Purple Fest

Context

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, organized Purple Fest 2024 at Rashtrapati Bhawan, celebrating diversity and unity.

Purple Fest

The Purple Fest is a recently held event in India that aims to raise awareness about different disabilities and their impact on people’s lives, while promoting understanding, acceptance, and inclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs) within society.

There were two main iterations of the Purple Fest in 2024:

• **The International Purple Fest, Goa:** This event took place from January 8^th to 13^th, 2024, in Goa, and was the first-of-its-kind inclusive festival in India. It aimed to showcase the boundless possibilities for PwDs and celebrate diversity and unity.

• **Purple Fest, Delhi:** This event was a day-long celebration held on February 26^th, 2024, at the Amrit Udyaan in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. The event was inaugurated by the President, Smt Droupadi Murmu, and saw over 14,000 people participate in various activities, including cultural performances by PwDs, interactive zones, and informative sessions.

Both events were successful in raising awareness about disability and promoting inclusion.