Accessibility

Applications for PA/carer Tickets for 2024 will be open soon… 

Boardmasters are committed to making the experience at our festival as inclusive as possible. If you require a Personal Assistant (PA) to attend the festival with you, we offer 2:1 tickets.

1. Purchase your ticket(s) to Boardmasters Festival. If you are applying for our PA Ticket Scheme please DO NOT purchase a ticket for the person acting as your PA.
2. Complete our Access Request Form to let us know about your access requirements before arriving to site. Please have your valid ticket reference number and supporting evidence ready.
3. Once the information has been submitted, you will receive an email to let you know your request is being processed. Our dedicated access team will start replying to these from February 2024, so please don’t worry if you don’t hear from us prior to that date.
4. Following confirmation and closer to the event, we will send you an Access Information Pack, which will have all the information you require about our accessible facilities.

Please note: as a PA you will be expected to assist the customer in way finding round the event, buying and carrying food/ drinks, entering / exiting the event and undertaking all access requirements of the person you are attending with.

Boardmasters Festival is split across two main festival sites, Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach.

Watergate Bay is home to the main festival arena where you’ll be able to listen to music across one of our 9 stages, tuck into some tasty food/ drinks with our hand-picked food traders + where all our campsites are situated.

The grounds are predominantly open-air grass fields with naturally uneven terrain.

Please note if we experience adverse weather conditions, ground conditions can become poor due to water saturation. Due to field location, there are no hardstandings in the main arena or campsites.

________

Fistral Beach is where you’ll find our renowned surfing competitions, from our junior qualifiers to our international pro athletes. You’ll also find Fistral Village where you can browse from a range of food, clothes and sponsor traders whilst you enjoy a drink and a dance at our beach bar.

Fistral Village sits on flat, hardstanding tarmac. Be aware there is a steep gradient road as you head down to site.

Accessible Camping / Day Tickets

The distance from the BLUE GATE drop-off to the entry gates for those staying in one of our accessible campsite is around 232m. The grounds are hardstanding tarmac up a low gradient road.

This entry point is also for customers arriving by car (including drop-off) coach or shuttle buses.

If you require accessible parking for the weekend, this is located by Blue Gate within the accessible campsite. A member of the gates team will direct you on entry.

Please note the peak ingress hours are Wednesday 9th 13:00 – 19:00 and Thursday 10th 10:00 – 22:00 for weekend camping ticket holders, and Friday – Sunday 10:00 – 13:00.

Should you require assistance with your bags or setting up your tent, we have a team of volunteers who will be happy to give you a hand, so just let us know when you arrive.

The distance from the accessible campsite to the main arena entrance is 298m.

General Admission / Pre-Pitched / Reserved and Boutique Camping

The distance from YELLOW GATE for those staying in general admission, pre-pitched, reserved pitch or boutique camping options is around Xm. The terrain here is predominantly greenfield with trackway walking routes.

Once you’re through the gates, the walk from wristband exchange to our general campsites is anything between 0m to Xm.

Should you require assistance with your bags or setting up your tent, we have a team of volunteers who will be happy to give you a hand, so just let us know when you arrive.

We have space available in our accessible car park.

If you are a blue badge holder or you require parking closer to the main entry point to the festival, please make the gate staff aware of this on entry to the car park who will guide you to a parking spot.

If you are a blue badge holder, you do not need to purchase a parking pass.

Accessible Toilets: There will be accessible toilets (DDA) located at most toilet blocks within the Main Arena and Accessible campsite, there will be some accessible toilets in the general campsites. There will also be a sterile changing unit located in the main arena and accessible campsite.

Accessible Showers: These will be available in the Accessible campsite (FOC).

Accessible Information Points: Located in the Main Arena and Accessible campsite.

Assistance Dogs: Assistance dogs are welcome at Boardmasters. There will be a designated assistance dog resting area, more information about where this will be located will be updated.

Medical Services: Includes welfare points and a sensory respite area. We will publish site maps detailing medical service stations and first aid points before the event. These will be located in both the Main Arena and campsite. Please familiarise yourself with these locations beforehand.

Parking: Parking tickets are available online. If you are a Blue badge holder, you do not need to purchase one of these but must register for disabled parking on the Access requirement form. The accessible car park is limited so friends/ family arriving in separate vehicles will not be able to use this car park.

Viewing Platform/ Areas: Located at the Main Stage, Land of Saints and Unleashed stages. Our viewing platforms are stewarded and include accessible toilet (DDA) facilities within this area and power provisions. These platforms are reserved solely for our accessible customers + PA and unfortunately not for those with broken bones, recent injuries and/or pregnancies.

There is a viewing platform located at the Point Stage for all to use. This viewing platform will not be stewarded or restricted and does not include power provisions.

Please note the platform works on a first come first serve basis, we may have to restrict access to avoid over crowding and safety issues.

Due to health and safety restrictions at some of our smaller venues, where we haven’t been able to include a viewing platform, please speak to one of our steward team who will assist you in finding an alternative viewing space.

Accessible guests also have use of the Fast track entry lane into Arena + Campsite.

Prior the event you will be sent an information pack detailing the location of these facilities.

Our Accessible campsite is dedicated to deaf and disabled guests which includes its own car park, campervan area and designated entrance.  Our accessible campsite has moved since last year, and is now situated by Blue Gate as you enter the festival. This is the closest campsite to the main entrance of the festival arena.

Facilities include:

• Designated entrance into accessible campsite.
• Wheelchair accessible toilets and shower.
• Fresh water points.
• Accessiloo sterile changing unit.
• Campervan park next to campsite – these are reserved for people that would be unable to use the general campervan field.
• Charging point for wheelchairs and medical facilities.
• Lockable fridge for medical storage.

We have a dedicated access team available 24/7 who have a cabin set up in this campsite as well as in the main arena throughout the duration of the festival. If you have any questions or concerns, head towards one of the access info points and the team will assist you.

We will shortly provide distance in metres from the access campsite to the main arena.

Along with yourself and your PA, you are permitted to have two other people camp with you in this area.

If you’d prefer to camp in one of the general campsites, you’re also welcome to do so. Information on distances can be found in the ‘Arriving at the Festival’ section.

Our Access Request Form for Boardmasters 2023 is now closed. We look forward to welcoming you on site, see you at the beach! 

Wellbeing

If at any point during your time at Boardmasters you, a friend or a stranger appears unwell, head to one of the Welfare Tents where our team of professionals will assist you. We have one located in the main arena by the main entrance and one in Lakey’s campsite. The Welfare team offer a comfortable environment to anyone who feels unsafe, needs to take 5, or speak to someone. They are a team of experienced, non-judgemental people who can give confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, sexual health, mental health and offer support if you need someone to talk to.

This year, the Welfare team will be joined by SARSAS, offering specialist services for sexual harassment or assault.

Our welfare tents have a calm space if you feel anxious and the teams can help if you find yourself stranded. They also care for lost and vulnerable people including children.

Our welfare team is not there to make judgements or get you in trouble. Their service is confidential so you can be honest with them about any problems you are experiencing and they will do their best to help you. Their primary role is to ensure the well-being and safety of everyone on site, no issue is too big or too small just simply visit their tent on site and they will be happy to help.

Sometimes you can find yourself in a situation that isn’t safe or that makes you feel uncomfortable. If you can’t access help from our Welfare tent in the Main Arena or campsite our bars operate Ask for Angela, where you can discreetly ask for help from a member of staff if this happens.

Mental Health

Looking after our mental health and wellbeing at festivals is so important as it helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Everyone has mental health, it includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. Every year one in four of us will experience a mental health problem.

We want to create a happy, safe and exciting space but it can also sometimes be overwhelming. Getting enough sleep, eating regularly and pacing yourself are key if you want to stay on top form.

If you have an existing mental health condition:

• bring any medication you are on with you and remember to take it as prescribed;
• if it’s your first time, read about what to expect in the ‘what to expect’ section above;
• before you go, think about whether certain situations could be difficult for you, for example big crowds, and try to mentally prepare yourself for what it might be like and what you would do if you become overwhelmed;
• people often forget to eat at festivals. If you have an eating problem think about whether you would prefer to bring your own food or whether you will feel ok buying from the vendors on site;
• if you have a history of poor mental health, you may be more likely to experience negative effects with alcohol and other drugs. Find out more here;
• if you are on medication for a mental health condition be mindful of how this could interact with alcohol and other drugs;
• try to be open with your friends and let them know if you are struggling or need help.

Please be kind to everyone and respect the surroundings you’re in.

Pre event we will share an access-specific information pack with users containing all the essentials so you can plan ahead.

Included in this pack will contact details of your dedicated accessibility officer who will be on-site and contactable during daytime hours of the festival. For any concerns outside of these hours, please speak to one of the access team at one of the info points to help and support you.

• There will be a hearing loop available at Blue Gate Accessibility wristband exchange and at White Gate into the main arena.
• We currently do not offer sign language as a service on any of our stages.
• Please be aware that strobe lighting and lasers will be used during artist’s performances during the festival. Due to the nature of this, prior notice will not be given before use.
• If you have medication that requires refrigeration, please bring this with you in a lockable, clear container (such as a tuppaware box) along with a copy of your relating medical documentation. Our medical staff or accessible campsite will have a lockable fridge for you to safely store this. Please note we are not responsible for your medication if it is lost, stolen or in the unlikely event of power loss.

If you need any help or have an access-related query not on our website, please drop us an email at boardmastersaccessibility@visionninegroup.com and one of the team will get back to you.

For all other enquiries that are not related to accessibility, you can reach us on boardmasters@visionninegroup.com

We’re here to make your experience at Boardmasters an enjoyable one, so we welcome all questions big or small.