MATRESCENCE FESTIVAL
A SPACE TO EXPLORE THE METAMORPHOSIS OF M/OTHERHOOD
Matrescence Festival was founded in 2024 by Lizzy Humber (UK) and Claire Tonti (Australia) with a shared vision to combine art, education and community to explore the matrescence.
Matrescence is a term coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1970s to describe the profound transformation a woman or birthing person undergoes when becoming a parent. Similar to adolescence, matrescence encompasses significant physical, cognitive, emotional, hormonal, and social changes that reshape a person’s identity and worldview.
Matrescence Festival brings together expert speakers, vibrant discussion, poetry, songs, art making, nature walks, workshops, dancing, with lots of breaks & good food. This is space for village thinking and support.
Open to anyone interested in learning more about matrescence, the festival is daytime event, designed for the rhythms of caring responsibilities. Children of all ages will be welcome alongside and are invited to be their curious, freethinking selves.
The inaugural 2 day festivals took place in Exeter UK in June 2024 and Melbourne Australia in March 2025. A satellite edition, Matrescence Festival Brunch also began in Exeter in March 2025.
“During pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood, women undergo a far-reaching physiological, psychological and social metamorphosis. ”
2026: Dreaming Phase
Claire and Lizzy are planning festivals in their communities of Exeter UK and Melbourne Australia in 2026. We would like to invite you to dream with us about who/what the next festivals will feature. We also invite you to introduce yourself to us if you would like to contribute to the festival. We are also opening discussion for 2026/7 to tour Matrescence Festival, so if you would like to host a festival, we would love to hear from you. Our vision is to one day have a bus with ‘Matrescence’ in huge sparkly letters on the side as we take the festival on tour!
EXETER UK 2026
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Dreaming
We’d love to hear who would be your dream guest, performers, workshops, topics and more
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Contributors
Would you like to contribute to the next Festival? Tell us about yourself and how you would you like to be involved: Speakers, Artists, Facilitators, Stall holders, Volunteers and Sponsors – introduce yourself here.
MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA 2026
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Dreaming
We’d love to hear who would be your dream guest, performers, workshops, topics and more
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Contributors
Would you like to contribute to the next Festival? Tell us about yourself and how you would you like to be involved: Speakers, Artists, Facilitators, Stall holders, Volunteers and Sponsors – introduce yourself here.
Host Matrescence Festival
Get in touch with Claire and Lizzy if would like to host Matrescence Festival at your venue, or support our work.
ABOUT US
Lizzy Humber (right) is a mother, community artist and producer working in the UK. She specialises in curating parent-friendly live art and culture events. She is a change maker and champion of m/other artists continuing to make work professionally on their terms. Lizzy’s current projects include The Daylight Collective, a network for artist parents, Daylight Sessions daytime gigs for parents, M/Others on the Mic and Parents on the Mic performance platforms, and Creative Journalling for Matrescence. Lizzy’s participatory art projects aim to support parental mental health and community connection.
lizzyhumber.com
Claire Tonti (left) is an Australian indie folk artist, podcaster, Matrescence activist and mother. She released her debut album Matrescence in February 2023 with sold out shows both in her hometown Melbourne across the UK and Ireland. 11 songs about love, loss, identity, motherhood, creative freedom and overcoming birth trauma. Claire also hosts the podcast TONTS. where she celebrates women’s stories - talking to writers, experts, thinkers and deeply feeling humans
Clairetonti.com
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