Silver Level for Journeys Festival International’s Access Provision

Journeys Festival International is proud to have been awarded the Silver level of Attitude is Everything’s Live Events Access Charter for 2024-2026, demonstrating our commitment to improve the experience for our disabled audiences, artists and team.

First delivered in Leicester in 2013, Journeys Festival International explores migration and celebrates our different journeys together, bringing stories of communities and the world around us to the forefront of our festival activities. Removing barriers is an important part of our festival aim, making positive changes on a societal, structural as well as physical access level. We’ve been working to improve the festival’s accessibility for everyone and have been first accredited the Attitude Is Everything Bronze Charter Status in 2022.

Attitude is Everything is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which aims to change the industry standard for the better by implementing a Live Events Access Charter across the UK to improve access for Deaf and disabled people in partnership with audiences, artists and the cultural sector. With this charter, they’ve created a framework for event producers to apply best practice and support industry professionals to understand and break down the barriers that disable people. As part of the Charter process, organisations can achieve various levels of accessibility standards, working through each level from Bronze, Silver and Gold up to Platinum.

Our CEO/Creative Director Paul Steele said: “With Journeys Festival International going into its twelfth year in 2024, we’re excited to have been awarded the Silver level of Attitude is Everything’s Live Events Charter, recognising our commitment to accessibility and making the festival experience enjoyable for all of our audiences, artists and staff. We’re continuing to improve our processes and strive to achieve Gold and eventually Platinum levels in the next few years, aiming to be as accessible as we can whilst also being a role model for other organisations in Leicester.”

Since joining the Attitude is Everything Charter process in 2022 with Journeys Festival International, we’ve been keen to improve accessibility in all areas of our work to create a better festival experience. This includes (but is not limited to) having a dedicated Access Officer, digital assistive tools and access information on our website, accessible versions of our festival brochure, programming companies and artists that champion accessible performances and an inclusive cast, and being integral part of All In Leicester to improve access in the city’s cultural venues. 

Bill Haley from All In Leicester said: “With Journeys Festival International having been the first festival we visited as part of our All In accessibility audit tours, we’re thrilled to learn about the Silver award, recognising all the provisions Art Reach already put in place in order to make the festival more accessible. What a great achievement, and we’re excited as these news come at a time when All In won the Leicester Comedy Festival Community Award, indicating the great awareness and willingness in Leicester’s cultural sector to make Leicester a place where everyone can be All In everywhere.”

With the Silver level being awarded to the festival, audiences can rely on a standardised process of making sure access provision and best practice is in place, especially focusing on access information and creating a welcoming environment through our festival provision. Over the next few years, we aim to consistently improve our offer and make accessibility a requirement from the get-go to reach the next levels of the charter so audiences can rely on consistent access provision at all of our festival activities.

We’re excited about the next chapter in our festival development and look forward to consistently improving our activities to be as inclusive and welcoming as we can be.

Look out for more information on Journeys Festival International 2024, which will be released soon: https://artreach.org.uk/journeysfestival/