Birmingham Disability Festival returns in July with inclusive walk

The Birmingham Disability Festival will mark its return next month with an inclusive walk and a range of events celebrating disabled identity and community pride.

The free event will take place on Saturday, 4 July at BMet’s Matthew Boulton College Campus.

Free parking at Millennium Point car park is available for blue badge holders.

Created by Birmingham Disability Festival Committee (BDFC), the event showcases a wide range of disabled talent through performances, sport, interactive games and disabled business owners and aims to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the UK’s second city.

The inclusive walk is a new addition to the programme, marking a major milestone in the city’s celebration of Disability Pride Month.

It will take place between 12 pm and 4pm during the festival, beginning with an inclusive warm-up at 12 pm before participants take part in an accessible route around Aston University Lake in Birmingham city centre.

Participants can take part at their own pace, whether completing one lap or multiple laps throughout the afternoon. Approximately 5 laps of the route equate to around 1 kilometre in total distance, with each lap taking around 8 minutes at a gentle pace.

The route will be stewarded by approximately 4 to 5 marshals to help support participants throughout the walk.

Attendees are welcome to join for part or all of the walk, making the event flexible and inclusive for wheelchair users, mobility aids, carers, families, neurodivergent participants and allies.

West Midlands mayor Richard Parker said: “Nearly 800,000 disabled people call the West Midlands home. We’re proud of our diversity and committed to becoming an Exemplary Region for Disabled People”.

“Achieving this ambition means acknowledging the real challenges faced by too many, working to tackle inequalities and make ours a region in which everyone can live, work and travel without barriers.

“I’m pleased to support Disability Pride Month and the Birmingham Disability Festival, and to celebrate the invaluable contribution disabled people make to our region every day.”

Nabila Gardner, director at Ways for Wellbeing UK CIC, a health and wellbeing coaching organisation led by disabled women, said: “Welcoming the Inclusive Walk into the Birmingham Disability Festival & Inclusive Walk from 2026 is a defining moment for us as the city’s only disability-led, citywide festival.

“As a volunteer-run event, every step we take forward is powered by community commitment, lived experience, and the belief that disabled people deserve to be visible and celebrated in the heart of Birmingham.

“The Inclusive Walk strengthens that purpose — it brings our community together in public space with pride, solidarity, and joy. This expansion shows what is possible when disabled people lead the way and the city stands with us.”

Although the event is free, attendees are required to register for a ticket.