Cunard has announced that its spectacular Queen Victoria liner will be turning purple to celebrate International Women’s Day during her visit to Sydney tomorrow.
In support of the global day, a massive 60-metre long banner sporting this year’s International Women’s Day campaign message – #PledgeForParity – will be hung on the liner’s hull shortly after she berths in Sydney’s Circular Quay tomorrow morning.
Then as dusk falls, Queen Victoria will take on a new hue, with special lighting bathing the ship in purple – the internationally recognised colour for women’s rights.
Visible from around the Quay, the illumination will be a striking tribute to International Women’s Day, which celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.
A special function will be hosted onboard the ship during the evening, bringing together scores of Australia’s leading women from a range of fields. The event will be hosted by Ann Sherry, who was named the overall winner in the 2015 Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards and is the Executive Chairman of Carnival Australia, which oversees seven of the world’s leading cruise lines in Australia, including Cunard.
Announcing the banner and the illumination, Ms Sherry said International Women’s Day was a powerful reminder that more needed to be done to ensure gender equality in the workplace.
“We need to ensure that this day is more than a symbol – we need to use it as an opportunity to revitalise the activism that became the catalyst for International Women’s Day itself more than a century ago, so that we can address the challenges that remain,” Ms Sherry said.
The #PledgeForParity banner is expected to be in place around 10am, providing an ideal backdrop for photos as the international day kicks off around the world.
The illumination will commence from 7pm and will be in place until midnight during the ship’s overnight stay.
Queen Victoria’s visit to Sydney comes during her 120-night world voyage, which will see her spend almost three weeks in Australian waters. She will return to Sydney tomorrow after completing her first ever roundtrip cruise from the city, an eight-night cruise to Kangaroo Island, Hobart and Melbourne which departed on February 29.
Designed to be a classic Cunard liner reflecting Cunard’s rich heritage and traditions, Queen Victoria celebrates the golden age of ocean travel. Distinguished by Cunard’s signature red and black livery, the opulent liner features grand triple-height public rooms, sweeping staircases, gleaming crystal chandeliers, spacious open decks for promenading and a colonial-style conservatory complete with a retractable glass roof. Queen Victoria has nine restaurants and cafes, more than 1000 staterooms, West End-style private viewing boxes in her Royal Court Theatre and a two-storey library with 6000 books.
For more details on Cunard visit www.cunard.com
SOURCE: Cunard