There’s a certain magic you find when standing in a field, 90% certain you’re near a stage, 40% sure you’re facing it and 100% positive your dad’s old wellies, (which you borrowed specifically for this and are several sizes too big for you) look about as trendy as your granny’s floral crockery collection!
This is the joy of festivals – and yes, as a blind woman, I still go. I bring snacks. I bring a cane. I bring vibes!
Let’s be honest: festivals are chaotic by design. There are glitter cannons, rogue saxophones, and at least one man walking around with a traffic cone as a spiritual companion. We love it. We live for it.
And I get it – access doesn’t exactly sound glamorous or sexy and definitely not rock ‘n’ roll! But when you’re blind and navigating a live event, accessibility can make all the difference between it being fun and quirky or embarrassing and exhausting!
So, dear event organisers, if you want your festival to welcome everyone, (even those of us who can’t spot the giant neon sign that says ‘MAIN STAGE THIS WAY’) here’s some simple tips to help make your event less of a mystery tour and more of a magical experience for all!
Inclusive Information
Before we’ve dug our camping gear out of the garage, before we’ve donned our ponchos or attempted to cram a kettle into our already bulging backpacks, where does this story all begin? Of course, online! So, start with an accessible website. Screen reader-compatible. No PDF-only guides from 2013. Your website is the first place I visit and my first indicator of how much of a dream come true (or complete nightmare) your festival might be for me.
If you’re offering large print versions of schedules and providing audio guides or even simple voice notes, I instantly get the sense that you’ve thought about someone like me and my excitement starts to build. And, here’s a huge one, please let me know where the loos are ahead of time! Public bathrooms are always daunting when you can’t see – don’t even get me started on Portaloos! But at least if I can easily locate them, half the battle has already been won!
In fact, this is true of everything at your event. Basically, if you want people to find it, be varied in your approaches to how you communicate where it is. Time is precious when we’re at our favourite festival and nobody wants to waste it dying for a wee!
Accessible Viewing Platforms – Not Just for the Perpetually Tall
Some live events now offer the opportunity to stand on raised platforms with clear sound and a better view for those of us with some remaining sight. This not only allows the performers to be heard and seen more easily by someone with limited sight, but it also makes me feel more seen by the people who planned the event.
It feels like there is understanding and care for my needs. And it’s made even better when I can book it in advance and I’m allowed a companion to support and share in the experience with me, without having to trade a kidney or crack the Da Vinci Code in order to book their ticket!
Trained Human Beings Are Better Than Untrained Guessers
There’s nothing like human connection, when it comes with mutual understanding. It is hard to describe the relief I feel when staff, stewards and volunteers have been trained in how to assist me and instead of it feeling awkward, cringe and uncomfortable on both sides, it simply feels natural, easy and enjoyable.
Train them to offer help without assumption, to use clear directions, (‘left’ is better than ‘over there by the big glittery mushroom’) and walk with me, not just point vaguely into the abyss (literally and emotionally).
Audio Description – A Real Game Changer
Imagine being at a dance performance and knowing what’s actually happening. For most, this is every-day life. For me, this is rare, remarkable and revolutionary!
If your event includes performance art, theatre or dance, consider live audio description. Even a short summary via an app or headset can turn confusion into connection.
Not many festivals offer live audio description yet, but a few forward-thinkers do – especially at theatre and arts events or comedy festivals.
I once had an audio describer explain that an interpretive dancer was “writhing like a haunted crisp packet”. Not only did I chuckle, but let me tell you, I felt the art.
As time goes by, people are beginning to explore how to make audio descriptions at these kinds of events as creative and engaging as possible. Sometimes it is even performed by the characters within a show, who do more than just explain the visual elements, but also occasionally make snide or snarky comments about other characters in the show (particularly amongst those who have some kind of established beef between them onstage)! This also means you offer a fun little extra that those without audio description are not privy to.
As storytelling starts to be woven more and more into all kinds of events, a tool like audio description is simply another way of telling and enhancing a compelling story
And if Beyoncé ever starts describing her own choreography, I will definitely cry!
Wayfinding Tools That Aren’t Just ‘Follow the Smell of Chips’
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do LOVE chips. But I also have a deep appreciation for tactile maps, high-contrast signage, staff at key junctions to help me navigate or even an app with simple directions. “You are here. The toilets are 50 metres to your left. So is your dignity and independence.”
All jokes aside, anything that helps me find my own way around at a festival or live event means everything to me. It changes my experience from feeling burdensome and constricted to feeling deeply empowered and free. Trust me, that is something that money can’t buy, but it will make me want to start saving up to come back next year immediately!
Ask, Listen and Act
The best accessibility feature is someone who listens and then acts on what they have heard.
Co-create with disabled people. Hire access consultants who have lived experience.
Don’t wait until someone writes a furious tweet with 3,000 likes and a Gif of a pigeon falling over. Be proactive. Get to know the people behind the phone screens and keyboards.
Best of All at a Festival…
The good news is that I don’t need you to create a separate event for me. I need you to design yours with me in mind.
Because blind people love festivals. We love music. We love theatre. We even love slightly suspicious burritos at 11pm!
When you do the basics well, the joy will take care of itself. At their core, live events centre around connection and around the kind of thrill which comes from several thousand people singing the same words all at once. In order to achieve that, inclusion is crucial. So, as an event organiser, perhaps your most meaningful mission is to create an atmosphere where all of us feel that we belong at every stage.