The Grammy Award-winning band Imagine Dragons will be performing at KultureBall 2020 in Birmingham, according to a press release obtained by Yellowhammer News on Monday.
KultureBall, to be held this year on June 27, is a night of celebration of promoting sensory accessibility and acceptance and inclusion for those with invisible disabilities.
The annual gala is an opportunity for the community, supporters and friends to support inclusion, learn more about KultureCity’s world-class initiatives and give back. KultureBall 2020 will additionally feature appearances by Jenni Farley (JWOWW), Kelly AuCoin, Noah Wyle, Dominique Wilkins, Christopher Gorham, Toby Moore, Stephen Kunken, Simu Liu and many others.
At this gala, KultureCity will also honor an outstanding citizen for his or her work in the community, an organization for their commitment to inclusion and a certified venue who has gone above and beyond to ensure inclusion for all. Previous winners for these awards include WBC heavyweight champion and Tuscaloosa native Deontay Wilder, Dr. Temple Grandin, Christopher and Anel Lopez Gorham, NBA star Dwight Howard, State Farm Arena Atlanta, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and Camping World Stadium Orlando.
Sensory sensitivity or challenges with sensory regulation are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions. One of the major barriers for these individuals is sensitivity to over stimulation and noise, which is an enormous part of the environment. Venues can obtain certification through KultureCity to be better prepared to assist guests with sensory sensitive in having the most comfortable and accommodating experience possible when attending any event.
Two members of Imagine Dragons, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman, currently serve on the board of KultureCity.
Platzman stated, “My mother is a special education teacher, and growing up, I saw the gap in inclusion for those with sensory needs. Through Imagine Dragons, I am able to advocate for inclusion and ensure venues around the world are moving in the right direction. We are thrilled to perform at KultureBall and to support such a great cause!”
This will mark KultureCity’s sixth annual gala; to date, previous galas have raised over $1.5 million for sensory inclusion.
KultureCity co-founder Dr. Julian Maha commented, “It has been truly amazing to see KultureBall become what it is today. When we first started 6 years ago, we had 100 individuals aaend and we raised funds to support families locally. Today, we are making an impact internationally and thanks to the Imagine Dragons, we will be able to impact several thousand lives.”
KultureBall is the first sensory inclusive gala in the United States. Sensory bags will be available for use by individuals attending the event and KultureCity’s SAVE (sensory activation vehicle) will be available onsite to serve as a mobile sensory room.
Those interested in attending or sponsoring can find out more here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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