Creating Accessible Festivals and Events

Enhancing Social Cohesion

Enhancing Social Cohesion by Creating Accessible Festivals and Events

graphical representation of the project

Our Gratitude
We at Independent Living Canada (IL Canada) wish to sincerely thank our project partners, advisory committee members, researchers, disability advocates, participating organizations, and the many individuals with disabilities who contributed their lived experiences, insights, and expertise to the Enhancing Social Cohesion by Creating Accessible Festivals and Events project. This work would not have been possible without the collaboration, leadership, and commitment of community members and organizations across Canada.

We extend particular appreciation to Accessibility Standards Canada and the Government of Canada for their support of this important national initiative. We also recognize the invaluable contributions of our partner centres — Independent Living Resource Centre of Calgary, Empower: The Disability Resource Centre, Disability Resource Centre for Independent Living, and Richmond Centre for Disability — whose support and regional leadership helped make this project possible.

What is the Creating Accessible Festivals and Events Project?
The Enhancing Social Cohesion by Creating Accessible Festivals and Events project is a national research initiative led by Independent Living Canada focused on understanding and improving accessibility within festivals and events across Canada.

The project explored the experiences of people with disabilities, support persons, organizers, performers, vendors, and community stakeholders to better understand the barriers, gaps, and accessibility practices that shape participation in festivals and events. The initiative examined accessibility across all stages of the festival and event experience, including promotion, planning, transportation, venues, communication, onsite supports, programming, and digital accessibility.

Simply put, the project aims to help create festivals and events across Canada that are more inclusive, welcoming, accessible, and socially connected for everyone.

The Project
Launched in 2023, the project was designed to gather lived experience data and practical accessibility insights from people across Canada through surveys, focus groups, organizer feedback, and community engagement activities. Guided by the principles of the Independent Living philosophy and the commitment to “Nothing About Us Without Us,” the project centered the voices and experiences of people with disabilities throughout every stage of the research process.

More than 1,500 participants contributed to the project, representing a broad range of disabilities, identities, lived experiences, regions, and roles within the festival and event sector. The project also brought together disability organizations, accessibility leaders, researchers, community advocates, and organizers to help identify practical solutions and recommendations for improving accessibility nationwide.

What We Heard – Creating More Accessible Festivals and Events in Canada
This report provides detailed insights into the experiences of people with disabilities attending festivals and events across Canada, as well as the accessibility practices and challenges identified by organizers. The findings highlight the barriers that continue to affect participation, inclusion, safety, communication, and accessibility, while also identifying promising practices and opportunities for improvement.

The report emphasizes that accessibility must be integrated throughout the entire festival and event experience and not treated as a single feature or accommodation. The findings and recommendations are intended to support organizers, communities, policymakers, and accessibility leaders in strengthening inclusive planning practices and informing the development of future accessibility standards for festivals and events in Canada.

At its core, this project reinforces a simple but important principle: accessible communities create stronger communities for everyone.