Deer Shed Festival was established back in 2010, first and foremost, as a safe space for everyone to enjoy live music and arts. We work closely with Attitude is Everything, an organisation that ensures there are no barriers to live music for disabled audience members, and have been recognised with their Charter of Best Practice Silver Award.

This section has been designed to help inform your decision about whether Deer Shed is the right festival for you, enabling you to plan your weekend and navigate any potential inconveniences prior to arriving on-site. If you have questions that the guide doesn’t answer, or just want to chat to a member of our friendly team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via admin@deershedfestival.com.

We want everyone at Deer Shed to have the best experience possible. If you, or someone you know, has additional needs, please let us know so we can support you.

Did you know...if you’re attending Deer Shed and in receipt of DLA or PIP you can apply for a complimentary ticket for your personal assistant to support you throughout the weekend.

To let us know about your access requirements, or to apply for a complimentary PA ticket, please complete our 2023 Accessible Requirements Form and a member of our team will be in touch as soon as possible.

When you have heard from a member of our team, you will need to forward a copy of your DLA or PIP award letter and a copy of your festival ticket purchase email, which you will have received from our ticket outlet company. Having received this we'll send you an e-ticket for your Personal Assistance in prior to the festival.

You will need to purchase any additional tickets for your party, including Car Parking and Electric-hookup tickets, through the website. If you have any other questions about accessibility issues at Deer Shed Festival drop us a line and have a chat.

The Deer Shed Festival car park and campsite are open from Friday 29th July at 10am. If you require accessible parking you must let us know in advance of the event and also purchase a standard car parking ticket via the website. On arrival, our stewards or security members will check your name and direct you to the designated accessible parking and camping area. They will then direct you to the designated accessible parking and camping area. The campsite manager will be briefed with your requirements and a steward will be able to assist your arrival and set up of tents for the weekend, if required.

If you are arriving to site via public transport or taxi please let us know prior to arrival so that alternative arrangements can be made. Please email in advance if your taxi requires access to the Accessible Camping Area.

Deer Shed Festival takes place outdoors within 90 acres of grassed parkland and attracts approximately 10,000 people. Weather conditions will affect the overall state of the ground. It is particularly important for wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments to be aware that the main terrain at the festival is grassland. In the event of muddy land, efforts will be made to make this as accessible as possible with wood chip being placed at areas most effected, especially in to the main entrance of the arena.

All stewards/volunteers and security personal wearing black uniform and those wearing bright coloured high vis jackets with the Deer Shed Logo have been briefed on our facilities for people who have access requirements. Please ask them for any advice or help you may need over the weekend. If they can’t give you an exact answer they will be able to contact the specific person for your needs who will be able to help.

Free re-charging facilities are available through the Medic Station and Friends of the Earth tent in the campsite run.

There are fridges in our Medic Stations - one opposite the Accessible Campsite and one next to Welfare & Information for medicines which is accessible 24 hours. Medication will need to be well labelled and bagged so that it is clearly identifiable when put in the medication fridge. Please notify the medics to collect your medication at a certain time.

There is a designated area for general caravans/campervans but this area is not designed of those with access requirements as it is 600 metres away from the main arena. If you intend to bring a Live-In vehicle please contact us to discuss your requirements prior to the event.

One Accessible Toilet will be located at each block of toilets onsite. Accessible Toilets are also located in the Accessible Camping area along with the Mobiloo facility pictured above. A Mobiloo is a pop-up changing places facility with hoist, adult sized changing bench and all else you’d expect to find in a fully accessible high dependancy toilet and shower unit. Other showers are located 50m metres from the Accessible Campsite. If this is too far for you to travel, we can arrange for a buggy to transport you there. When using the showers please notify the shower attendant and they will allow you to have additional time in the shower unit.

We understand that autism is a spectrum condition, meaning each person’s experiences and requirements naturally differ. Deer Shed Festival can be an excitable and busy environment, but we strive to make it enriching, rewarding and, when required, relaxing for our autistic guests. If you or a member of your family has autism, we are very happy to consult directly on how we can best maximise your enjoyment and wellbeing across the weekend. We have dedicated sensory tents for time to relax away from the festival located next to our Welfare Tent.

Please get in touch with admin@deershedfestival.com if you would like to discuss special considerations for your festival experience.

Strobe lighting may be used at any time during the festival.

Assistance dog passes are welcome at Deer Shed Festival. Please let us know if you intend to bring an assistance dog before arrival using the form provided via email request. If this is the case, please make sure the dog is wearing the correct signage to identify their legitimacy on site.

We have a viewing platform for the Main Stage, In The Dock Stage & Big Top Stage only. Red wristband holders will have access to the viewing platforms. Access will be managed by a festival steward. Platforms have a capacity for 6 wheelchair users and 6 personal assistants.

Regarding other stages without platforms, please notify a steward or member of security if you would like a suitable viewing point to improve your view of the show. If there is a popular performance you are particularly eager to see, we recommend you turn up early to ensure we can secure you a good spot. Each Stage Manager will be briefed on this protocol and efforts will be made to make sure this is completed. Alternatively to the side of front of house in our indoor stages there will be a floor-level space set aside for those with access requirements, please notify a member of our stage management team at that specific tent if you would like to use this area.

One of the great things about Deer Shed is the size: we’re big enough for you feel part of a special festival community in a spacious site for the three days you’re with us, but small enough that moving around site is doable for most of our guests. The distance from the Accessible Campsite to the furthest destination in the arena is 600 metres and our grass is cut short. Below is a detailed breakdown of each key area of the festival.

The Accessible Campsite is located in a place which allows very fast access to the part of the arena containing our Main Stage. It contains somewhere to park the car, the main medic tent, an abundance of space, a team of helpers, a fridge for storing medicine and a sterile toilet. Electric hook ups can be made available on request - please contact us in advance of the festival to discuss your requirements.

The open air Deer Shed Main Stage faces out onto a natural amphitheatre. There is flat land directly in front of the stage which then merges into a gradual incline (pictured below). We call it a hill or a fish bowl, but the terrain is not too steep for wheelchair users and much of our audience like to set up a base for the day here. Our viewing platform is based in the middle of the amphitheatre and can hold up to 6 wheelchair users. The closest bar – the Arbor Inn – is located opposite the Main Stage on top of the hill.

The Wilderwild is a secluded, wooded area of Baldersby Park, created with the aim of reconnecting families with nature and the great outdoors. The main opening of The Wilderwild, which contains all of our bush-crafting workshops, is a grassy area that is accessible for wheel chairs. Some performances and art installations are located a little beyond this area, where the terrain becomes rougher. Due to the natural terrain, this area could become more challenging to access for our disabled guests in the event of very poor weather.

The open-sided In The Dock Stage and The Arbor Inn Bar are located at the top of the gradual incline up from the Main Stage and a pathway is available to make this area more accessible. A drainage system is used here to maintain the standard of the terrain and our facilities team are always on standby across the weekend to lay woodchip to dry the ground. There is a toilet block with an accessible toilet and a few food and drink stalls next to In The Dock. Stage times for In The Dock and the Main Stage alternate, so you do not need to rush to see everything you want.

Other than the slight incline up to In The Dock from the Main Stage, the festival arena is almost completely flat. The food run separates the Main Stage/In The Dock area from the area containing the Big Top and Lodge stages, as well as the science tent and arts workshops. There are plenty of tables, chairs and benches located here, as well a toilet block at the beginning of the food run.

Welfare & Information is at the far end of the food run, if you are approaching it from the Main Stage. Our friendly welfare staff are always happy to chat if you have any issues, require any assistance or would like to provide us with feedback. This can be a nice place to sit down and chill out away from the hustle and bustle of the festival - particularly due to the masses of comfy sofas! There is a fridge for storing medicine next to Welfare & Information, for ease of access whilst you are in the arena. The arena medics tent is also located here.

The entrance to our sports field is located just beyond the main food run if you are approaching from the Main Stage area. The field is meant for everybody and we have many different types of sport to suit all abilities. If you want to try something out, our staff and helpers will see to it that you can. The terrain is flat, well mown grass.

Like the Main and In The Dock stages, the Lodge and Studio stages are located very nearby one another, just beyond the entrance to the sports field, and they also alternate stage time schedules to prevent any rushing around. Lodge stage has wide open sides and host music and spoken word and The Studio Tent is a green stretch tent hosting workshops and imtimate performances for under 7's. There is a toilet block to the left of the Lodge Stage, as you are facing it.

We launched the Pause Play Repeat Tent in 2018 – a tent dedicated to wellbeing activities like yoga, gong baths, meditation and holistic treatments. It has an abundance of yoga mats and a large, open entrance and is located near the Lodge stage.

While our Science Tent can be quite loud and busy, it is very spacious, with a length of 200ft. It has a wide entrance, a steady flow of foot traffic, a helpful team of volunteers and there is a wide selection of activities through which you can sit down and take the time to enjoy. It is located near our sports field entrance.

The vast majority of our arts workshops are located in the area of the festival arena containing the Lodge Stage and Pallet Stage. These all have wide entrances, a team of helpful volunteers and can be a great place to get some respite if the excitement of the rest of the arena ever gets too much. The Meadow Sensory Tent is a place designed purely for chilling out, with many sensory delights for the young people to play with.

he Big Top hosts PG comedy, shows and film. These tents are located at the furthest point of the arena from the Accessible Campsite (600 metres). Our golf buggies are available transport you from the Accessible Campsite if you do struggle with that kind of distance.