Aquarium of the Pacific’s Festival of Human Abilities to be in-person again
By Orange County on January 24, 2022
The Aquarium of the Pacific will celebrate the creativity of people with disabilities for the 19th year during its Festival of Human Abilities this weekend.
Last year, the Long Beach aquarium truncated the festival into one day and presented online. Live performances will return this year, as will in-person exhibits and more, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 29-30.
Blind guitarist Dat Nguyen performs at a previous Festival of Human Abilities at the Aquarium of the Pacific. (Courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific)
A group of assistance dogs from Canine Companions for Independence behaving perfectly during the 17th annual Festival of Human Abilities, a celebration highlighting the creative talents and abilities of people with disabilities. The event takes place at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on Saturday, January 25, 2020. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Straight Up Ability Dancers perform at a previous Festival of Human Abilities at the Aquarium of the Pacific. (Photo by David Chi)
Hip hop music wheelchair dancer Auti Angel performed at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s 16th annual Festival of Human Abilities, celebrating the creative spirit of people with disabilities, on Sunday, January 27, 2019.
The Rollettes wheelchair dancers will perform at this year’s Festival of Human Abilities at the Aquarium of the Pacific. (Photo courtesy of the Tiffany Brito)
Auti Angel speaking during the Festival of Human Abilities at the Aquarium of the Pacific. The festival will return Friday, Jan. 26. (Courtesy of Aquarium of the Pacific)
Mia Schaikewitz and her dance partner Martijn Sedgfield during the 17th annual Festival of Human Abilities, a celebration highlighting the creative talents and abilities of people with disabilities. The pair perform with Infinite Flow, America’s first professional wheelchair ballroom dance company which has inclusive dance, making it accessible for all. The event takes place at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on Saturday, January 25, 2020. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Performances will include songs from blind guitarist Dat Nguyen and wheelchair hip hop dancing. Crowds usually flock to the aquarium’s tanks to watch adaptive diving demonstrations by annual participant Diveheart, an Illinois nonprofit that provides scuba and scuba therapy to individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities.
Artist exhibits and demonstrations will be scattered around the aquarium’s Great Hall. The idea is to celebrate dancers, musicians and artists who have learned adaptive skills to hone their craft, an aquarium statement said.
Each year, the Glenn McIntyre Heritage Award is presented during the festival. The winner will be revealed this weekend.
The festival is included with the cost of general admission — $36.95 for adults, $26.95 for children ages 3 to 11 and $33.95 for seniors 62 and older. It is free to aquarium members and children younger than 3.
Advance reservations are still required to visit the aquarium on weekends, and COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed: everyone 2 and older must wear a mask at all times, both indoors and outdoors, while at the aquarium.
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