Sunflower lanyard at theme parks

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a lanyard, badge or card that tells staff you may need extra help, understanding or time. This guide sets out what the scheme says about itself, which parks on this site say they take part, and what each park says the lanyard does. It is desk research, not a visit report, and it is not medical or legal advice. The park decides on the day.

In short

The Sunflower is a signal, not a pass. The scheme says it "does not automatically provide priority access, fast-track services or a place at the front of a queue".
You do not have to prove anything to wear one. The scheme says wearing it is "a personal and voluntary choice" and you do not need to give proof or explain why.
Five parks in our set say they offer it: Bobbejaanland, Dreamworld, Heide Park, LEGOLAND Billund and Tivoli Gardens. Two of them, Bobbejaanland and LEGOLAND Billund, say plainly that it does not replace or add to their access arrangements.
Queue and wristband schemes are separate and usually ask for documents. Several parks ask for evidence for non-visible conditions. Having a Sunflower lanyard is not named as evidence on any page we read.
Most parks on this site do not mention the Sunflower on the pages we read. That is not the same as refusing it. Ask.

What the Sunflower scheme says

We opened three pages on hdsunflower.com on 3 October 2026. Quotes are exact.

What it is for. What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower? (opens a new tab) : "Simply by wearing the Sunflower, you’re just letting everyone know that you might need extra help, understanding, or just more time. It does not automatically provide priority access, fast-track services or a place at the front of a queue."
No qualifying list, no explanation. The facts about the Sunflower (opens a new tab) : "There is no qualifying list of invisible disabilities" and "You do not need to provide proof or explain why you are wearing it." It also says "You don’t need to explain what your disability is to be asked how you can be supported".
Visible disabilities too. The same page says the Sunflower is available to anyone who feels they may benefit, "whether their disability, condition or support needs are visible, non-visible or both".
Where to get one. The same page says lanyards are free from businesses that are Sunflower members, and can also be ordered from the scheme’s online shop. We did not check the price or postage of the online shop.
What a member business commits to. The page says a member commits to training its whole workforce. It names theme parks among the sectors that have joined, but gives no list of parks, and we did not search the scheme’s map for them. Our table below relies on each park’s own page. See also what is a hidden disability? (opens a new tab) , which describes the Sunflower as a way to be seen "discreetly".

What this means for planning: the scheme itself does not promise any queue or ride benefit, and it does not promise that a park staff member will know what it means on a given day. Any benefit is whatever that park chooses to do.

What each park says

All pages were opened on 3 October 2026 unless a cell says otherwise. Each park name links to our profile, where the same claim sits with its own source and date.

Parks that mention the Sunflower on their own pages, checked 3 October 2026
Park	What the park says it does	Where to get it	What the park does not say	Official source
Bobbejaanland (Belgium)	Supports the programme. Staff are trained to recognise the symbol and, when they see a guest with it, "take extra time" to help the guest and any companions, for example guiding them to a ride or a sales point. The programme "does not replace" the park’s existing adapted ride access procedures or its policy for visitors with a disability (our translation from Dutch).	Worn as a green lanyard, or as a band or pin, by children and adults. The page does not say where to collect one; it says that if you are in the park you can go to the information desk.	Whether it is free, and how to get one before arrival.	Bobbejaanland: information for people with a disability (Dutch) (opens a new tab)
Dreamworld (Australia)	Takes part in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program. The visual story PDF says some team members have training in the programme and wear a Sunflower badge, and that they are "trained to assist guests with hidden disabilities".	Not stated on the pages we read.	Whether the lanyard is free, where it is issued, and whether it changes any ride access.	Dreamworld: accessibility page (opens a new tab) · visual story (PDF) (opens a new tab)
Heide Park (Germany)	Offers a Sunflower lanyard for non-visible impairments, so staff and other guests can expect that you may need support, "a little more time" or patience (our translation from German). The page lists examples such as autism, ADHD, hearing or sight impairment, asthma and diabetes.	The Service-Center in the park, and reception at the Abenteuerhotel and the Holiday Camp.	Whether it is free, and whether it affects ride access. Heide’s separate pass has its own rules; see our profile.	Heide Park: Sonnenblumenband (German) (opens a new tab)
LEGOLAND Billund (Denmark)	Is part of the programme. Says the lanyard "does not offer any special advantages at LEGOLAND apart from extra consideration".	The Information Desk.	Whether staff will ask about your needs. The separate Show Consideration wristband has its own rules (see below).	LEGOLAND Billund: guests with special needs (opens a new tab)
Tivoli Gardens (Denmark)	The page calls the sunflower "an international symbol for hidden disabilities" and says wearing the lanyard "signals to those around you that you may need extra time, space, patience, or assistance". It does not say it gives queue priority. The Show Consideration card is a separate arrangement.	The Tivoli Service Center by the main entrance. The page says you can pick one up if you have special needs or an invisible disability.	Whether it is free, and whether any proof is checked for the lanyard. The page names none. (Our Tivoli profile calls it free; the page we opened on 3 October does not say so, so we do not repeat that here.)	Tivoli Gardens: guests with special needs (opens a new tab)

Two points for the table. The Heide page we opened is the one our profile cites; it refused our first request with a 403 error and loaded on a second attempt, so the profile’s claim matches the page. Dreamworld’s page links to the scheme’s Australian site but, on the pages we read, gives no further detail.

Wristbands and cards that are not the Sunflower

Several parks run a queue scheme that does reach people with non-visible conditions. These are separate from the lanyard, and several ask for documents. Check each park’s own rules before travelling. Our which access scheme guide compares the schemes in full.

Queue schemes that name non-visible or invisible conditions, checked 3 October 2026
Park	Scheme and what the park says about non-visible conditions	Official source
LEGOLAND Billund	Show Consideration wristband for "a hidden disability or a diagnosis that makes it challenging to wait in line". Issued at the Information Services desk on the day of the visit "upon presentation of valid documentation, such as a companion card or a statement from a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist" confirming you cannot wait in queues. Up to five other guests may come with you.	LEGOLAND Billund: Show Consideration wristband (opens a new tab)
Tivoli Gardens	Show Consideration card. Our profile records that the page gives two different document rules, so ask which applies to a visitor without a Danish card. Details are on the profile.	Tivoli Gardens: guests with special needs (opens a new tab)
Walibi Holland	"For non-visible disabilities, we ask guests to provide supporting documentation and a valid ID, as our staff are not medically trained." The park does not accept medical records, medication or reports, and the document must state in writing that the person cannot stand for long periods.	Walibi: visitors with disabilities (opens a new tab)
Toverland	"For non-visible disability statements, we may ask for proof of identity and a statement from a GP, doctor or psychologist."	Toverland: accessibility (opens a new tab)
Holiday Park (Germany)	Says (in German) that its staff are not authorised to judge whether a disability is visible or not, so it asks for a valid disability card or a medical certificate from an independent doctor, not older than one year, for its reduced ticket and alternative access.	Plopsaland Deutschland: guests with disabilities (German) (opens a new tab)
Djurs Sommerland	Consideration Card for guests with a "visible or invisible disability" who cannot queue on equal terms. Issued on showing a valid companion card with documentation such as a doctor’s statement confirming the guest cannot queue.	Djurs Sommerland: disability policy (opens a new tab)
Gröna Lund (concerts only)	Concert areas for "guests with hidden disabilities" (one companion). The page says a certificate is required to use these areas and must be shown when collecting the seat ticket. Park admission is also needed.	Gröna Lund: accessibility (opens a new tab)

None of these pages says a Sunflower lanyard counts as evidence. Do not assume it will.

What parks do not publish

Most parks do not mention the Sunflower. Of the parks on this site, only the five above name it on the pages we read. Dyreparken is the one where our profile says plainly that we found no lanyard scheme on its pages (recorded 2 October 2026, not re-opened on 3 October). "Not found" means we did not find it, not that the park refuses it.
Price and availability. None of the five parks says on the pages we read whether its lanyard is free.
Training detail. Bobbejaanland and Dreamworld describe staff training, but none of the parks says how many staff are trained, or whether every ride operator is.
Link to ride access. Only Bobbejaanland and LEGOLAND Billund say outright that the lanyard adds nothing to the ride access arrangements. Tivoli and Heide do not say it gives queue priority. Dreamworld says nothing either way.
Proof for the lanyard. No park page we read asks for proof for the lanyard itself. Tivoli and Heide name none.
Whether staff will ask what you need. No park says it will, or what it will ask.

These findings come from the pages we read on 3 October 2026 and our profiles. A park may have published something since. If you find it, tell us.

How to plan, and how to ask for help without proving a condition

This is our planning advice, not a park rule.

Decide whether you want a lanyard. The scheme says wearing it is voluntary and you can choose when to wear it.
Find out whether the park issues one. Use the table. Where a park does not name it, ask before you travel.
Collect it at the place the park names, for example Tivoli’s Service Center or Heide’s Service-Center, early in the visit.
Say what helps, not what the condition is. The scheme says you do not need to explain your disability to be asked how you can be supported. "I find queues hard, can you tell me where it is quieter?" is a question about support. Staff may still need a document for a queue scheme; that is the park’s rule, not the Sunflower’s.
Treat the lanyard and the queue scheme as two things. If you need to avoid a standing queue, read the park’s own scheme rules and bring the documents it names. Our sensory and quieter days guide covers quiet spaces and sensory information.
Keep the plan changeable. Staff awareness varies by person and day, and the park decides on the day.

Questions worth asking the park

You can send these through ask the park.

Do you issue the Sunflower lanyard, where, and is it free?
Does it change anything about queues, ride access or show seating, or is it only a signal to staff?
If I wear it and ask for help, what will staff ask me, and do I need to say what my condition is?
If I need to avoid long queues, which scheme should I use, and what evidence does it ask for? Does evidence from another country count?
Can I get the lanyard before the visit, or only at the park?
Where is a quieter place to go if the day becomes too much?

Official sources

All opened on 3 October 2026 unless marked.

See the park profiles for detail this guide leaves out: Bobbejaanland, Dreamworld, Heide Park, LEGOLAND Billund and Tivoli Gardens. Also the which access scheme guide and the sensory and quieter days guide.

Park policies and website pages can change. Where a park gives conflicting information, ask it to confirm which applies to your visit. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Hidden disabilities and the Sunflower lanyard at theme parks