What happened during Neurodiversity Pride Day & ND Pride Week 2024?

Neurodiversity Pride Day 2024: Proudly Neurodivergent – Celebrations in 15 Nations of Neurodivergent Identity, Community, and Strength

This year, Neurodiversity Pride Day reached new heights, spreading across 15 countries and engaging communities in ways that honored neurodivergent identities and fostered connections. Neurodivergent individuals and allies gathered in cities and online platforms worldwide to celebrate strengths, promote inclusion, self-acceptance and create a powerful, semi-collective voice for neurodivergent kind.

Expanding International Reach

Neurodiversity Pride Day 2024 saw events organized across diverse regions, showcasing the widespread desire to simply embrace and celebrate neurodivergent identity. Events were held in the following countries:

• United Kingdom: London hosted a flagship event with the Westminster University, where choirs performed, and speakers, including advocate Leanne Maskell, captivated audiences. Lincoln also saw over 100 attendees enjoying discussions and live music.
• India: With five major gatherings, some attended by over 1,000 people, India embraced the day with enthusiasm, reflecting a growing neurodiversity movement.
• Iran: In a breakthrough, Iran extended its event to over four hours, marking one of the country’s first public neurodiversity celebrations.
• Belgium: Ghent held flag-raising ceremonies and an online conference featuring 11 speakers, organized by four dedicated organizations. Plans are already in place to expand this to five cities in 2025.
• Germany: Frankfurt held a flag-raising ceremony, complemented by an online program with 14 speakers and over 100 participants.
• China: Hong Kong’s inaugural event included speakers and creative activities, centering on the theme “What’s Strong with You?”
• Australia: Online gatherings were held with speakers and creative workshops.
• USA: Cities like New York and Vermont hosted children’s Neurodiversity Pride festivals alongside flag-raisings and activities. Plans are underway to expand these into a national festival next year.
• Hungary: Over six days, activities like poetry readings, book discussions, flag-raising, and themed picnics provided multiple spaces for neurodivergent communities to connect.
• Greece: Greece held three specialized events for neurodivergent children, therapists, and parents/adults, with plans for more in the coming year.
• Ukraine: Despite challenges, Ukraine held a video presentation to mark the day, symbolizing resilience even amidst conflict.
• Poland: A full-day event included speakers and workshops, focusing on neurodiversity in the workplace and organized by Diversity Hub.
• Finland: Independent of the Neurodiversity Foundation, Finland held creative workshops for the neurodivergent community.

These celebrations reflected the unique cultural contexts and needs of each country or organizer, creating a diverse yet united tapestry of ND pride and awareness.

Diverse and Inclusive Activities

This year’s Neurodiversity Pride Day featured a broad spectrum of activities, allowing everyone to participate in ways that resonated with them. Here are just some of the standout events from around the world:

• Flag-Raising Ceremonies: Held in cities across multiple countries, these ceremonies brought local officials and communities together to show visible support for neurodiversity.
• Creative Workshops: Activities included collective artwork, music workshops, fidget gadget corners, and art expositions, enabling participants to express themselves creatively.
• Panel Discussions and Keynotes: Featuring speakers like Dr. Samantha Hiew, Sadie Dingefeld, and Elijah Delsink, these sessions highlighted neurodiversity in fields like education, employment, and advocacy.
• Family-Friendly Programs: Events such as “Familieliefde” in the Netherlands provided neurodivergent children and their families with supportive, engaging activities.
• Neurodance: This 24-hour dance event was extended to 28 hours due to high participation, providing an energetic, inclusive way for people to join in a shared celebration.
• Stride Sport Activities: Participants logged their miles collectively, celebrating neurodivergent pride through physical activity.
• NeuroEmergence Online Conference: Tailored for newly diagnosed adults, this extended month-long piecemeal conference focused on topics such as neurodivergent parenting and late diagnoses.
• Employee Resource Groups: Companies hosted internal workshops, some including the “What’s Strong with You” game, to build neurodiversity awareness within teams.

An Outpouring of Support and Recognition

Neurodiversity Pride Day 2024 connected over 1.5 million people, with 150–200 volunteers contributing time, energy, and passion to make this event a reality. Media coverage amplified the message, with 100+ articles and television segments airing worldwide, including features on major networks like ABC, NBC, and Fox News, and 500+ social media articles and posts.; this years event set a new standard in visibility, with positivity scores of 85% across social media, where thousands used hashtags like #NeurodiversityPrideDay and #NDPrideDay to share their experiences.

As Neurodiversity Pride Day grows, it’s clear that the world is moving toward a future that celebrates and includes neurodivergent individuals. And if that “party” has not started, we’ll organize and create it ourselves, just like how ND Pride was started.

Looking Ahead to 2025

The success of the 2024 event fuels our vision for 2025. Plans are underway to expand celebrations to 25 countries across the world and enable organizing their own local Neurodiversity Pride events. With each year, we are building a growing movement that encourages acceptance, pride, and empowerment for all neurodivergent people.

For more information on getting involved or supporting Neurodiversity Pride Day, visit the dedicated website at NeurodiversityPrideDay.com.

Participating Countries

In which countries are local events organized for Neurodiversity Pride?

Neurodivergents from all nations are welcome to celebrate Neurodiversity Pride, in any way they choose. These are the 12 countries with official local activities organized for ND Pride 2024 by the ND Pride Team, ND Advocates, neuroinclusive organizations & friends. If you want to submit your local event, add your event or contact the ND Pride Team.

Participating Cities

In which cities in the Netherlands are local events, meetups and flaghoistings organized for Neurodiversity Pride?

Keynotes

There are many talks and keynotes this year, with over 50 speakers and even more panellists in all participating nations. Some of our highlights are: 

Speaker: Sadie Dingefelder

USA Keynote: Proudly Neurodivergent In Big Tent Neurodiversity

NeuroDance 2024 – 24 hours DJ Raid Train

Neurodivergents from all around the world: Lets Dance, Together!

Other activities

Aside the local activities and keynotes, there are many other things to consider doing on Neurodiversity Pride Day to celebrate the day.

Click on any of the buttons to see options. 

Find out more about the event