Tips on Behaviour: Gender & Sexual Equity

Music festivals have long served as spaces for freedom of expression, celebration, and connection. Yet, within these vibrant atmospheres, issues of sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination and violence, and a lack of inclusivity persist, creating barriers to safety and equality for attendees and events staff of all genders and sexualities.

This section is dedicated to exploring concrete measures that can be implemented to promote sexual and gender equity. By fostering environments that prioritise respect, consent, diversity and inclusivity, we can transform music festivals into spaces where all individuals feel safer, valued, and empowered to fully participate and enjoy the experience.

Throughout this chapter, we will delve into strategies and actions that organisers, attendees, and performers can undertake to create safer and more inclusive festival environments. From implementing comprehensive policies against sexual harassment and gender-based violence and providing resources for victims to promoting consent culture and challenging gender norms, each individual has a role to play in fostering a culture of respect and equality.

Check-list for Festival organisers: 

1. Comprehensive Policies: Implement clear and comprehensive policies against sexual harassment and gender-based violence that define prohibited behaviours, outline reporting procedures, and ensure confidentiality for survivors. For more information, see our text on the “Nobody is Normal” Protocol by Primavera Sound.
2. Staff Training: Provide mandatory training for all festival staff and volunteers on recognising, preventing, and responding to harassment, including bystander intervention techniques. This training should address all kinds of harassment, not only sexual.
3. Visible Reporting Mechanisms: Establish visible and accessible reporting mechanisms, such as designated safer spaces or staff members with whom attendees can confidentially report incidents of gender-based violence or sexual harassment.
4. Consent Education: Offer workshops, panels, or informational materials on consent culture and healthy relationships to educate attendees on the importance of mutual respect and boundaries. E.g., read about the Roskilde “GO / NO GO” card game here.
5. Visibility and Representation: Increase visibility and representation of LGBTQIA+ identities throughout the festival grounds, including rainbow flags, signage, and other symbols of LGBTQIA+ pride, to create a welcoming and affirming atmosphere for attendees of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Hanging flags can never be the first, but should always be an advanced step, only if you have other measures in place to ensure the safety of the LGBTQIA+ community. 
6. Gender-Inclusive Facilities: Provide gender-neutral restroom facilities and ensure that all festival policies and signage are gender-inclusive and respectful of diverse gender identities. For showers, optimally offer gender-neutral facilities with private changing rooms and shower stalls. If that is not possible, offer at least male, female and all gender showers. 
7. Safe Escort Services: Offer safe escort services for attendees who feel unsafe or vulnerable, ensuring that they can move freely throughout the festival grounds without fear of harassment or violence.
8. Well-lit walkways and camping spaces: Especially when it’s dark, women and FLINTA* individuals can feel very unsafe walking back to their camping area or through dark alleys to a hotel. Make sure to light all main walkways and offer flashlights or escorts, if lighting isn’t possible.  
9. Emergency Response Plan: Develop and communicate an emergency response plan that outlines procedures for addressing incidents of gender-based violence, sexual harassment and assault, including coordination with local law enforcement and medical services.
10. Zero-Tolerance Policy: Enforce a zero-tolerance policy against gender-based violence, sexual harassment and misconduct, with clear consequences for perpetrators, including removal from the festival premises and legal action, if necessary.
11. Community Partnerships: Collaborate with local support organisations and advocacy groups against gender-based violence or sexual harassment to provide resources, support services, and survivor-centred programming at the festival. For a thorough guide on services and NGOs, see text on “GENiE (Gender Equality Networks in Europe).”
12. Inclusive Programming: Ensure that festival programming reflects the diversity of gender identities and sexual orientations, with inclusive performances, workshops, and panels that celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture and experiences.
13. Designated Support Staff: Assign trained staff members or volunteers as designated points of contact for attendees seeking support or information related to sexual harassment, sexual assault or gender-based violence.
14. Safer Spaces: Designate safer spaces within the festival grounds where attendees can seek support, report concerns, or take a break from overwhelming environments. For more information on safer spaces, read our text on “Safer Spaces – Festival Safe Space guide.”
15. Allyship Training: Offer resources and workshops for festival attendees on how to be effective allies to survivors of sexual harassment or assault, including strategies for offering support and challenging harmful behaviours.
16. Anonymous Reporting Options: Provide anonymous reporting options, such as online reporting forms or hotline numbers, for attendees who may feel more comfortable reporting incidents without disclosing their identity. A lot of times, finding the abuser will not necessarily be possible. But with those options, the festival can at least keep track of what is going on at their event and provide preventive measures accordingly. 
17. Intersectional Approach: Recognise and address the intersecting experiences of marginalised individuals, including people of colour, transgender and nonbinary individuals, and individuals with disabilities, in all aspects of sexual harassment prevention and response efforts.
18. Cultural Sensitivity: Ensure that gender-based violence and sexual harassment prevention and response efforts are culturally sensitive and inclusive of diverse cultural norms, beliefs, and practices.
19. Public Awareness Campaigns: Launch public awareness campaigns leading up to the festival to educate attendees on their rights, responsibilities, and available resources related to the prevention of and response to gender-based violence and sexual harassment.
20. Collaborative Partnerships: Collaborate with other festivals, industry organisations, social organisations and stakeholders to share best practices, resources, and lessons learned in addressing sexual harassment and gender-based violence as well as promoting gender equity.
21. Transparency and Accountability: Maintain transparency in the festival’s prevention and response efforts when it comes to sexual harassment and gender-based violence, regularly communicate updates and progress to attendees, and hold organisers accountable for upholding commitments to safety and inclusion.
22. Continuous Training and Evaluation: Regularly update and reinforce training programs and policies on the prevention of and response to sexual harassment and gender-based violence, incorporating feedback from attendees and staff to improve effectiveness.

Implementing these measures creates a safer and more inclusive environment for people of all genders and sexualities at music festivals. By establishing comprehensive policies, providing staff training, and promoting consent education, festivals empower attendees to recognise and prevent gender-based violence and sexual harassment and misconduct. Visible reporting mechanisms and emergency response plans ensure that victims receive the support they need, while zero-tolerance policies hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.

Furthermore, by embracing diversity and inclusivity in programming, facilities, and community partnerships, festivals demonstrate a commitment to respecting and celebrating the experiences and identities of LGBTQIA+ individuals and other marginalised communities. This creates a culture of acceptance and affirmation where all attendees can fully participate and enjoy the festival experience without fear of discrimination or harm. Ultimately, these efforts foster a sense of belonging and empowerment, transforming music festivals into spaces where people of all genders and sexualities can come together to celebrate, connect, and thrive.