Sandi Toksvig: Live! Politically Incorrect Sandi Toksvig – comedian, novelist, actor, broadcaster, university chancellor, and (inter)national treasure, MC. She now finds herself in the startling position of having co-founded the UK’s fastest growing political party, the Women’s Equality Party. Sandi is celebrating the launch of the party with a fundraising tour of a uniquely witty evening of stand-up, stories and fascinating facts. The Lowry, Salford, 0843 208 6000

March 9th: Bridget Christie: A Book For Her, The Lowry Why has Bridget been sending her stained underpants to George Osborne at HM Treasury every month? Which method actor has been playing the character comedian Nigel Farage since 2010? Is Rachel Dolezal black or white? What’s the difference between Eddie Izzard and Caitlyn Jenner? All this and more will be revealed in Bridget’s tenth solo show. Followed by a book signing. The Lowry, Salford, 0843 208 6000

March 12th and 13th: Sugar and Spice 10: Women Out Loud, LGBT Foundation Sugar & Spice is Manchester’s annual free International Women’s Day celebration for lesbian and bisexual women. Taking place at LGBT Foundation is two days of networking, workshops, discussions, creativity and cake www.lgbt.foundation/sugarandspice LGBT Foundation , Manchester, 0345 330 3030

March 13th: Girls in the Game, National Football Museum An introductory coding workshop for young people looking into the science of computer gaming. National Football Museum, Manchester, 0161 605 8200

www.creativetourist.com/wonderwomen @wonderwomenMcr