Brighton celebrated all our different minds with music, creativity and community at the first-ever Neurodiverse-City event on Friday 7th August.
Spearheaded by Grace Eyre’s Purple Productions team, Neurodiverse-City is a brand-new inclusive festival right in the heart of Brighton city centre. The event celebrated and raised awareness of neurodiversity and how all our minds are different.
Neurodiverse-City included a free daytime festival on New Road and a Big Show at Brighton Unitarian Church in the evening.
The daytime festival welcomed hundreds of people throughout the sunny, warm afternoon. The festival was packed with activities, village fete games, football and lots creative experiences like an art and t-shirt design. Most of the Brighton’s leading learning disability organisations were also on hand to share information about their services.
After the daytime festival wrapped up, the fun continued with a ticketed evening show at Brighton Unitarian Church. The Big Show offered comedy, music and dance performances from an outstanding line-up of neurodivergent and inclusive artists.
The Big Show started with comedy hosted by Grace Eyre’s very own Paggy and featured neurodivergent comedians Shelley Gates, Suzi Payton, Darren Goodwin and Dan Harding.
Following the comedy, the audience was treated to musical performances by Daniel Wakeford, well-known for his appearances on Channel 4’s programme The Undateables, pop duo J+G and four-piece metal band Strenuous.
Neurodiverse-City was produced by Purple Productions, Grace Eyre’s events team that is run by and for adults with a learning disability and autistic people. The team creates inclusive events that celebrate talent, challenge perceptions and bring communities together – including the popular Purple Clubhouse. Alongside delivering brilliant events, Purple Productions provides opportunities for the team to develop skills in event production, leadership, communication and business operations.
The Purple Productions team shows how adults with a learning disability and autistic people are not only participants in Brighton’s creative scene, but that they are increasingly leading, producing and shaping it at events like Neurodiverse-City.
Jenny Good, Events Manager for Purple Productions, said:
“Neurodiverse-City is about celebrating all the different ways people think, create and experience the world. We’re excited to bring this event into the heart of Brighton and create a space where neurodivergent people can shine, perform and be celebrated by the whole community. Neurodiverse-City reflects Grace Eyre’s commitment to inclusion, equality and creating opportunities for people with a learning disability and autistic people to lead, perform and connect with wider audiences.”
