A toolkit to make people with disabilities’ access to live events environmentally sustainable created by Attitude is Everything, Julie’s Bicycle and A Greener Future.

In summer 2023, Julie’s Bicycle conducted industry roundtables and surveyed disabled people about access and environmental sustainability at live events and festivals. The key findings are:

• 68% of respondents said sustainability is a consideration when choosing which events to go to.
• 46% feel excluded from participating in environmental efforts at live events and festivals.
• 34% feel that environmental solutions are not easy to navigate and do not meet their access needs.
• 46% feel excluded and unable to participate in events and festivals that align with their climate values.

As well as revealing the key barriers that disabled people experience within initiatives that tackle sustainability, the toolkit outlines practical ways in which venues, events and festivals can implement accessible solutions in climate change There are also three case studies from Green Man, Forwards Festival and Shambala from assessments carried out by A Greener Future.  These festivals volunteered to be transparent about their own difficulties and commitments to find solutions that are inclusive to all.

However, this is only the start of the conversation.  The toolkit does not have all the answers or the solutions, but instead comes with a ‘call to action’ to the live events industry to make access and environmental solutions equal partners.  The toolkit gives the foundations for the sector to build upon.  Throughout 2024, we are asking for venue managers, festival organisers, and promoters to test out the toolkit and give us feedback.  We’ll use this to create an updated version in early 2025.