Accessibility: Cooltural Festival Case Study (ES)
- Name: Cooltural Festival
- City & country: Almería, Spain
- Daily capacity: 15,000
- Site: Recinto Ferial de Almería
- Number of days: 3
- Established in: 2018
- Keywords: accessibility, mobility reducing disability, hearing disability, visual disability, cognitive disability, autism spectrum disorder
Cooltural Festival is one of the most advanced festivals in Spain when it comes to accessibility and inclusion. According to Raquel García Cruz from Cooltural Festival, the festival has implemented almost fifty accessibility measures, has been hiring people with disabilities to work in all areas of the festival, has about twenty collaboration agreements with organisations and associations related to disability, and the line-up always includes artists with disabilities.
Cooltural is guided by an extensive accessibility and inclusion concept (only available in Spanish). Thanks to a collaboration with the Music For All Foundation, they are implementing more and more accessibility measures. The foundation wants to create universally accessible cultural events in Spain and was, in fact, born from the festival.
Some example for measures at Cooltural include:
General accessibility
- All venues are accessible.
- Volunteers and support staff for people with disabilities.
- Preferential access lane for people with disabilities
- Elevated platforms at all stages (with bathroom for people with reduced mobility, chairs, accessible bar, and security)
- Preferential spaces; tables can be reserved for preferential use
- Staff training on accessibility (bars, access, security)
- “Music for All” info point offers support and psychological care
Reduced mobility
- All bathroom areas have at least one accessible bathroom.
- Equipment like wheelchairs, crutches are loaned out.
- Accessible bus; parking for persons with reduced mobility
- VIP areas with ramps and preferential spaces
- Accessible bars and counters
- Adapted bars attached to the food trucks
- Rest areas with chairs and tables
Visual disability
- Audio description
- Programming in Braille
- Relief map of the festival site
Hearing impairment
- Main concerts are interpreted in sign language and subtitled.
- Vibrating backpacks
- Magnetic hearing loop
- Visual aids like pictograms
- Customer service in Sign Language via video call
Cognitive disability and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Sensory-reduced space to rest
- Equipment like helmets and earplugs are loaned out.
In the 2023 edition, 57 people with disabilities were hired to work in access, bars, catering, cleaning, and production. “Since 2019, more than 300 people with disabilities have been hired,” says Raquel. Their staff also includes FLINTA* individuals, immigrants, and people at risk of social exclusion.
To promote artists with disabilities, the festival creates a specific design for each show based on the artist’s accessibility concept. It includes all accessibility measures and is published via the festival’s communication channels and in the media, Raquel explains. Thanks to agreements with non-profit organisations, the festival advertises for these artists and also offers them discounts to encourage their participation.
The festival presents all of its accessibility services in a clear overview on their website (Spanish).