Skövde is a city where community, curiosity and inclusion are at the center. Here, opportunities are created to meet, develop and take part in a rich cultural and leisure life for everyone - regardless of disability.

Connect - Find the community

Meeting new people can be a challenge for everyone. People with disabilities are offered support from a counselor who gives tips on how to meet others and be an active part of society. For example, Skövde's cultural activities are open and accessible to all, helping more people to participate in shared cultural activities. Young people between the ages of 13 and 25 can also attend the cultural lab's activities, which range from discos to creative workshops.

In Skövde, there are also many associations that focus on inclusion. For example, the city's four handball associations have joined forces to create Skövde United Handball, a para-handball team that shows that the sport is for everyone. Skövde parasportförening also offers activities such as floorball and boccia for much of the year. Or why not try parabowling together with other bowling enthusiasts?

During the summer holidays, opportunities for community are also created. Among other things, Skövde municipality organizes joint excursions to exciting places such as High Chapparall, Gränna and Astrid Lindgren's world. During the other seasons of the year, pub evenings are offered at Restaurant Valle, county dances around Skaraborg and much more.

Explore - Develop in Skövde

Skövde is a place where everyone has the chance to grow, discover and explore on their own terms. Here we work to ensure that everyone, regardless of disability, has the right to an education and the opportunity to develop. Skövde has three schools that offer adapted compulsory education, Rydskolan (grades 1-9), Billingskolan (grades 1-6) and Vasaskolan (grades 7-9). At these, pupils with intellectual disabilities are given an individualized education based on knowledge, independence and faith in the future.

Skövde also has an adapted upper secondary school where many people in and around Skövde continue their education. Here, pupils can choose between individual programs where they study subjects such as home and consumer science, sport and health, individual and society, etc. or one of the three vocational national programs:

• Administration, trade and goods management
• Property, plant and construction 
• Hotel, restaurant and bakery

Learning doesn't stop after school, as an adult you can continue to explore new interests through different courses. In Skövde there are both ongoing and temporary courses, for example in cooking, woodturning, art and music. This year there is also a course called Mitt val (My choice), which is an introduction to democracy where participants learn about how democracy works, how elections are held and what the different parties stand for.

Enjoy - Joy without barriers

Every year, Skövde celebrates the Funkis Festival, a singing competition where people with cognitive or neuropsychiatric disabilities are in the spotlight. Ten artists perform their entries, accompanied by an orchestra and choir. The artists rehearse their performances for a long time, and behind the scenes, hair and makeup stylists from Drottning Blankas Gymnasium add extra glamor to the evening.

The Funkisfetsival has become an obvious favorite in Skövde's cultural life and tickets are disappearing fast. The event is also broadcast live, which makes it possible for more people to participate, regardless of whether they feel most comfortable in the audience or at home on the couch. This has created a tradition around Skövde where residents of LSS homes gather and make the evening a joint party.

The winner is voted for by the audience together with the jury. In the 2026 edition, the winner was Måns Westberg who performed the song I was made for lovin' you by Kiss. The win means further participation in the regional final where he competes for the chance to perform in the final in Stockholm.

Another popular event for people with disabilities is Billingen X-trail's annual ParaRun race. The race offers an inclusive course where participants can run, walk or roll along. The important thing is not what time participants finish, but that they have fun. ParaRun is part of a larger running festival that also includes the Papricaloppet children's race. To create a real party atmosphere, music is played around the course and participants are cheered on by both cheerleaders and the audience. Around the event area there are also associations and organizations that exhibit, and when hunger strikes, several different food trucks await. The party will be complete when participants from the Funkisfestivalen perform their songs on stage.

In Skövde, inclusion is not just about accessibility, it's about creating a city where everyone feels included.

Play it like Skövde!