The City of Santa Clarita hosted the third annual Free to Be Me Festival on May 5 at West Creek Park. The festival was aimed at celebrating the city’s special needs community through a variety of inclusive activities and demonstrations.
“The main goal of this festival is to really highlight the talent that we have in the Santa Clarita Valley and celebrate the uniqueness of our special needs community while bringing them all together and bringing our community together,” said Cali Nocella, the event coordinator.
One of the inclusive features of the festival, run by the Include Everyone Project, was the sensory-friendly Chill Zone; an area separated from the rest of the festival that offered sensory-seeking and sensory-avoiding sections. The event also included sensory-friendly music and interactive demonstrations.
“I think there’s different ways, throughout this event, that enables everyone to be involved, which is really the goal of this event,” said Nocella.
Other attractions included character appearances, stilt walkers, face painting, fort building, a petting zoo, dancing, and interactions with service dogs.
“It’s been very heartwarming to see,” Nocella said. “People who might not be actively ready to participate in a larger event space feel inclined to jump up and dance.”
Guests not only enjoyed the festival’s activities, but West Creek Park’s playground, which is wheelchair accessible.
“It was probably all of our first times being in a playground which we can access in wheelchairs,” said Matthew Yasha, a special needs attendee.
The park has ramps, swings, and a merry-go-round that are all wheelchair accessible.
“Not everyone is the same, and no matter who you are, what you look like, what you want to do, there should be options out there for everyone to have fun,” said Yasha.
According to Nocella, the city is aiming to introduce these inclusive features to parks across Santa Clarita.
As for the next year’s festival, Nocella says it will likely be hosted at West Creek Park again. She also shared how for next year’s festival she hopes to expand on the theming, making it more “Disneyland-esque.”
