Inclusion Festival, a community collaboration, brings Disability Pride to Bellingham
Bellingham, WASH. — The first ever Bellingham Inclusion Festival will be held this July and is expected to draw significant regional attendance. Organized by Whatcom Center for Early Learning, Inclusion Festival is a major collaborative effort by dozens of community partners in celebration of Disability Pride Month.
The Inclusion Festival will take place on Sunday, July 26 at Zuanich Point Park. The event is free to attend and features inclusive activities for all ages and abilities, arts and crafts, food trucks, vendors, community resources and service booths and live musical performances from Spaceband,Marla Hooch,Brushpopper, Made Service, and Out of the Ashes.
Sensory friendly spaces and accessibility support are available throughout the day. Accessibility features include ASL interpreters, closed captioning (broadcast to personal device via QR code or link), shaded areas, sensory kits (ear plugs, fidget toys, etc.), stage ramp, courtesy wheelchairs (by request), reserved priority seating and wheelchair charging port/outlet.
Inclusion Festival was intentionally designed with community partnerships as central to the event structure. Event partners include Max Higbee Center, Cascade Connections, Summit Assistance Dogs, Habitat for Humanity Whatcom Center, Make.Shift, NW Foam Factory, Huckleberry Health and Development, NeuroBloom Center and Heart of Play. These organizations will host interactive activities including a Walk-n-Roll-athon, silent disco, service dog demonstrations, live radio broadcasting, foam party and more. As of this spring, over 30 nonprofits and businesses have committed to partnerships with the Inclusion Festival in varying capacities.
The Inclusion Festival is being held in conjunction with Max Higbee Center’s Comedians with Disabilities Act performances at the Prospect Theater on July 25, featuring nationally touring comedians with various visible and invisible disabilities, aiming to promote awareness and fight stigmas through stand-up comedy.
The annual observation of Disability Pride Month in July commemorates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA protects Americans living with disabilities from discrimination in many areas of public life including transportation, communications and employment. Disability Pride Month also promotes disability culture and visibility.
For more information on the Inclusion Festival, including the event schedule, accessibility features, and ways to get involved, visit Inclusion Festival 2026 — WCEL.