As every year, on March 8th, we celebrate women all over the world (well, almost).

To celebrate this event in my own way, I’m sharing some great tips I’ve unearthed for us women, to help us have a truly wonderful day this Friday, March 8, 2013.

In Paris:

Let’s start with Paris, where events will be popping up everywhere for this International Women’s Day.

• Several Parisian museums will be offering free activities within their collections, honoring women in art.

1. The Petit Palais offers guided tours and painting workshops with a visual artist.
2. The Musée Cognacq-Jay offers a guided tour titled “Women in the Age of Enlightenment” at 2:00 PM or 3:30 PM; booking required in the morning at 0140270721 or 0140278889.
3. The Musée Carnavalet offers tours about women within its collections.
4. The Louvre Museum offers a series of thematic tours led by museum lecturers on the theme of women: paintings and sculptures.

• Balloon release at the 1st Arrondissement Town Hall: a big balloon flashmob in tribute to women will take place on Thursday, March 21 at 8:00 PM. Come write your message from March 8 to 21 at the Town Hall reception, and 100 balloons will carry messages written by women.

• Nearly 450 bars, brasseries, and restaurants are participating in the “Femmes en fête” operation to give women a rose and other special attention on March 8.

• Femmes en sport 2013: for several years, the City of Paris has been organizing a great day dedicated to sports and women. This year, on Sunday, March 24, Parisian women are invited to lace up their sneakers and put on their sportswear for a day full of discovery and sweat.

• The Festival Au Féminin returns in 2013 for its 10th consecutive year to share female artistic creation in various cultural venues in the Goutte d’Or district.

• A concert, “Tribute to women in music“, at UNESCO on Friday, March 8 starting at 7:30 PM. The UNESCO House will open its doors for free for a classical music concert organized by Radio Sweden (Sveriges Radio) and Radio France, themed “from romantic to electronic.”

• A glamorous afternoon at Galeries Lafayette on Thursday, March 7 from 3:30 PM to 8:30 PM. As part of the recent release of the bible for Parisian women “Paris c’est chic, the best addresses from Do it in Paris”, with Parigramme editions, we invite you to treat yourself to a whole series of free activities, organized just for you. On the program: makeup, nail polish application, hair styling, massage, book signing of the guide, and LeCab chauffeur at the store exit…

• Free screening of the film “We Want Sex Equality” at the Escurial cinema on March 11 at 8:00 PM.

• On March 8, 2013, the first of a workshop dedicated to female pleasures will be launched in Paris, aimed at all women in France. Indeed, once a month, in an apartment, two ambassadors and twenty participants will meet around a subject: sex.
 Between expertise and humor, between intimate questions and straightforward discussions, it is time to talk about sexuality and find what you’re looking for. The first “Feminine Cabinet of Curiosities” will take place on International Women’s Day, Friday, March 8, 2013, on the theme of “Solitary pleasures” (Registration at atelier@cabinetsdecuriosités.fr).

In Lyon:

• On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, Friday, March 8, 2013, the Total Foundation is offering free admission to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon for the female public. A round table “Journeys, networks – testimonials from women” will also be held on Friday, March 8, starting at 3:00 PM in the museum auditorium.

Throughout France:

• Elephant Bleu offers a free car wash for women on March 8 as part of the “Women’s day: it’s free for the girls” operation. To take advantage of this tip, you will need to check the centers participating in the operation. Then, all you have to do is enter your details to get a voucher to download and print.

• On March 8, 2013, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, the Thalys booking site will offer 8,000 tickets at a single price of €8 (compared to €60 to €70 usually)! The lucky ones (because these tickets will be exclusively for women) who manage to get their hands on them will be able to travel at a low price between March 18 and March 25, 2013 for a one-way trip in second class. The lines concerned by this deal are: Paris – Brussels; Paris – Amsterdam; Paris – Cologne. The tickets sold this way will be offered under the name “Woman’s Day” (Journée de la Femme in English).

For the rest, wherever you are, don’t hesitate to inquire; there is bound to be an event or a great deal near you, and above all, happy holiday to all my readers then!