SHE ROCKS: Painted rocks celebrating the "sheroes" in women's lives have been a feature of La Fiesta
It started with a list...
Whanganui's Carla Donson thought the city wasn't celebrating International Women's Day and believed we should. So she wrote a list of all the people who might help organise festivities and started ringing round.
When she got to the end she had La Fiesta -- that was eight years ago.
Carla, who is the Women's Network Whanganui manager, said although Women's Day was marked in different parts of the world for more than 100 years, March 8 was only officially proclaimed in 1977 by member states of the United Nations.
It's a day to honour women's rights and world peace.
"New Zealand has always been seen as a world leader in celebrating and promoting women's achievements so I was disappointed to discover that a lot people I spoke to had not heard of International Women's Day and had no idea when it was," says Carla.
"I thought about all the amazing women I knew and how we could celebrate beyond the one day and I just started ringing people."
By the time she got through her list, a week's worth of events were on the calendar and everyone on it had committed to donating their time and skills to the project.
Eight years later, Carla says she cannot recall a single person who said "no" when asked to contribute to the festival.
Each year, the number of participants and activities have increased and La Fiesta 2017 is three weeks long with an impressive diversity of educational and entertaining activities on offer.
Take Saturday: the La Fiesta programme includes a restorative yoga workshop, a fabric bag making workshop, a hair styling session at Protege or the opportunity to create your own artwork with an antique printing press.
Later there's is a raw vitality workshop where participants can learn the how and why of a raw food lifestyle with "ample tastings" and recipes provided.
Tomorrow the Trinity Methodist Church in Wicksteed St will hold a Celebrating Women church service, there is also a dance workshop at Tawhero School, a nature play session at the Eco School, a rock painting session at Virginia Lake and tomorrow night a roller disco will be hosted by West Coast Bombers.
La Fiesta has also embraced the rock painting craze with the creation of "She Rocks."
A collection of stones with portraits or quotes from inspirational women have been decorated for treasure hunts at different events.
Tributes to civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks, author Charlotte Bronte, aviator Amelia Earhart, primatologist Jane Goodall, singers Nina Simone and Dolly Parton are just a few examples in the she rocks collection.
Carla says she is proud of the way her "baby" has grown and she is equally proud of the women who have supported the festival.
"There have been life-long friendships formed through La Fiesta and some women have found the confidence to launch their own businesses through their involvement with the festival.
"Whanganui District Council support La Fiesta with community contracts funding but for the first three years there was no budget and it ran on goodwill and volunteer support."
A significant amount of Carla's own energy was also required and it seems it was a worthwhile investment as community support has grown along with the festival.
"More businesses have got behind the festival as well - it is great to have Protege Hair Design on the programme and the Bike Shed have a fabulous La Fiesta window display."
In the midst of this year's La Fiesta, Carla is packing for a house move which she had to fit around coordinating events like Frocks on Bikes last Sunday.
Fortunately, she has volunteer assistance from social work student Cheryl Hedley who says she is loving the Women's Network experience.
"I have gained a lot of confidence from working here," she says.
"I'm a third year extramural student and it has been so good to put the theory I'm learning in to practice."
Some of the La Fiesta events provide "tasters" for existing Whanganui groups.
The Whanganui Knitting Group meet weekly at the Ladies' Rest Building in St Hill St where they share a "cuppa and a laugh" along with their knitting and crochet.
For a gold coin donation, visitors can learn new skills and enjoy some warm and wonderful company.
At last Wednesday's session, there was a crocheted octopus on the table and group members said they are looking at making them for premature babies.
The tentacles are good therapy for tiny fingers I'm told, and the pattern comes with instructions for knitting as well as crochet.
These "yarn goddesses" are bursting with good ideas and Julie Stokes has seen a suggestion on Facebook for making anonymous scarf donations.
"You leave your knitted scarves round town and you attach a note saying 'I'm not lost, I was made for you so if you are cold - take me home," said Julie.
Coming from Adelaide, Australia seven years ago to help her daughter with childcare, Julie says the group has given her a great social life and she enjoys the community projects the group work on each year.
They are an off-shoot of the Gonville Library group which got too big for the library space and some say the Womens' Network venue is closer to home for them.
Jacqueline Brand-Holt has joined the group during La Fiesta and says she belonged to a similar group at the Auckland suburb of Beachlands on the Pohutukawa Coast.
"It is a great way to help the community and make friends," she said.
Jacqueline was scheduled to lead another La Fiesta event with a mother-led breastfeeding group on Friday.
"It is a regular support group in Whanganui but we are adding a bit of a twist for the La Fiesta session," she said.
"The mums will get a bit of pampering with a nice, warm foot bath and our local lactation consultant will be giving a brief talk."
The La Fiesta programme includes a number of health and well-being events this year and Gonville Medical Centre's new GP Kath Going ran her first La Fiesta event on Tuesday night with "an intimate korero" on de-mystifying good health care.
Raised at Ohakea where her father was in the air force, the young doctor says the Gonville practice is her ideal home.
"Primary health care should be affordable for everyone and this practice is affordable for people.
"I didn't know about La Fiesta and as I'm the female doctor at the practice, I was asked to do the workshop.
"I think it's a wonderful thing - so good for the community."
Popular La Fiesta event Frocks on Bikes saw a few men don their dresses and join the fun last Sunday.
Neighbours Mike Street and Bob Goldsmith said they enjoyed being part of the event that included a treasure hunt component this year.
Mike also attended the festival's opening event at Space Gallery and says wife Joan has been to a number of La Fiesta events.
"Joan encouraged me to join the Frocks on Bikes and I asked Bob to keep me company.
"It's a festival that celebrates women so I don't mind that Joan goes to a lot of things without me." Carla says if some men feel excluded from the festival, they are taking a very negative view.
"It's not women's responsibility to make men feel included and it is an opportunity to have good conversations about gender inequalities."
There is an International Men's Day which was inaugurated in 1992 and it is celebrated in over 70 countries on November 19 each year.
Mike Street said if there was a festival to celebrate men in Whanganui, he would probably attend a few events but he does not see a need for one.
The theme for International Women's Day 2017 is Be Bold For Change.
"Being bold applies to everyone and we can all be bold in our different ways to address inequality," says Carla.
The International Women's Day campaign urges women, men and transgender people "to join forces and be leaders within our own spheres of influence to accelerate gender parity.
"People can do that in all kinds of ways," Carla says.
"Practically, politically, spiritually and artistically."
After eight years of La Fiesta, Carla says she still thoroughly enjoys the experience and has a lot of fun planning and directing it each year.
The festival has inspired an Australian group to use La Fiesta as a template for their first celebration in New South Wales this week.
Overseas visitors come to Whanganui for La Fiesta and artists, musicians and writers have brought their talents from other parts of New Zealand to share.
"It is wonderful to have these people come to contribute to the festival but we also have so many amazing women right here, Carla says.
"They are the everyday heroes or "sheroes" in our lives and they inspire us because we see what they do and it helps us to believe that we can do amazing things too."
International Women's Day will be celebrated with an Empowering Women Through Service and Advocacy breakfast in the Grand Hotel's function room and later in the day there is the Business with Heart meeting in conjunction with the Whanganui Chamber of Commerce.
La Fiesta programmes are available from the Womens' Network or see what's on at La Fiesta NZ Facebook pages. It runs until March 10.