Victoria Square brought some of Ireland’s top female trailblazers together for a special series of events to celebrate International Women’s Day in Belfast this weekend.
As part of its special ‘Sister Season’ programme, big names including model, TV presenter and podcaster, Vogue Williams; Sculpted by Aimee founder, Aimee Connolly; and local legend Pamela Ballantine, popped up in Victoria Square for a range of inspiring events.
Vogue Williams kicked off the programme of events on International Women’s Day (Friday 8 March), with a live on-mall interview with Cool FM presenter, Rebecca McKinney. The engaging lunchtime chat gave shoppers an insight into her life juggling TV, presenting and content creation work with two hugely successful podcasts, her own beauty brand (Bare by Vogue), and home life and travel with husband Spencer Matthews and their two children. The popular personality drew a sizeable crowd, stopping passers-by with an open, honest and entertaining interview that had all the hallmarks of her popular podcasts, Spencer & Vogue and My Therapist Ghosted me, which she records with friend and Irish comedian, Joanne McNally.
Later that evening, Victoria Square hosted a special ‘Behind the Business: Women in Media’ panel event, delving into the achievements, challenges, and unique perspectives of women in the dynamic world of media. Hosted by Cool FM’s Rebecca McKinney, the panel featured some of NI’s most well-known and loved female faces, providing a glimpse into their journeys, triumphs, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
UTV icon Pamela Ballantine MBE shared her experiences, insights and advice gleaned during a career that has spanned four decades – with her 40th anniversary with the broadcaster falling on International Women’s Day. She was joined by entrepreneur and content creator, Cathy Martin and Cool FM and BBC Radio One presenter Evanna Maxted for a thought-provoking discussion on the opportunities and challenges for women in media in Northern Ireland.
On Saturday (9 March), Rebecca McKinney was back for a second on-mall interview with Aimee Connolly, one of Ireland’s leading make up artists and the creative force behind award-winning, home-grown cult beauty brand, Sculpted by Aimee. Following an inspiring interview, reflecting on the incredible success of her eponymous beauty brand, Aimee hosted a live make-up masterclass, showing guests how to elevate their beauty game, and sharing her top beauty tips and must-have products.
In a Northern Ireland first, Rachael Jervis hosted an intimate and unique ‘Feminine Energy Flow’ yoga session in Victoria Square’s iconic dome on Saturday 9 March. Participants wore a ’silent disco’ headset allowing them to set the volume to their desired level, where they’ll hear ambient music and Rachael’s voice guiding them through the practice.
And throughout the weekend, a two-day ‘Female Owned Fayre’ took up residence on the lower ground floor mall on, featuring stalls from female makers, selling a diverse array of handmade crafts, exquisite jewellery and delectable baked goods crafted with passion and skill by local female artisans.
Commenting after the weekend, Michelle Greeves, centre manager, Victoria Square said: “We were proud to showcase and celebrate the achievements of trailblazing women this weekend, through our special series of Sister Season events. The programme was designed to motivate, inspire and energise and are part of our wider programming of events, that reflect our commitment to providing space for community led events and initiatives that bring people together.”
Discover more from LoveBelfast
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
