Forget Valentine’s Day, today, February 15, marks Singles Awareness Day – an unofficial holiday to celebrate being single and to appreciate the love in friendships, your family and yourself.
But Liverpool events group, Women’s Wednesday, are taking the opportunity to create a safe space for women and LGBTQ+ people.
They aim to bring people together, celebrate and feel empowered for a Galentines and Singles Awareness Day event.
Women’s Wednesday are a group of second and third year university students. They came together with the idea of having a women only LGBTQ+ event in Liverpool.
Merseynewslive spoke to Miggs, Abbie, Pat and Gina from Women’s Wednesday and Chris Bradley, Events Manager of Camp and Furnace, about tonight’s event
Chris said Camp and Furnace was excited to host the event.
He said: “Celebrating singles awareness day was a quirky stunt by us really and we’re happy to do it”
Abbie said: “I think it should be more of a thing. Valentines is so spread throughout the shops, it’s all over the TV and things like that but why isn’t there a day to celebrate being single and being in your own company and with your friends.”
Miggs added: “You can use it as an opportunity to go out and meet new people, instead of just being miserable.”
Gina said: “Our initiative is empowering individualism.”
She added: “We just wanted to make everyone feel like they’re worth something by themselves or with someone else it doesn’t matter. We always get people coming to our events alone by themselves.”
“Our initiative is empowering individualism”
Why should we celebrate Singles Awareness Day?
Single’s Awareness Day is a quirky and fun way to celebrate individualism and platonic love in a less commercialised way.
Camp and Furnace’s Chris said: “Valentines Day is very cliché now. Everyone knows it’s on the 14th . It was on a Monday no one really likes Monday and it’s the same old thing if you’re in a relationship. You go out for a nice meal, go for a nice date, or get an M&S meal deal or something in.”
He added: “Galentines is one of those quirky key dates and holidays that doesn’t come up that often.
“You can’t buy a galentines card at Clintons or anything like that but we thought it would be a fun thing to do on a Tuesday and celebrate being single.”
Part of the appeal of the Women’s Wednesday’s event tonight is how inclusive and empowering it is.
Valentines in some ways has always had heteronormative undertones. Creating a safe space for women and the LGBTQ+ community has been important to the group and the venue.
Chris said: “Women’s Wednesday have set up their movement and organisation to ensure that they are seen and see other people who may feel marginalised.
“So they can come down and get involved and enjoy a night out rather than maybe feeling uncomfortable going to another venue.”
He added: “It’s safety under a banner of unity and we’re very happy to have them”
“It’s safety under a banner of unity”
Gina said: “The LGBTQ+ community is filled with amazing, creative, beautiful people so obviously that’s a big community we wanted to celebrate in itself and individually what they are and obviously women and non-binary come into that as well.”
Tonight’s event is championing women and features a line-up of Zima, Mais, Beccs, Miggs and Girls Don’t Sync.
How can you attend?
Tickets are available from £6 tonight.
Abbie said: “£1 from every ticket is going to the Liverpool’s Women’s Hospital which is another massive thing. We’re going to accumulate a lot of money to donate to the women’s hospital.”
Watch the full interview with Women’s Wednesday below:
Watch the full interview with Chris below:
Kitty Vavasour has more on this story:
Featured image: Zoe Wheeler.