Accessibility at festivals

01The short version

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Festivals are built for crowds on rough ground, which makes accessibility harder, not impossible. Ask early, ask in writing, and ask for specifics. The more exact the question, the better the answer.

This page is not legal advice. It collects what ADA.gov, the US Department of Justice's ADA site, says in its public guidance, and shows what each festival in the archive has published. Guidance documents say they have no force of law themselves. The law is the regulations they describe.

02What the ADA says

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ADA.gov says businesses that serve the public, including nonprofits, must give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to access their goods and services. Its list of specific requirements includes these.

• Communicate with people with disabilities as effectively as with others.
• Make reasonable modifications to policies, practices and procedures where needed so a person with a disability can access goods or services.
• Allow service animals with their person, even if there is a no-pets policy.
• Follow specific requirements for ticket sales.
• Remove architectural barriers in buildings when it is readily achievable to do so. ADA.gov defines that as easy to do without much difficulty or expense, judged by the business's size and resources.

A business does not need to change a policy if the change would fundamentally alter the nature of what it offers. Festivals are a mix of public venues and private promoters, and which part of the ADA applies can depend on who runs what. When in doubt, ask the festival who is responsible.

03Service animals

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Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Dogs whose only job is comfort or emotional support do not qualify under the ADA. A separate rule covers miniature horses.

• Staff may ask two questions when the task is not obvious. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability. What work or task has it been trained to do.
• Staff cannot ask about your disability, require medical documentation, require a special ID or training papers, or ask the dog to show its task.
• Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons to deny access.
• The dog must be under your control, harnessed, leashed or tethered unless that interferes with its work. If so, you control it with voice or signals.
• A business can ask you to remove a service dog only if it is out of control and you do not take effective action, or it is not housebroken.
• You cannot be charged fees that other patrons without animals are not charged.

Festivals add their own conditions, such as heat, crowds, water and noise. Ask the festival where relief areas are, whether shade and water are provided for your dog, and what the plan is if the site is evacuated.

04Accessible tickets

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The ADA ticket sales guidance is written for events with assigned seats. Many festivals are general admission and do not use it as written. The principles are still useful as a checklist for what to ask.

• Tickets for accessible seats must be sold the same way, at the same hours and in the same sales stages as other tickets.
• Accessible seats cannot cost more than other seats in the same section. That includes service charges.
• Venues cannot require proof of disability to buy tickets for accessible seats, but they may ask you to state you need the features.
• You may buy up to three additional seats for companions, in the same row and next to the accessible seat.
• If a venue allows tickets to be sold or transferred, the same applies to accessible tickets.
• Someone who bought a regular ticket on the secondary market but needs an accessible seat must be allowed to exchange it for a comparable one, if available.

Look at how the festival handles access passes or ADA platform tickets. If the process needs a phone call or an email, ask what the deadline is and whether the pass is limited. Do it before the ticket you want sells out. The tickets guide covers how to buy safely.

05What to ask before you pay

Put these in an email so you have an answer in writing. Festivals change staff and policy between years, so ask each time.

• Is there an accessible viewing area at each stage I want to see. Where is it and how do I get there.
• Can a companion come with me. How many.
• What is the ground like between the entrance, the stages, the toilets and the medical tent.
• Is there an accessible shuttle or parking. What do I need to bring or book.
• Can I bring medical supplies, a mobility device or a cooler for medicine through the gate.
• Where can I charge a medical device.
• What is available for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Interpreters, written information, visual alerts.
• Is there a quiet or sensory space.
• What is the plan for an evacuation, heat or a storm for people who cannot move fast.
• Who do I contact on site if something goes wrong.

The ground matters. A field in the rain is a very different thing from a paved lot.

06Which festivals publish a page

For the details we recorded for a given festival, see the accessibility section on its page. Where we could not confirm something, the page says so.

07If you are Deaf or hard of hearing

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ADA.gov says businesses must communicate with people with disabilities as effectively as with others, and sometimes that means aids or services such as a sign language interpreter. Ask what the festival offers for announcements, set changes and emergencies.

The National Weather Service has lightning safety material for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, including a "Flash, Dash Inside" slogan created by and for that community. Know your plan for a storm before you arrive. The camping guide covers storms.

08Where to get help

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The ADA Information Line takes questions about the ADA. It is 800-514-0301 for voice and 833-610-1264 for TTY, Monday through Friday, and calls are confidential. ADA Specialists answer.