Falkirk is preparing to host The Awakening, the UK’s first large-scale festival that will cater specifically to people with disabilities. This event is in partnership with the organisers of the Vibration Festival. Vibration will take place on 3-4 September (Friday and Saturday), and The Awakening will be the following Sunday, so they will use the same equipment (stage, lights, production gear) to have an equal festival experience.

The Scottish town is very proud to be the first in the UK to attempt to create a major festival space designed for this kind of inclusivity. It originally began back in 2018, with 150 people in attendance. It doubled the next year, and the organisers are expecting it to keep doubling each year. One of the principal organisers, David Irvine, says of the growing project: “It was always our intention to go to the whole of Scotland, so we’re hopefully looking at having up to 600 people here…These guys deserve to have the same experience as people who aren’t disabled in a safe environment. The general aim is to make it a mainstream festival going forward and also encourage these people to go to a festival on their own. Even though this is a disability festival, we also want people who don’t have a disability to buy tickets.”

It won’t only be a space for disabled fans to enjoy music, but also a space for disabled musicians as well. The lineup of artists set to perform include DJ Missy M, who is deaf, and DJ Elad who has autism. They get as much out of it as the listeners, as “a lot of these bands have played…online throughout lockdown. It just makes the performers’ night.”

The pandemic has postponed the 2020 festival to now be in the summer of this year. It is scheduled to be on 5 September from 12:30 to 9pm. It will be open to all ages. According to the Falkirk Herald, the event has “eight bands, Changing Places toilets, street food, children’s entertainers and DJs booked to make it a family day out.” You can book tickets for The Awakening and Vibration here.