OneFest set to return to Mansfield for 2024 following hugely popular event

OneFest festival aims to highlight and reduce the stigma and discrimination experienced by those with learning difficulties. The event brings together a week-long lineup of arts, culture, music and entertainment.

This year saw an array of artists, comedians and creatives showcasing their talents across seven different events filled with music, video, game tournaments, and comedy shows along with a unique nightclub event. July marks disability awareness month which makes it the perfect time to host such an event.

As demand increased for the festival, now in its third year, Tracy Radford and Dr Brad English, organisers of OneFest explain why such an event is vital and also, what their proudest moment has been so far.

“It probably has to be when Not Your Circus Dogs – the notoriously riotous learning disabled and autistic cabaret act that brought the house down with their theatre show Not F**kin’ Sorry on Wednesday. They reflected on their time with us by saying “We may be pushing the boundaries for learning disabilities down in London, and helping people to go out and have a proper nightlife, but folks down there need some lessons from OneFest in how to party,” Tracey said.

“Following their show, the audience (where learning disabled and neurodivergent people were in the majority) spilt out into the bar area of the venue, and a party erupted. The cast came and joined the dancing, singing, drinking, and of course limbo under disability pride flags that ensued. The carnage swayed to the pub over the road too when the venue closed up… and it did not get any quieter.”

Brad added: “As always, we intend for the next OneFest to be bigger and bolder than the last. We will be keeping a few staples in there, such as the gig and rockstar crash course, there will be more stand-up comedy, and the TenFifty nightclub will certainly make a return. We also are further establishing Learning Disability Pride to kick it all off on Saturday.

“We were disappointed that the adverse weather conditions robbed us of the chance to have the big stage in the marketplace, but relocating the festivities into The Old Library did feel nice, as it is our base the rest of the year and our spiritual home… the place was rocking! But, we will have another go at that next year and try and draw in an even bigger crowd. “

“We are definitely going to try and take over more of the town for the week too – think daytime drag bingo in pubs, and disabled and neurodivergent musicians playing gigs in smaller bars. We are determined to turn OneFest into the world’s biggest learning disabled and neurodivergent fringe festival.”

Events like this are vital especially as more and more people are seeking a diagnosis for conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Autism. Diagnostic services are stretched with wait times in Nottingham topping one or two years.

“Events like this provide social opportunities to learning disabled and neurodivergent people that are severely lacking and give those audiences greater things to aspire to by showcasing genuinely quality learning disabled and neurodivergent talent in our events.

“In addition, because we encourage neurotypicals without disabilities to attend, we change views about learning disabled and neurodivergent people for them too – people come to realise that learning disabled and neurodivergent people can be brilliant (and often are), but also that being around them is not as scary or uncomfortable as they often presume,” Tracey and Brad explained.

Both Tracey and Brad were inspired to create OneFest after they realised that there was such a huge opportunity to do more. They had been doing an annual protest march in Mansfield during Learning Disability Week for years but recognised there was a chance to throw an incredible party alongside the march.

“OneFest arose out of us and the learning disabled and autistic people that we work with being not satisfied with that population is hidden from the world, and the world is hidden from them. We had been doing an annual protest march in Mansfield during learning disability week for many years, but the party and the coming together of the attendees of the march and the rest of the community was always cut short,” they said.

“We knew there was more to it, people wanted more of a chance to engage and connect, and when we were introduced to Ingenious Fools a comedy company that specialises in disabled performers, who were looking to do a comedy festival in the area, the opportunity arrived to apply to Arts Council England for funding to curate something with way more impact and opportunity, with creative and cultural opportunities at the heart of that… and we grabbed it with both hands.”

OneFest will return to Mansfield in 2024.