Autistic Pride 2025

On Saturday, 21 June 2025, the northern summer solstice, over 40 people gathered in Bellfield Park in Inverness to celebrate our annual Autistic Pride event. More people came and went during the day. It was a warm day, perfect for relaxing on picnic blankets under the trees, and being ourselves without fear of judgement. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the first Autistic Pride Day.

People took part in various arts and craft activities, and the stone painting proved popular. 

Emma Roddick MSP, a member of the Scottish parliament representing the Highlands and Islands, joined us for a while to show support. She listened to a few people sharing their experiences. ARGH Scotland always invites all the local MPs and MSPs and usually one will be able to attend, even if only briefly.

The annual quiz sparked conversations about the history of Autistic Pride — Scotland was the first country to fly the Autistic Pride flag for Autistic Pride Day and has done so each year. This year marks the 20th since Autistic Pride Day was founded in 2005.

ARGH Scotland thank RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and RZSS Highland Wildlife Park for donating their generous prize and hope that the winner of the quiz has an enjoyable day.

We also thank Katherine Highland for donating autographed copies of her book, If Streetlights Could Glow Ultraviolet: Thoughts from a Scottish Highland Year of Autism Positives.

This year, we received £50 in donations on the day. We also promoted the fundraising for Joseph Redford’s walking challenge along the West Highland Way. Help him to help us in what we do.

One highlight of the day is hearing from people about how important gatherings like this are for Autistic people of all ages. One person shared how using an Alert card [https://arghighland.co.uk/argh-autism-alert-card/] while travelling saved them from missing a train due to overwhelm and stress. More than one person shared how important it was to experience Autistic people being ourselves and talking honestly about our experiences. Such sharing gives us all the support we need.

Autistic Pride day takes place every year on 18 June. The first was held in 2005 — twenty years ago. It is a day for Autistic people to come together to reject negativity. The day promotes the idea that autistic people of all kinds are all valuable and we should be celebrated for who we are. In Inverness, ARGH Scotland organises a picnic day on the weekend closest to 18 June.