Accessibility

Lifts, Stairs and mobility

Physical immobility and difficulty moving around spaces can be the line between someone being able to attend the festival comfortably or even at all. Crammed in tables, uneven flooring and lack of accessibility like level floor entrance and lifts in the venue are common problems at art festival and conventions.

PrideCAF aims to make gangways bigger and space behind tables larger so everyone has a comfortable time navigating the festival. Sparks Bristol has street level entrances on both sides of the building with large double doors. There is disabled parking close by on The Horsefair as well as a number of nearby car parks.

Our biggest barrier this year is the lift as the festival is split across 2 floors. The main exhibitor area will be on the first floor and talks/workshops/panels will take place on the ground floor. Unfortunately, Sparks Bristol were unable to get their customer lift fixed in time for the festival. We do have access to the service lift which will provide access to both the first floor for the festival and the second floor for toilets, including accessible toilets. There will be volunteers to guide you to the service lift and to operate the gate. We’ve been given the go ahead from Sparks to decorate the lift so everyone feels more like a person rather than stock. This is the only lift so please be patient during busier times. Stairs are available for those who are able to use them.

If the festival proves to be popular and we reach capacity we will opt for a ‘one in one out’ at the stairs and lift so not to cause overcrowding.

Service dogs or animals of all kinds are welcome in the festival.

Neurodiversity and Stimuli Sensitivity

If you find yourself overwhelmed or uncomfortable with crowded and noisy areas we recommend you attend the festival when it opens at 11am (11:00) or closer to closing time at 4:00pm (16:00). These are usually our quietest times but please come prepared. As this is only a one day event with creators relying on as much footfall as possible it is not feasible to have a dedicated quiet time.

Sparks Bristol use to be a Marks and Spencers and, like most department stores, has large, overhead track lights. Depending how much day light we’re able to get into the venue these may be turned on. We are not sure how echoey the halls will be, especially at quiet times where there are less people or when there are more people and noise levels increase. We have in ear earplugs free of charge at the PrideCAF desk if you require them.

This year as well as a Chill Out Space we will have a dedicated Quiet Room. This will be a space were you can take a moment from the main hall, relax with a comic you’ve bought or even a book from the collection provided as well as stim toys to help regulate. Please be considerate of others using this room and keep conversations or phone calls to the Chill Out Space.

BSL and our Panels

Unfortunately, due to cost, we were unable to hire BSL interpreters for our talks and panels.  We have been looking into live subtitles and will hopefully bring them in the future. We aim to record all panels/workshops/talks and have them captioned on our YouTube channel.

Overall Health

If you are feeling unwell on the day we recommend either staying home or wearing a face mask. Everyone is free to wear face masks if they feel more comfortable. We will have hand sanitiser bottles scattered throughout the venue to help keep bugs at bay. Ensure your hands are dry before picking up exhibitors wares.