Opening the Gates: Making Festivals Accessible for Everyone
Accessibility at festivals isn’t just about ramps, captioning, or checking off compliance boxes. It’s about belonging. It’s about whether someone feels like they can show up, move through a space comfortably, and genuinely enjoy the experience from start to finish.
This idea came through clearly in our conversation with Keanna Louis-Charles, Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager at Ottawa Bluesfest and CityFolk Festival. As she reflected on her work and the events she attended, she offered a grounded, practical look at what accessibility truly means today — and the many small and large decisions that make a festival welcoming for a wider range of people.
Rethinking Accessibility: More Than a Single Fix
When Keanna talks about accessibility, she expands the definition far beyond the physical environment. For her, “festival inclusion” captures the reality that people experience events in many different ways. Physical accessibility still matters — whether that’s ramps, pathway adjustments, or finding alternative routes around steep hills — but it is only one part of the whole picture. Information accessibility shapes how well guests can prepare for the event. Financial accessibility removes barriers for people who might otherwise stay home. Sensory accessibility considers those who might be overwhelmed or undersupported. And communication accessibility makes space for diverse ways of understanding and interacting with what’s happening. In Keanna’s view, accessibility is not a singular fix but a series of conscious choices that shape the entire lived experience.
Real-World Practices Emerging Across Festivals
Through her work and the festivals she attends, Keanna has seen a broad range of practices that meaningfully reshape how people participate. Accessibility sheets often give guests a clear sense of the terrain, seating, walking distances, and environmental conditions before they even arrive, reducing uncertainty and stress. More festivals are offering free support persons to remove financial barriers, while others partner with organizations like Whimble to provide personal care attendants who can deliver support volunteers cannot. Physical improvements — from smoother pathways to washrooms designed with enough room for both a wheelchair and a support person — create environments that people can navigate with ease. Sensory kits, quiet areas, and low-vibration zones are appearing more frequently at high-intensity music events. Keanna now sees interpreters, captioning devices, or multilingual materials integrated into festival communication. Each festival approaches this differently, but together these efforts point to a growing and sincere awareness of what real accessibility looks like in practice.
The Guest Journey Before, During, and After the Event
For Keanna, truly accessible experiences begin long before opening day. Clear communication, intentional planning, and early conversations about potential barriers set the foundation. Guests should be able to arrive with confidence, which means considering walkability, transit access, drop-off locations, bike paths, and support for accessible transportation services such as ParaTranspo. Once guests are on the grounds, their experience depends on the environment built around them — how crowds flow, how clearly spaces are marked, whether shaded areas are placed thoughtfully, where washrooms sit in relation to key stages, and how staff respond to questions or concerns. When it’s time to leave, accessible exit paths become essential, especially for guests who require more time or space. Even after the festival ends, feedback through surveys, conversations, and team debriefs helps organizers understand what worked well and where meaningful improvements can be made. This full-circle attention to the guest journey is what allows festivals to deliver consistent and reliably inclusive experiences year after year.
Making It Happen: Budget, Buy-In, and Creative Partnerships
Behind every accessible festival is internal advocacy and intentional resource alignment. Keanna recommends tying accessibility to the festival’s mission or values so that inclusion becomes a natural part of the work rather than a separate project. While some efforts require funding — like captioning technology or interpreters or personal care attendants — many impactful improvements cost nothing at all. Updating publicly-available information, revising policies, training teams, adjusting layout decisions, or collaborating with external organizations can significantly enhance the overall experience without additional financial strain. Partnerships also create new opportunities. Whimble would love to see sponsorships built around accessibility needs, such as branded comfort areas at accessible transit pickup points.
Keanna notes that improving accessibility also strengthens the volunteer experience, making recruitment and retention easier because volunteers without care needs feel equipped to support guests effectively, and volunteers with disabilities feel confident committing to support the event.
Moving Forward with Purpose and Realistic Growth
Keanna’s ongoing reminder is that accessibility is a journey rather than a checklist. No festival can implement every ideal at once, and the goal is not perfection but steady, intentional progress. The first step is simply understanding the current landscape and listening to community needs. From there, growth can take many forms — a revised policy, a stronger accessibility sheet, a new partnership, a sensory support station, or a better communication strategy. Small adjustments accumulate and create momentum. As more festivals demonstrate what’s possible, best practices will spread across the industry. As organizations like Whimble continue expanding, the availability of accessible support becomes more standardized. And as more festivals commit to thoughtful, long-term inclusion work, accessibility begins to shift from a specialized feature into a core expectation.
Ultimately, accessibility widens the possibilities of what a festival can be: a space where everyone can feel welcome, included, and able to participate fully in the experience.
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