5 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day in Vancouver 2022

Tuesday, March 8 is International Women’s Day, and bartenders, fitness studios and filmmakers are celebrating the best way they know how (read: drinks, sweating and movies). Read on for a list of Vancouver events honouring International Women’s Day—here’s 5 things to do on March 8.

1. Donate to a Local Charity  

While there’s plenty of awesome events on this list that benefit local charities, making a direct donation is the simple way to help. There’s lots of Vancouver nonprofits that support and uplift women, but here are a few to get the ball rolling: The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (supports women and children in the DTES), Wish Vancouver (supports street-based sex workers), Minerva BC (provides leadership development programs for women and girls), Atira Women’s Resource Society (works to end violence against women) and  Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter (supports survivors of sexual abuse). If you have the means, donate! 

2. Attend the Herstory in Focus Fundraising Gala 

This virtual gala brought to you by the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre has a fundraising goal of $120,000 (at the time of writing, they’re just over halfway there). The gala’s lineup includes comedy (it’s hosted by local Indigenous comedian Savannah Erasmus), a fashion show, musical performances and a silent auction. Tickets are from $50. 

3. Have a Cocktail at the Chickadee Room 

Sabrine Dhaliwal is stirring and pouring for a cause—at The Chickadee Room, she creates three feature cocktails in support of a different charity each month. This March, the Lady O’Keeffe (Belvedere Vodka, elderflower, jasmine green tea, lemon and grapefruit & hops bitters and egg white), Three Sisters (Amaro Nonino, blood orange, lime juice, peach bitters, Fever-Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit), and Spark Joy (Appleton 8yr rum, yellow chartreuse, cynar, Tuscan pear rooibos tea, lime bitters and black walnut bitters) cocktails all give back to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. 

4. Workout for Women’s Day 

Fitness instructors around the city have gathered to offer a week of by-donation classes from now through March 8. Donations benefit Battered Women’s Support Services, Vancouver Women’s Health Collective and WISH Drop In-Centre. 

There are both virtual and in-person classes on offer, from strength training to yoga to bootcamp to Zumba—check it out here. 

5. Watch the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival 

This virtual fest runs from March 8 to 13 and includes 33 films from 12 different countries (and nine of them are from B.C.). Highlights inlclude a special presentation of the Vancouver-made web series Querencia (pictured above) and Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy, directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. Get tickets here.