Women's March 2018: First Day Of Marches Sees Thousands Attend

On the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration, which coincided with a government shutdown, women and activists across the country marched in opposition to the president on the first of two days with planned marches. This year's marches comes at a watershed moment for women, who are seeking public office in record numbers since the election of Trump and more recently have been empowered by the long overdue #MeToo movement.

The 2018 Women's March is framed around a "national voter registration tour" ahead of the midterm elections. The main event takes place in Las Vegas on Jan. 21 and sister marches are planned for the weekend of Jan. 20-21. On Saturday, women marched in all corners of the country, including New York City, Philadelphia, Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. An estimated 250 marches are planned for Saturday and Sunday across the world.

In New York City, some 200,000 people packed Manhattan's streets with marchers covering several city blocks. Speakers at the city's march included New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi and activist and actress Rosie Perez.

Protesters chanted "hey, hey, ho, do Donald Trump has got to go," a chant heard regularly at protests targeting Trump. Some of the signs seen at Saturday's rally read "impeach Trump," "down with scary clowns," and "nasty women unite."

In Chicago, organizers said roughly 300,000 women participated in the march, a turnout that was much larger than the 2017 march. Marchers began gathering at Grant Park at 9 a.m.

"This is more than a moment; this is a movement," Chicago City Clerk Ann Valencia said at the event. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city and state leaders also planned to participate in the march.

On the west coast, Los Angeles' march saw the largest turnout in the country with about 500,000 people in attendance. In the city of stars, actresses Olivia Munn, Natalie Portman and Viola Davis were among the speakers.

Marchers braved the cold rainy weather in Seattle to voice their opposition to Trump. In Park City Utah — where the Sundance Movie Festival is being held — the cold and snow didn't stop women, including actress Jane Fonda, from taking to the streets.

In Austin, thousands converged on the grounds of the state Capitol after a preceding rally at City Hall calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump. A concluding rally was staged after the women's march calling for preservation of the landmark Roe v. Wade court decision safeguarding a woman's right to an abortion.

In the nation's capital, where members of Congress held talks to avoid prolonging the government shutdown, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine were among those addressed the gathering.

"One year ago, millions of women and the men and children that have their backs marched to send the message that women deserve to be heard, women deserve to be respected, women deserve to lead," Kaine told the crowd.

Saturday's demonstration in D.C. — which last year was the site of the biggest rally — began in front of the Lincoln Memorial and marched to the White House. While much smaller than the 2017 Women's March, thousands still participated. Speakers urged women to get involved politically

A similar scene played out in nearby Virginia where people gathered in the state's capital.

"It's about freedom, choice, 'Love is Love,' [and] showing the president that not all Americans in the United States are in agreement with him," Kim Young, a demonstrator who missed last year's march due to health issues, said.

Organizers said they chose Nevada for the main event as the state "has recent experience with some of the most pressing issues facing women in our nation today, from gun violence to politicians accused of sexual assault." Las Vegas was the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history last year, and Democratic Congressman Ruben Kihuen was accused by at least two women of groping them.

Nevada also is a swing state that could flip from red to blue in the November midterm elections, making it a prime place to hold the main march, organizers said

The Las Vegas event kicks off a national voter registration and mobilization tour targeting other swing states with a focus on registering new voters and electing more women and progressive candidates to office.

Patch will continue to update this post as the marches across the country progress. Check back here for updates.

Beth Dalbey, Kathleen Culliton, Neal McNamara, Amber Fisher, Tony Cantú, City News Service, Capital News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: People rally downtown for the Second Annual Womens March on January 20, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The march was held to encourage women to fight for womens rights and social justice through political engagement. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images News/Getty Images