Photo from Well + Good.
By Loose Lips Mag
@looselipsmag
Please note that a large majority of these events are now canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Women’s Day is coming up and you know what that means: a month-long celebration of womxn in our city! Check out Vancouver’s March event line up including IWD events and so much more.
Coastal Dance Festival: The 13th annual Coastal Dance Festival–a celebration of Canadian and global Indigenous stories, song, and dance–is back this February! This year’s edition welcomes 14 Indigenous performance groups from BC, Alaska, Yukon, Nunavut, and New Zealand.
Dates: February 25 – March 1
Times: Vary
Location: Varies based on performance. Find tickets here.
Steel Magnolias: Boone Dog Productions presents the well-known story of camaraderie and fierce loyalty, epitomizing Southern charm and unwavering strength in the face of triumphs and tragedies. Based on true events, and widely known for the hit film adaptation starring Julia Roberts, the timeless drama follows a young woman as she grapples with a life-altering medical diagnosis.
Dates: February 14–March 8
Times: Vary
Location: The Nest, 1398 Cartwright Street on Granville Island, Vancouver. Tickets here.
Booty Freedom: The accessible, hip-hop inspired choreo and twerking we all deserve. Join in for a body positive class where you can shake your hips and let loose with zero judgment. Read out feature on Booty Freedom on the mag!
Date: March 1, 4, and 8
Time: Evening, varies based on class
Location: Varies based on class. Find upcoming class times and locations here.
Women’s Empowerment Tour: Vancouver: “Our Women’s Empowerment Tour celebrates, unites, and inspires adventurers around North America who are letting go of fear to create a life of their dreams. In this tour we bring you empowering local, female speakers and Arc’teryx ambassadors to speak about and encourage self-love and confidence in adventure. Join us at the Arc’teryx Vancouver store for an inspiring evening, and to hear from rad women sharing their outdoor adventures.”
Date: March 2
Time: 6 PM- 9:30 PM
Location: Arc’teryx Vancouver, 813 Burrard Street, Vancouver. Buy tickets here.
Grace Club + Book Club: Grace Club’s latest offering is perfect for local feminists who are seeking a nurturing reading habit and intersectional discussion. Attend monthly meet ups to mingle and connect with other activists in our community! The first literary meet up will feature A Mind Spread Out On the Ground by Indigenous author Alicia Elliot.
Date: March 3
Time: 6:30 PM- 8:30 PM
Location: Suite Genius Mt. Pleasant, 225 West 8th Avenue #200, Vancouver. Save your spot here.
The Vancouver International Women in Film Festival: “The 15th annual Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (#VIWFF) celebrates the best of cinema created by women…presenting an impressive line-up of short and feature-length films covering a wide range of genres .
Date: March 3-8
Time: Showtimes vary
Location: Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver. Full schedule here.
Women of Colour Rising: An International Women’s Day Event: Celebrate International Women’s Day by attending a unique panel curated by women of colour. This free event will speak to the success and perseverance of powerful women in challenging environments such as business, politics, and non-profit work. Check out the stellar panelists here.
Date: March 5
Time: 6 PM- 9 PM
Location: SFU Woodward’s, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. Tickets here.
Wet’suwet’en Solidarity: Film Screening of “Invasion”: Invasion” is a short film about the Unist’ot’en Camp, Gidimt’en Checkpoint and the larger Wet’suwet’en Nation standing up to the Canadian government and corporations who continue colonial violence against Indigenous People. This screening is free. If you have any art donations please bring them by for a Unist’ot’en Legal Fund Fundraiser which is being organized by The Centre for Polite Dissent, Emocollective, and Student Union. More here.
Date: March 5
Time: 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Location: Emily Carr
International Women’s Day: Her Startup Stories: Celebrate International Women’s Day with five speakers, five minute stories, and five takeaways at Hervana. Connect, share, and reignite your passion with like-minded womxn in Vancouver!
Date: March 6
Time: 6 PM- 9 PM
Location: Hervana Coworking Collective, 595 Howe Street #506, Vancouver. Purchase tickets here.
Fatale Fridays: Check out Downtown Vancouver’s weekly womxn stand-up comedy showcase! Watch as touring pro comics take the stage, alongside a few up-and-coming newbies.
Date: March 6
Time: 7:30 PM- 9 PM
Location: Keto Caveman Cafe, 605 West Pender Street, Vancouver. Purchase tickets on Eventbrite.
Women’s Maker Meet-Up: Learn about MakerLabs latest cohorts and network with like-minded makers at this womxn and non-binary event! Find tools, skills, and support to curate almost anything. So, what are you waiting for? Bring your ideas to life this March with Vancouver’s maker space!
Date: March 7
Time: 7 PM- 9 PM
Location: MakerLabs, 780 East Cordova Street, Vancouver. Find out more here.
Ladies FIRST Vol. 3: Wondering how to celebrate International Women’s Day? Come out and support Vancouver’s incredible dancers. This 1 versus 1 all women, all styles battle will feature some of the cities fiercest and strongest women.
Date: March 7
Time: 7:30 PM- 11:00 PM
Location: Woodward’s Atrium, 111 West Hastings, Vancouver. Find out more on the event page.
Women’s Place is in the Struggle: Hear stories of struggle from an array of inspiring speakers, including: Jean Swanson from Vancouver City Council, Nancy Trigueros of COPE & Socialist Alternative, and UNITE HERE local hotel workers.
Date: March 8
Time: 2 PM- 3:30 PM
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver. Check out the event page here.
Let’s Talk About Sex by Grace Club: Join in for an intimate evening discussing the topic of Sex Positivity! Explore various liberating perspectives, learn from speaker expertise and get curious in a lively Q & A.
Date: March 9
Time: 6 PM- 9PM
Location: Suite Genius Mt. Pleasant, 225 West 8th Avenue #200, Vancouver. Find tickets here.
Growing Room: Literary & Arts Festival: Room Magazine’s annual literary festival is back! Celebrating diverse Canadian writers and artists, the festival is welcoming dozens of authors to Vancouver for a week of intersectional conversation.
Date: March 11-15
Time: Varies based on day and event
Location: Various venues across Vancouver. Discover this year’s lineup here.
PechaKucha Night Vol. 51: Welcome back to PechaKucha Vancouver for another year of 20X20! Hear from a diverse group of distinguished speakers this March.
Date: March 12
Time: 7:30 PM- 9:30 PM
Location: Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver. Purchase tickets here.
Trans Script, Part I: The Women: Watch the insightful work of Trans Scripts in this authentic play of honesty, vulnerability, and vibrancy. Seven local transgender women will take the stage to share real-life stories of transgender women, while meditating on what connects us all as humans.
Date: March 12-21
Time: Varies based on day
Location: Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E Cordova Street, Vancouver. Find tickets here.
Black Magic Women: BIPOC Encounters with the Fantastic: While white feminism is well-represented in contemporary magic and witchcraft, the roots of spirituality in BIPOC culture is often ignored. Join BIPOC writers Nafiza Azad, Jillian Christmas, Gwen Benaway, and Téa Mutonji as they talk cultural appropriation and ancestral knowledge that has existed for time immemorial.
Date: March 13
Time: 7 PM- 9 PM
Location: Massy Books, 229 Georgia Street, Vancouver. Entrance is by donation or pay-what-you-can. Reserve your spot here.
TedxUBC 2019: TEDxUBC’s biggest conference of the year is here! For the first time ever, watch as local creators, researchers, and academics share their ideas on the Chan Centre stage.
Date: March 14
Time: 9 AM- 4 PM
Location: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Road, Vancouver. Check out tickets here.
Self-Love and Community Care: Ethics of Community Building: “In capitalist society where individualism is revered, competition is encouraged, and success is quantifiably measured, how do we build ethical practices that nourish our own artistic growth while still upholding our community? In this panel discussion, Francine Cunningham, Amanda Leduc, Annahid Dashtgard, and Kai Cheng Thom will share short readings of their works and discuss mentorship, community accountability, boundaries, and care practices that root themselves firmly in empathy, love, and future building.”
Date: March 14
Time: 12:30 PM- 2:30 PM
Location: Native Education College, 237 East 5th Avenue, Vancouver. Register here.
Not Your Sidekick: Queer Characters: “Queer identities aren’t plot devices for straight folks’ character development. Shining a light on the depths of queer identity in fiction while also remaining honest to their experiences, these writers refuse to let queerness take a backseat. Join us for an afternoon of queer expertise in an ever-growing genre with Tanya Boteju, Shani Mootoo, Tash McAdam, and Addie Tsai.”
Date: March 15
Time: 12:30 PM- 2:30 PM
Location: Native Education College, 237 East 5th Avenue, Vancouver. Register here.
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open: “Discovering Rosie (Violet Nelson), a pregnant teenager, sobbing on a rainy East Vancouver street, Aila (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) swiftly intercedes, initially offering shelter before working feverishly to get her access to proper support networks. Unfolding in real time, this deft drama from Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn (Never Steady, Never Still) employs a riveting combination of intimacy and immediacy as these two Indigenous women forge a tentative bond and embark on a revelatory odyssey.” The film will be followed by a discussion between local filmmakers Jade Baxter and Justin Ducharme.
Date: March 15
Time: 4 PM- 6:30 PM
Location: Beaumont Studios, 326 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver. Tickets are by donation or pay-what-you-can. Register here.
Getting Clear Through Breathwork With Bree: Take a night for yourself! Bree Melanson will lead the class through intention setting and guided breathwork to remove emotional, mental, and physical blockages. Reduce stress, gain mental clarity, heal physical ailments, and tap into your intuition with Bree.
Date: March 15
Time: 5 PM- 8 PM
Location: Werklab, Unit 290 1275 Venables Street, Vancouver. See the event here.
Dipping Into Diaspora: “In the long stretches between Home and “home” there are infinite stories, lessons, and longings. How many different people do we need to be? How many different languages must we carry? How many lands will we claim? How many will claim us? Join us for this panel with Rhea Tregebov, Rebecca Fisseha, Zalika Reid-Benta, Karmella Cen Benedito De Barros and hosted by Afuwa.”
Date: March 15
Time: 7:30 PM- 9:30 PM
Location: Massy Books, 229 Georgia Street, Vancouver. Entrance is by donation or pay-what-you-can. Reserve your spot here.
RUBBERBAND’s Ever So Slightly: “Ever So Slightly explores humanity’s instinctive behavioural reflexes developed in response to life’s daily aggressions, and our urgent desire for resistance from these constraints. One moment, the dancers look like inmates in an asylum, the next, street dance warriors in boiler-suited conformity. The dynamic performance draws upon Artistic Director and Choreographer Victor Quijada’s background in both hip hop and contemporary ballet, and features 10 athletically-charged dancers and two musicians live on stage.”
Date: March 20-21
Time: 8 PM
Location: Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver. Tickets here.
iMADE Spring Fling Craft Market: Come out for iMADE’s first event of the year! Shop from incredible local artists, artisans, and micro businesses sharing art, baked goods, textiles, jewelry, and more. P.S. The first 30 shoppers in line will receive a free gift!
Date: March 22
Time: 11 AM- 4 PM
Location: Heritage Hall, 1302 Main Street, Vancouver. Find out more here.
Vancouver Gem Show: Western Canada’s largest gem show is back, featuring 120+ of the best gem, mineral, and jewellery vendors from across Canada. Find unique gems and crystals, rare fossils, jewellery, beads, art, and more!
Date: March 27-29
Time: Early afternoon till evening, specific times depend on day
Location: PNE Forum, 2901 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. Find out more here.
Kristi and Brittany are the co-founders and co-editors of Loose Lips Mag. Together, they’re building their feminist media empire—leaving the patriarchy, charcuterie boards and empty bottles of wine in their wake. Loose Lips Media is grateful to operate on the unceded Coast Salish territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
