Deaf Gathering Cymru 2025

Deaf Gathering Cymru is a deaf-led festival in Cardiff brought to you by Deaf Gwdihŵ (Jonny Cotsen and Heather Williams) and Chapter.

Open to everyone, the three-day celebration from 21-23 November offers a dynamic programme of culture and conversation with deaf perspectives at the centre.

This event is by and for deaf people, and hearing people are also warmly welcomed. The programme is BSL-led with simultaneous translation to English.

Deaf Gathering Cymru brings you events, activities, conversations and performances, with everything from dance, discussions and family activities, to films, performances and cabaret.

Deaf Gathering Cymru is brought to you by Chapter and Deaf Gwdihŵ and is funded by Arts Council Wales. We’re delighted that this year our Primary Sponsor is Deaf Health Wales.

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Friday 21 November

• Symposium: Deaf Creative Conversations, 9.30am
  An informal conversation about mental health and wellbeing within the deaf community in Wales.
• Deaf Health Wales: Understanding Deaf People’s Mental Health, 9.30am
  An informal conversation about mental health and wellbeing within the deaf community in Wales.
• Deaf Health Wales - YELLOW: A Body & Mind enhancement session with Alex the Personal Trainer, 12pm
  Join Deaf Health Wales for a wellbeing boost with personal trainer Alex Orlov.
• Deaf Health Wales: Accessing the NHS, 4pm
  Join Martin Griffiths, Cath Booth and Ceri Harris for an informative, BSL-led session exploring interpreting services across Wales.
• Deaf Moviemaker, 6pm
  A lively showcase of short films by Deaf filmmakers.
• Jonny Cotsen: Louder is Not Always Clearer, 8pm
  Jonny Cotsen’s autobiographical journey of a deaf person trapped in a hearing world.
• Amy Murray: Dirty Deaf Diary, 9.30pm
  Late-night comedy that dives headfirst into the weird, wonderful and painfully relatable parts of Deaf life.

Saturday 22 November

• Deaf Health Wales: Understanding Deaf People’s Mental Health, 9.30am
  An informal conversation about mental health and wellbeing within the deaf community in Wales.
• Vamos Theatre walkabout performance, 10am, 1.30pm and 4.30pm
  Late-night comedy that dives headfirst into the weird, wonderful and painfully relatable parts of Deaf life.
• Taking Flight Theatre: Kitty O’Neil, 10.30am, 2.30pm and 4pm
  BSL/English cabaret celebrating Kitty O’Neil, the badass deaf stunt woman.
• Deaf Gathering stalls, 11am-4pm
  A host of organisations offering everything from mental health and BSL support, to an array of brilliant Deaf artists and makers.
• BSL Tour of Artes Mundi 11 exhibition by Sancintya Mohini Simpson, 11.15am
  Join us for a BSL-led tour of our Artes Mundi exhibition by Sancintya Mohini Simpson.
• Deaf Health Wales - YELLOW: A Body & Mind enhancement session with Alex the Personal Trainer, 11.30am
  Join Deaf Health Wales for a wellbeing boost with personal trainer Alex Orlov.
• Quiet Beats dance workshop, 12pm
  A contemporary dance session designed for D/deaf and Hard of Hearing young people.
• Quiet Beats performance, 2pm
  A youth performance celebrating togetherness, vibrancy, joy and party energy.
• Deaf Health Wales: Accessing the NHS, 2pm
  Join Martin Griffiths, Cath Booth and Ceri Harris for an informative, BSL-led session exploring interpreting services across Wales.
• Vamos Theatre full mask workshop, 3pm
  A creative, high energy and inspiring session giving practical insight into full mask theatre technique.
• Anna Seymour: SPIN, 7.30pm
  An interactive dance rave performance that celebrates connection and escapism and challenges assumptions that deaf people don’t belong.
• Open Mic night, 8.30pm
  Hosted by Fifi Garfield, our open mic night is a place for lovers and performers of comedy, music, karaoke and spoken word.

Sunday 23 November
 

• Deaf Health Wales: Understanding Deaf People’s Mental Health, 9.30am
  An informal conversation about mental health and wellbeing within the deaf community in Wales.
• Anna Seymour: Mini SPIN, 10.30am
  An interactive dance rave performance for deaf, CODA, hard of hearing and hearing children and their families.
• Deaf Gathering stalls, 11am-4pm
  A host of organisations offering everything from mental health and BSL support, to an array of brilliant Deaf artists and makers.
• Board game Sunday, 11am
  Make new friends at our relaxed, BSL-led board game session.
• Deaf Health Wales: Accessing the NHS, 11.30am
  Join Martin Griffiths, Cath Booth and Ceri Harris for an informative, BSL-led session exploring interpreting services across Wales.
• Drop-in art workshop with Kate Evans, 12pm
  A fun, drop-in art workshop for all the family. We’re going to use a graffiti art style, with lots of colourful pens and paper, to make collages and drawings.
• BSL Yoga with Nez, 12pm
  A gentle BSL-led yoga session that’s suitable for everyone.
• Artists talk with Emily, Alex and Maggie, 2pm
  Join the artists for a fascinating discussion about what they’ve been making and how they’re reflecting on the unique perspectives of deaf people through their new work.
• Maggie Hampton poetry performance, 3pm
  Maggie has devised some new poems and will perform them for the first time at our festival. Join us to celebrate Maggie’s achievement.
• The Good Dinosaur + live BSL interpretation, 4pm
  A family-friendly film with live BSL signing.