Women To March The Streets

As Reclaim The Night Returns To Mackay

The Zonta Club of Mackay, together with Mackay Women’s Service, Salvation Army, and The Neighbourhood Hub, will host the Reclaim the Night March and BBQ on Friday, 31 October 2025, from 5–7pm near Artspace in the Council Precinct.

The event will feature information from Zonta and the Mackay Police Vulnerable Persons Unit, as well as a performance of a local Reclaim the Night song written for the occasion by Rhythm Business. Walkerston Rotary Club will also provide a free sausage sizzle. Participants will march through Mackay City to promote the freedom to feel safe walking in public at any time.

Reclaim the Night (RTN) is a coordinated women’s march against sexual harassment and sexual assault. First held in Sydney and Perth in 1978, it has since become an annual event across Australia, typically on the last Friday in October. Its core message is simple: “women should be able to walk anywhere, at any time, without fear.”

Born from the women’s liberation movements of the 1970s in Europe, the UK, and North America (where it is known as Take Back the Night), RTN challenges the idea that darkness belongs to danger and that women should “stay safe” by staying home. Many marches place women at the front, flipping the script on curfews and control.

RTN highlights three key issues:
• Violence against women – sexual assault, harassment, and domestic violence
• Victim-blaming – the expectation that women restrict their movements, rather than addressing male violence
• The right to public space – walking at night without fear

Across Australia, RTN is organised at the grassroots level by collectives, universities, women’s groups, and unions. Some years see thousands marching; other years, smaller gatherings. Regardless of size, the purpose is constant: a loud, visible refusal to accept violence and silence.

‍