Sydney Disability Pride Festival 2025

Join us at Disability Pride 2025!

[Image Description - a series of images showing people standing in front of banners and holding up protest signs with disability pride slogans such as "Disabled rights are human rights" and "include don't exclude".]

HAPPY DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH- BY US! WITH US! FOR US!

Organised by people with disabilities for people with disabilities and our allies, this is OUR event for disability pride month. We celebrate the largest and most diverse minority on earth: people with disabilities! It's a day of disabled-led, disability affirming activities with something for everyone!!! 

Performances and activities run all day. . These include: workshops, political protest activities, singers, dancers, a market with disabled businesses, disability pride films, speakers, panellists and contests. Everyone on stage has a disability and all the activities aim to empower disabled people to express themselves and have their say.

Members of the disabled community who attend can choose to  enjoy the performances or take the opportunity to actively participate and be seen, heard and show solidarity. We have markets, exhibitions, performances, workshops, protest activities, arts and crafts activities, contests and roving performers plus more!

Allies are more than welcome and encouraged to celebrate and protest with us. (see full program below)

DETAILED PROGRAM:

• All day activities (From 10am to 4pm)

  • Maker's market

    Disabled business and craftspeople showing and selling their wares.

  • Art exhibition:

    Works by disabled artists on display and available for purchase

  • Mini Cinema

    Sit on a beanbag and enjoy a reel of disability pride content on your private headphones. Includes films by Emily Dash, Interviews, Ted talks and messages of support. Great for the introverts or the low on spoons

  • Facilitated arts and crafts

    Sit and make anything you like to express your voice and your pride. You can watch the performances while you work. Great for people that aren't keen on sitting still. Tactile elements included and all skill levels accommodated. Artists are on hand to teach you new skills and support you in old ones

    Opportunities:

    Roving videographers, a sign up booth for an acting agency, and a podcast recorder will be available to give disabled people a platform on the day

    Prettiest or best decorated disability aid wins a prize

    Best craft wins a prize

• Performances:

  • 10:30am: Welcome to Country in Auslan by Daniel from Deadly Hand Talk

  • 11am Keynote "Speech" (in Auslan with interpretation) by Alistair MCewin OAM (Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Longstanding advocate)

  • 11:25 Short film by Emily Dash, famed filmmaker with cerebral palsy

  • 11:40 Elly-May Barnes singing and cabaret show. Elly-May Barnes is a singing sensation and rock princess, with cerebral palsy

  • 12:15 Deb Roach pole dance (three times world pole dancing champion with one arm)

  • 12:15 Second emily dash film

  • 12:30 Deb Roach and Dean Nash (Musician, singer, comedian who apart from having no hair also has cerebral palsy)

  • 1:30pm panel discussion: Disability Employment and Disability History. Featuring Shaun Bickley (Anti subminimum wage activist), Rosemary Kayess (Disability Discrimination Commissioner) and David Solomons (victim of subminimum wages) and Abigail Boyd (Greens NSW spokesperson for disability)

  • 2:30pm poetry slam champions Olly Moore and Ying Chin perform their disability poetry that got them to the opera house!

  • 3pm Jeremy and Bedelia Lowrencev perform their Auslan-inspired dance routine

Workshops:

• Throughout the day we will have workshops to empower disabled people to participate and be heard these include:

• 11:45am Doing your own thing:

• Grassroots disability activism with the founders of disability pride

• 2 pm Reclaiming your voice: Poetry Slam champions with disability teach you the tricks of the trade

• 2:45pm: Express yourself with accessible drama expert Alice Williams

[Image Description - promotional photos of Elly-May Barnes in a red jacket and leopard print dress, Deb Roach performing a pole dance and Emily Dash wearing a white top and green scarf and smiling at the camera.]

[Image Description - a series of images showing attendees involved in various activities at previous Disability Pride festivals placed over coloured bubbles that represent the colours of the disability pride flag.]

Cost to Attend: 

The Disability Pride festival is FREE to attend! 

However, if you wish to support us you have the option to purchase a $10 supporter ticket at the checkout screen. Funds raised through the sale of these tickets will go towards the costs of running future events, spreading our message further afield, and supporting the amazingly talented disabled people who are a part of our festival program. 

Note also that parking in the area is not usually free.

Venue Information: 

The venue is Sydney Town Hall.  Accessible entry to Sydney Town Hall is available from Druitt Street. Directional signs are located around the building.

Transport options: 

• We recommend using public transport as it is in the CBD. Town Hall station has been informed there will be more disabled people on site than usual. Pathways from nearby public transport are level and accessible or have lips for wheelchairs. However, there is some crowding.

• The nearest train station is Town Hall

  • The nearest metro station is Gadigal

  • The light rail runs past Sydney Town Hall on George Street

• If you need to come by car, bus or taxi

  • Drop off points and a loading dock are located right outside the entrance in druitt street. However, you may need to circle the block if someone else is using the dock. We recommend calling 0419 696 534 on approach

  • The nearest free public mobility parking spaces are 252 Pitt Street, Bathurst street Southside East of George Street, and 93 Bathurst Street. See this City of Sydney map: https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/lists-maps-inventories/mobility-parking

  • Paid parking is right next door at St Andrews (210m from door to door) and QVB (180m from door to door) carparks, from $20 a day. These have mobility parking spaces on every floor. https://www.wilsonparking.com.au/find-a-park/. Our website and socials have information about the parking...The QVB definitely has a more direct accessible route. Please don't hesitate to contact the team if your disability means you need parking and the cost is a barrier. We have some parking vouchers.

  • Buses stop in streets all around the block

• Please contact the disabled organisers to discuss matters such as

  • Large groups and buses

  • Any other transport needs

Other accessibility: 

• Lift / Wheelchair access is available

• Accessible toilets are available

• Hearing support systems, including Auslan interpretation 

• Sensory space / Quiet room available

• Audio description of main stage (Please contact organisers so we can explain the tech for accessing it)

• Volunteers on the day have disability etiquette training and will work to keep paths clear. They are available to provide ad hoc assistance.

• There are a variety of ways to enjoy the event (In a beanbag with headphones in the cinema centre, making craft whilst watching the stage, attending workshops, sitting still, walking around)

• Directions signage is around the building.

... and more!  When you register, please let us know if you have need of any accommodations to help you enjoy this event.  

What is disability pride all about?

This is our fourth year running and more than just a fantastic time, for many it's a life-altering experience  This year we make history by taking our (well-deserved) place in Sydney’s Town Hall and putting our banners all over the CBD. 

Our theme for 2025 is “No Shame. No Apologies.”

Disability Pride publicly refuses to apologise for our needs and demands inclusion as our right. Many of us disabled people feel shame about who we are and the need to apologise for our needs. At Disability Pride we turn that attitude on its head as we join disabled persons around the world joyfully standing or sitting together and affirming our value and rights.  

Disability pride is a global movement that rejects the feelings of shame and inferiority that our society foists on us, and fights back by celebrating ourselves and empowering our communities. 

Join us. Be a part of history!

More information: 

Contact us at disabilitypridesydney@gmail.com if you have any questions or need any information about this event. 

Don't forget to check out our website https://disabilitypridesydney.com/ and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates! 

[Image Description - a photo of a sign with written messages from attendees surrounding the words on the sign which are "Disabled people suffering" and "You are not forgotten".]

Pssstt.... Why not get involved! 

To participate as a volunteer, stallholder, speaker, facilitator or performer, please check the Expression of Interest links on our linktr.ee or contact us at disabilitypridesydney@gmail.com. 

• Please note that stalls are not for service providers, they are for disabled businesspeople and creatives. Disabled-led organisations are welcome to apply but all applications will be vetted by the committee and no stall space is guaranteed until approved.