Join Me On The Bridge London

Organised by Women for Women International, this uplifting event sees women gather on the Southbank at 10.30am for face painting and banner-making, before marching over several bridges to the Royal Festival Hall, where there will be speeches by a series of special guests. Join Me On The Bridge London is one of many identical events around the world, which raise awareness of the need for peace and equality.

Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre (6-10 Mar)

More than 300 speakers from around the world will take part in the Southbank Centre’s Women of the World Festival, which boasts an impressive programme of talks, workshops, music and performances. On International Women’s Day itself, the festival offers an array of talks by inspiring women such as Sarah Brown, Julia Hobsbawm and Julie Walters, as well as debates, music and the chance to gain valuable advice in a speed mentoring session. Day tickets are £12.

Lectures in London

Whether you want to discover the health benefits of being a working mother, attend a free conference on women entrepreneurs, or  find out why women are more affected by natural disasters, there are plenty of fascinating – and often free – events taking place on 8 March. Women in science is a particular theme this year: check out Women and Science, Suffrage Science or the Stemettes 2013 Panel (7 Mar) to discover the amazing work being done by women scientists across the globe.

World of Women Film Festival (23 and 28 Mar)

Based in Australia, the World of Women (WOW) Festival has been screening the best in contemporary female short film for the past 18 years. For 2013 the UK-based Equator, which celebrates women’s creativity in all its forms, is collaborating with the WOW Festival to bring a selection of its films to London on 24 and 28 March. Films range from Kamambo, a drama about a West Papuan asylum seeker in Australia, to Distant Thunder, a comedy about marriage and death.

Social opportunities

International Women’s Day is a great incentive to meet and be inspired by other women professionals, and the women-only networking lunch at the City Business Library is a perfect opportunity to do just that. Women Rotarians can also enjoy spectacular views whilst they socialise at City Hall, where Rotary in London is staging a networking breakfast.

International Women’s Day Entertainment

There are many celebrations of women’s creativity taking place on and around International Women’s Day. You can listen to works by contemporary female composers at St Andrew’s Holborn, see a Philippine fashion show, or tickle your funny bone for charity at a comedy gala hosted by some of the world’s top women comedians (7 Mar). BFI Southbank is also hosting a special pre-release screening of Wadjda, an award-winning film by Saudia Arabia’s first female feature director.

Million Women Rise March (9 Mar)

Gathering outside Selfridges at 12pm on Saturday, the Million Women Rise March will pedestrianise Oxford Street so that thousands of women can march to Trafalgar Square for a rally at 3pm. The march protests against male violence towards women, and is the largest of its kind in Europe.

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women everywhere. Find out how you can mark this important date in London:

March over Millennium Bridge: Join celebrities, activists, and Women for Women supporters on Millennium Bridge as part of the Join Me on the Bridge campaign, promoting peace and equality. Meet on the south side of the bridge at 10.30am, then march across it, along Victoria Embankment and into the ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall for speeches. 8 Mar

Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre: Five days of gigs, films, talks, theatre, poetry and more, coinciding with International Women’s Day. Highlights include Equals Live 2012, a concert hosted by Annie Lennox; speed mentoring; and keynote speeches by Eve Ensler and Mary Portas. 7-11 Mar

Support Creative Women at Spitalfields: Spitalfields Market is holding an International Women’s Fair this weekend where you can browse books, arts and crafts by creative women and enjoy free entertainment including comedy, music and ballroom dancing. Free tours of the Women’s Library take place at 12pm and 2:30pm. 10 Mar

Invest in You at Inner Space: Wellbeing centre Inner Space is hosting an afternoon of free talks for women with a theme of Invest in You. Register at www.innerspace.org.uk. 10 Mar

Know of another Women’s Day event? Tell us in the comments below.

The Laurance Olivier Awards last night celebrated London’s thriving theatre scene in a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

You probably know who the winners are by now, but do you agree?

It was no surprise that Mark Rylance continued his run of award success by picking up Best Actor for his portrayal of Johnny “Rooster” Byron in Jerusalem.

Rachel Weisz beat off strong competition from Gillian Anderson, Imelda Staunton and Juliet Stevenson to take the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Katori Hall became the first black female playwright to win Best New Play for The Mountaintop (proving that the spirit of International Women’s Day lives on.)

Spring Awakening, despite closing early due to low ticket sales, received the Best New Musical Award.

And congratulations to Rupert Goold who won Best Director for Enron (which we rather liked too.)

Have you seen any of the award-winners? Did the Oliviers get it right, or is there a theatrical gem they missed? We’d love to hear your views.

Loads of funny female comics took to the stage and had the audience laughing all evening. Highlights included the compere Mrs Barbara Nice, the 2009 winner of the Funny Women competition Miss London, Carrie Quinlan, Deborah Frances-White and a memorable and hilarious performance by A Ant (Bridget Christie).

Dead Ringers star Jan Ravens taught us how to impersonate Anne Robinson – we had to make crow noises to practice her voice! With so many brilliant acts on the bill, some of the sets were over too quickly. Even the interval was fun thanks to free cupcakes courtesy of Wendy May Cakes.

Funny Women was founded in 2002 to inspire and promote female stand-up comedians. The annual Funny Women competition gives female stand ups the opportunity to compete and get noticed. One of the most successful comedians to come from the awards is Mock the Week star Sarah Millican.

Visit the Funny Women website to find out about live stand-up comedy events, including the Second Sunday Showcase and workshops where you can learn some comedy skills.

In some places (Bulgaria, China, Russia, Vietnam) International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

Here in London, there are lots of events to celebrate IWD. We want to know what you’re up to on this special day.

International Women’s Day Events in London:

• Novelists Diana Evans and Benardine Evaristo are at Rich Mix tonight, talking about the theme of migration in their work. This event is also part of the East Festival.  7.30pm.
• Join Me On The Bridge is an international campaign promoting peace and development across the world. In London, a parade is gathering at Victoria Embankment Gardens for 10am, and walking to the Millenium Bridge at 12noon for a photograph. (The same thing is happening on bridges across the world from the Bahamas to Uganda, including the Brooklyn Bridge)
• Tonight at the Haunch of Venison, there’ll be a series of dance performances for International Women’s Day. Contemporary ballet, traditional Balkan and South Asian and Sufi whirlers as well as pieces from top female performance artists Eloise Fornieles and Kirstie Mcleod
• And, with Kathryn Bigelow’s fantastic, ground-breaking success at last night’s Academy Awards, don’t forget the Birds Eye Film Festival starts today: nine days of celebration and support for international women filmmakers.

What are you doing to celebrate International Women’s Day in London? Let us know in the comments below.