Founded in 1996 by artistic director Bradley Hemmings, GDIF first began as an independent festival.  After crossing the river, this festival strives to raise awareness to the quality and diversity of outdoor work, focusing on the deaf and disabled artists.  Over nine days of celebration, this festival has been growing more and more.  In 2013, GDIF featured over 150 performances with over 30 nations having more than 80,000 people in attendance.