Deaf Festival Sydney Returns After 32 Years Of Celebration

Australia’s biggest celebration of Deaf culture, history, community is returning for 2025.

Open to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, Deaf Festival Sydney features an exciting lineup of Deaf performers, Deaf businesses and Deaf-led workshops, showcasing the diverse and rich talents of the community across various artistic disciplines.

This year’s headliners include a captivating show by Deaf performer Martha Rundell, as well as international acts by Deaf artists including Spanish performer Javier Guisado Martín, and Swedish stand-up comedian Florian Tirnovan.

A proudly bilingual event, the Deaf Festival will have interpreters and captioning provided across the main stage, workshops and kids’ zone. Volunteer communication assistants will also be on the ground to facilitate conversations between Auslan and English, so everyone is able to enjoy this of culture, language and inclusivity, regardless of their fluency or ability.

Deaf Connect Chief Executive Officer, Brett Casey, said that Deaf Connect is proud to support this initiative, creating Deaf Space and uniting Deaf people from across the nation and abroad.

“Deaf Connect has a longstanding history with Deaf Festival in New South Wales, and it’s been a privilege to keep supporting this ongoing celebration of Deaf pride and community spirit as the Platinum Sponsor for the fourth consecutive year,” he said.

“The 2025 event promises an outstanding program, with performances by prominent Australian and international artists. Whether you’re coming with your family or friends or want to build on your connections in the community, Deaf Festival Sydney has resources and services that empower people at every stage of life.”

More than 30 years celebrating culture and language

Deaf Connect’s General Manager for Education, Kate Matairavula, attended one of the the first Deaf Festivals in 1998, and said it’s exciting to see the Deaf community all together. 

“We were quite scattered geographically – but for this one day of the year, it felt like a little Deaf village,” she said. 

“In the 90s, I was working with Australian Theatre of the Deaf. We had a stall at the festival, and we also did a performance on the stage in front of everyone. I remember feeling excited but also quite nervous.

“If it’s your first time at Deaf Festival Sydney, it’s powerful to see so many Deaf people in one place. As a Deaf person, it’s also incredibly gratifying to see that the Deaf community is a real thing – and you’re not alone.”

More than 30 years later, the festival has continued to grow, bringing together almost 3,900 people in 2024, a fifth of whom had travelled from outside Sydney, interstate, and even overseas.

The event, which is free to attend, will be held at Cathy Freeman Park in Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday 30 August, and runs from 10am to 4pm.

Deaf Festival Sydney has always been a celebration,” said Matairavula. “It’s a space where we can show off to members of the public that we are here, and we are proud of our language and community.”