Dear Inclusion Festival Community,

Co-creating Inclusion Festival has been a journey infused with love and magic. In the beginning, it all fell into place so effortlessly. Our relationship as business partners and friends began when we met at a grassroots festival in August 2017. From that weekend onward, we both knew that we were destined to be in each other’s lives, and the name “Inclusion Festival” had already been spoken.

Since embarking on our shared vision, we have learned that while wonderful and rewarding, creating a festival is also extremely challenging. There are so many facets, so many people, so many connections, schedules, participants, social media plans, unforeseen circumstances… And, the most challenging aspect? Fundraising! We have both done a really good job keeping all of the balls in the air as we simultaneously navigate our own families, children, businesses, and major life changes.

In 2023 we were so proud that we pulled together an incredible team of individuals who supported our mission. It felt like a year of growth and expansion backed by a strong team. However, as positive as the experience felt, we didn’t bring in enough funding to cover our event budget. It has now been many years that we have worn a few too many hats and received little to no pay for countless hours of effort.  While Inclusion Festival has never been about the money, endeavors like ours need to be self-sustaining in order to continue on.

All of this being said, we have decided that 2024 will be a year for Inclusion Festival to reflect, regroup, and figure out what’s next. During this pause, we will continue to focus on many of the year-round programs we have co-created. Since 2017, we have:

• produced four weekend festivals and an incredibly ambitious 17-hour virtual festival in 2020
• supported the growth and expansion of the nonprofit Accessible Festivals
• developed and implemented Inclusion Dining and Accessible Events trainings programs
• facilitated Inclusion Zones and Listening Lounges at many regional festivals and events including a full scale accessibility program at Musikfest, the country’s largest free non-ticketed festival
• grown Circles of Communication, a private practice that offers integrative speech language therapy and a full schedule of virtual activity groups and special interest chat clubs for neurodivergent teens and adults

Finally, we both understand and have personally experienced the value of grassroots festivals. Festival organizers bring together a community for a weekend, often resulting in life-long relationships among individuals who may have never met if it weren’t for a gathering over a shared purpose.  For many years, we gathered a community of truly amazing humans with a range of abilities and identities and we practiced embracing our authentic selves in a safe, supportive space filled with music, connection, learning, and fun.

This work is important, and we recognize the profound impact that it can have.  That impact can and will be so much greater as we work towards developing sustainable plans and programs so that we can continue to create inclusive experiences while also maintaining balance in our own lives. While we are unsure about the future of Inclusion Festival, we can promise you that we will both continue to be dedicated to the mission of accessibility and inclusion for all abilities.

Wishing you all a safe and well-supported holiday season.  May we all continue to make the best choices for ourselves, so that we can become the best versions of ourselves.

With love and gratitude,

Amy and Leah