By Aimee Phillips
Attending a UK festival now comes with a hefty price tag. Officially some of the most expensive to attend in the world, it’s the result of soaring running costs and the long-lasting impact of Covid cancellations. Price hikes year upon year continue to freeze out young music lovers from lower economic backgrounds, increasingly turning festivals into a playground for the wealthy.
However, it’s not just out-of-reach ticket pricing that is presenting a problem for young festival goers. Accessibility at festivals extends far beyond the financial barrier, encompassing critical aspects such as mental health support, physical access, and the creation of safer, more inclusive environments.
With the festival landscape at a crossroads, it’s clear that significant changes are needed to ensure these cultural events are truly accessible to all.
We explore five key changes that could shape the future of festivals, from sensory calm spaces to more inclusive line-ups, offering a vision of a festival experience where everyone feels welcome.
More accessible ticket pricing
It’s no surprise two third of UK adults (65%) agree that music festivals are becoming too expensive. As one of the greatest barriers to access for young people looking to experience the incredible offering of UK festivals, festival organisers must find a way to include them.
The average cost of attending UK festivals – tickets, travel, food and drink - racks up at an eye-watering £469.51 each year, MoneySupermarket's quarterly household money index shows. As a consequence, half (47%) of UK adults are now saying that festivals are no longer worth the money.
One idea would be to offer different ticket tiers for low salaried or unwaged people who are unable to afford the standard ticket price. Put into practice by a few festivals already, the lower entry fee for those in need is balanced out by an upper rate for those who can afford it.
Boundary Brighton is one such festival that has introduced the scheme. Ahead of next month's festival, they are offering 1,000 tickets to 18-24-year-olds, with tickets starting at just £10, with the cost going up in £5 increments, allowing the attendee to buy two tickets at whatever price they can afford.
Since 2022, Northampton’s Shambala Festival has offered Pay It Forward: Share The Love scheme, which allows people to apply for a fully funded ticket, including accommodation and food and drink for free. This has been made possible due contributions from attendees, crews and artists.
Factory International in Manchester offers up to 50% concessions for students, over 65s, and people on low incomes, as well as £10 tickets, supported by Aviva, and discounts for Disabled people.
Basket of Light festival calculated the cost of a ticket based on the attendee’s individual salary. “We think the only way to create a truly open space is to sell tickets based on how much you earn,” they said. “We believe it’s the way to go for all festivals that want to be fair and inclusive, while still making sure that every artist gets paid. It relies on your honesty.” Whilst this may be an exercise in trust, the organisers said that people had been truthful, and they had even made enough money to cover their running costs.
Improved access for Disabled attendees
While access has greatly improved at festivals over the years, there is still much more to be done.
Organisations such as Attitude is Everything and Accessible Festivals work tirelessly to break down barriers at live events, however, getting into the event in the first place can also prove to be difficult for Disabled people. A previous Attitude is Everything survey found that 82% of more than 300 Disabled respondents had experienced problems booking access, with 79% being put off buying tickets because of the issues with booking.
For festivals to be truly inclusive, they need to adapt to the wide range of access needs. BSL interpreters are becoming more commonplace but are usually only found signing at main stages for well-known acts. While hiring more interpreters presents another cost to festivals, it’s important for organisers to acknowledge the value of this investment.
An answer to cost barriers, as shown by Factory International, is by involving brands. At Mighty Hoopla festival, Vodafone gave d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees wearable tech to feel the music through vibrations, providing a first of its kind live music experience.
Warnings around the use of strobe lighting would improve the festival experience for those with epilepsy and light sensitivity, and distribution points for earplugs and sensory headphones would help those with hearing sensitivity and overstimulation triggers.
Dan Tsu, Glastonbury Venue Manager for the Rum Shack and Kinetic, shared the structural changes that the legendary festival has introduced this year in an effort to make the site more accessible for Disabled attendees. This included as a stage lift at the Rum Shack specially for wheelchair users, as well as accessible toilets, welfare tents and calm sensory spaces.
“In most cases, those limitations are put upon those young people that have got disabilities, rather than it being the disability that’s preventing them from being able to participate and do the things that they actually love,” says Natty Speaks, Rum Shack host and Levelling the Field programme co-founder.
Mental health and sensory spaces
For neurodiverse people, or those struggling with mental health, festivals can be overwhelming places. It’s been great to see the introduction of sensory calm spaces, with Glastonbury providing “safe, low-level stimulation and recalibration zones,” managed by a neurodiverse volunteers and Autism specialists from Bristol-based charity, Diverse UK. The festival also had Welfare Centres with experienced, confidential help, as well as a Festival Branch of Samaritans onsite 24- hours a day. Smaller festivals have gotten involved too, with Wychwood Festival introducing a sensory calm space for Disabled children and their families for the past two years.
Festivals could take a leaf out of Maddie Morris's book, too. The Youth Music NextGen Fund artist provides 'accessibility boxes' when they tour. As a neurodivergent person themselves, Maddie thoughtfully compiled content warning cards that includes resources and support if/when people are triggered by lyrical content, individually wrapped earplugs, sunglasses for stage light overwhelm, fidget toys, and lyric books for those hard of hearing or with auditory processing conditions.
Safer spaces
Creating safer spaces at festivals is more important than ever. Durham University found that two-thirds of women worry about being sexually harassed at music festivals and nearly half of female festivalgoers have experienced unwanted sexual behaviour when in attendance. As well as misogyny, racism, homophobia and transphobia are also a threat. Unfortunately, crowded stage areas, increased chances of intoxication and a general cultural atmosphere make festivals an ongoing hotspot for harassment.
While changing the behaviour of perpetrators is ultimately a systemic issue, festivals can do more to make attendees feel cared for if they face an attack.
Visible reminders on stages and screens that there is no place for discrimination is one place to start. Artists can get involved in this too, by making declarations on stage during their performances.
In addition to these public announcements, festivals could implement a code of conduct for attendees at ticket purchase, with ramifications such as bans from festival networks if identified. Additionally, increasing the awareness of safety initiatives like the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme are all crucial steps towards fostering a festival environment where everyone can feel safe and respected.
The importance of line-up parity
Much has been reported about the lack of gender equality on festival line-ups, yet a recent study found that despite lip service from leading festivals, the issue still persists, with male artists or all-male bands making up 63% of line-ups, compared to just 21% for female solo artists or female-led groups. Initiatives like Keychange have been calling for a total restructure of the music industry to reach full gender equality, but progress is slow.
While gender parity has been taking the spotlight, more of an effort needs to be made to represent performers from other diverse backgrounds. Like a gender equality pledge, festivals could commit to upholding a percentage of acts from the aforementioned groups, so there is more visibility of marginalised artists.
Attitude is Everything’s Next Stage initiative is dedicated to ensuring the UK’s music and event industries recognise the talent of Disabled artists. It’s Beyond the Music initiative goes behind the scenes too, by creating training, mentoring, shadowing and skills development opportunities for D/deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent professionals in the live space.
This increased representation on stage will have a positive effect on attendees, who in turn will feel more included by seeing artists they can relate to.
Looking ahead
By implementing these changes, festivals can move towards a more inclusive and accessible future, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background and life circumstances, can fully enjoy the magic of live music and shared cultural experiences.
We call on festival organisers to evolve, by better reflecting the diversity of young music lovers, making these events welcoming and enriching for all.
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