This event has now passed. Keep an eye out for information on next year's festival.

Lake Macquarie City Council invites you to get involved in their upcoming Women In Sport Festival, running from Saturday March 2 until Sunday March 10.

It's a week full of fun activities to empower women and girls in sport. The extensive program caters to sporting newcomers, aspiring professional athletes, coaches, administrators, and anyone who wants to challenge themselves and take on a new sport.

Check out the full list of events happening across the week below and pencil the dates in your diary to make you get along to these inclusive, community-focused sport events.

Try a Sport Day

Head along for a family-fun day out at Try a Sport Day! There'll be local sporting organisations there on the day, so you'll be able to test your ball skills or challenge your coordination.

Who knows – maybe you'll pick up a new sport, or fall back in love with a childhood favourite. It's a great way to try and watch a variety of sports, because it's totally free and there's no commitment whatsoever.

When: Sunday 3 March | 10am-2pm
Where: Speers Point Park
Find more information here.

Inspirational Women in Sport Breakfast

Enjoy a buffet breakfast overlooking the lake and be inspired by celebrated netball player and media personality Liz Ellis AO. It'll be a celebration of women and their ferocity, versatility, and success. 

When: Tuesday 5 March | 7.15am-9am
Where: Mountain View Function Room, Club Macquarie, 458 Lake Rd, Argenton
Tickets: From $48.60

Girls Can't Surf Film Screening with Q&A

Girls Can't Surf follows the journey of a band of renegade surfers who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world to achieve equality and change the sport forever. Featuring surfing greats like Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha, Layne Beachley, and more, Girls Can't Surf takes us back to the world of professional surfing in the 1980s, and how these women fought against the odds to make their dreams of competing in surfing a reality.

Catch a screening of Girls Can't Surf followed by a Q&A session with former pro-surfers Jodie Cooper and Pauline Menczer, who are featured in the film. 

When: Tuesday 5 March | 6.30pm-9pm
Where: Warners Bay Theatre, 39 Lake St, Warners Bay
Tickets: From $9

Live Music Lake Mac

Join country music duo Darlinghurst with special guest Piper Butcher for a fabulous night of music to celebrate International Women’s Day at Warners Bay Theatre.

When: Thursday 7 March | 6.30pm
Where: Warners Bay Theatre, 39 Lake St, Warners Bay
Tickets: From $45

International Women's Day Skate-a-thon

Get your skates on and head down to the Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima (MAP mima) for a rolling good time! Presented by Friday Night Foodies, 80's Skaties, and Chuffed Skates, this International Women's Day Skate-a-thon has something for everyone.

DJ N3bula will be hitting the MAP mima stage, there'll be a bunch of food trucks for when you get hungry, Newcastle Roller Derby League will be putting on a roller derby demo, there'll be a roller dance workshop by Chuffed Skates, and even an world record attempt for the longest conga line on quad skates!

If you don't have roller skates, don't worry, because there'll be loan skates available for newcomers.

The night will be capped off with a screening of the 80s classic Xanadu. Don't forget to dress up in your best 80s or Xanadu outfit – there's a prize for best dressed!

All proceeds from tickets to the Xanadu screening and cash donations for the loan skates will go to The Sports Bra Project, so why not have some fun while supporting a good cause?

Where: Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima (MAP mima), 96 Creek Reserve Rd, Speers Point
When: Friday 8 March | 5pm-9pm
Tickets: From $9 (for Xanadu screening only)
Find more information here.

Women in Sport Leadership & Careers Expo

Have you ever dreamed of a career in sport? If the answer is yes, then the Women in Sport Leadership & Careers Expo is for you. There's presentations by Belinda Clark, AO, former Australian cricket captain and sports administrator, and Chloe Dalton OAM, an elite athlete in AFL, rugby union, and basketball, to inspire you and give you an idea of how you can be a leader in the world of sports. 

Cricket NSW, Tennis NSW, and TAFE NSW will also have representatives at the expo so you can ask plenty of questions about getting into a career in sport.

When: Saturday 9 March | 10am
Where: The Place Charlestown Community Centre, Frederick St, Charlestown
Register your interest here.

Keen to get your skates on, try a new sport, or hear from inspiring female athletes? Get along to the Women in Sport festival this March.

Women in Sport Festival

When: Saturday 2 March - Sunday 10 March, 2024
Where: Various locations across Lake Macquarie
More information: Head to lakemac.com.au/WomenInSportFestival