A burgeoning Thanet arts festival will mark the centenary of women gaining the vote in Britain.

POW! Thanet will take place this March and includes work by internationally renowned artist alongside the isle’s prodigious homegrown talent.

Launching the festival is a show-stopping performance by the POW! choir - women, men and children will perform a soaring rendition of Milck’s protest anthem, I Can’t Keep Quiet - the song went viral following last year’s women’s march in America.

The theme of this year’s festival marks the centenary of women gaining the vote in Britain and there are suffragette-inspired and thought provoking events presented by artists, authors and academics.

Many of the events are free to attend with exciting opportunities for young women to explore anything from coding at Dreamland to music drop-ins organised by Pie Factory Music.

Christina Clark-McQuaid, festival director, said: “POW! started as a celebration of female creativity to coincide with International Women’s Day and is now a firm fixture on the isle’s events calendar.

“That still suffers from deprivation but has also seen a huge increase in artistic creativity.

“Now, more than ever, it is important that women (and girls) have a voice and the festival offers them a platform from which to express heir thoughts and feelings about their position in the contemporary world.

“We invite women, men, girls and boys to come along and experience, be challenged by, and enjoy the wide variety of events that POW! 2018 has to offer.

The festival takes place from Wednesday, March 7 until Sunday, March 11.

Programme director Jan Ryan said: “More than 150 female artists, performers and makers will light up the isle with theatre, music, cabaret, talks and exhibitions which will take place across Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate.

“We will be paying tribute to many strong women who have helped to shape the freedoms we enjoy today.

“Over a five day period, POW! 2018 will be looking back over the past 100 years, at what we have achieved and what the future might bring.”