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Reading Festival gets ‘gold status’ from accessibility charity

By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 6 October 2017

Accessibility charity Attitude Is Everything has awarded the Reading Festival ‘gold status’ under its Charter Of Best Practice scheme in recognition of “the event’s long-term commitment to inclusivity and access innovation”.

The organisation that seeks to make live events more accessible to deaf and disabled music fans said Reading Festival promoters Festival Republic “have consistently improved facilities for disabled audiences, reaching silver status on the charter in 2014 and picking up an Outstanding Attitude Award in 2016 award for their innovative [British sign language] interpretation service developed in collaboration with deaf customers”.

AIE boss Suzanne Bull added that Festival Republic chief Melvin Benn and his team “have consistently developed the festival to become more accessible and inclusive as the years have gone by. As a result, attendances from deaf and disabled customers, along with their friends and families, have never been higher. The impact is far-reaching, and a perfect embodiment of how live music can change lives when barriers to access are removed”.

Benn himself added: “In an industry as diverse as music and festivals, we should be doing everything in our power to make our events as accessible as possible for everyone. As we continue to develop our BSL interpretation service and progress all disabled access avenues across our events, it’s rewarding to see our disabled customer numbers continuing to grow. Having worked with Attitude Is Everything since 2005 we look forward to continuing this relationship, and are delighted that Reading Festival has been awarded Gold Status on their Charter Of Best Practice”.