Celebrate Women's Day in Newtown

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The festivities are being held to coincide with National Women's Day on Saturday 9 August, and aim to highlight the valuable contribution South African women make to the country's arts and entertainment sector.

Kate Shand, marketing manager for the Newtown Management District, explains that this year's weekend is a collective effort, with the various venues in the area taking the initiative to stage female-themed events in celebration of Women's Day.

“The events are an expression of what it means to be a woman, and are accessible to everyone,” she says. “An exciting addition this year is the free ‘open-stage' street performances taking place in Newtown's public spaces over the weekend, to draw in pedestrians and commuters and create a festival atmosphere. Also, many of the events offered at the venues are free.”

Included on the lineup for the weekend are several live music events featuring top artists such as Lira and Zonke, while a dance highlight will undoubtedly be seeing Standard Bank Young Artist winner Dada Masilo in action with Lulu Mlangeni in PJ Sabbagha's Back, at the Dance Factory. The free Women of the Sun film festival at Museum Africa, featuring movies and documentaries by female directors hailing from South Africa and other African countries, promises to be essential viewing.

The Newtown Celebrates Women's Day events come hot on the heels of two successful public events hosted in Newtown - the Slam da Trash and Snow in the City initiatives, each of which attracted crowds of several thousand people.