Accessibility

John is our dedicated accessibility coordinator and is available on site to help your event be as smooth as possible. Whether you need help pitching your tent or simply need directions to the theatre, he can help. He is available 8am – 8pm every day on site and might pop in to say hello. Outside of these times, please refer any queries to the info office who will do their best to help and will debrief our Accessibility Manager of any issues occurring overnight. Alternatively, you can call our info team on 01885 475005.

If you want to speak to John pre event please drop us a line at [email protected] and he will respond within five working days. Or you can message us on our facebook page.

You can also call our info line on 01885 475005. Leave a message and we’ll call you back.

The team love getting snail mail too! Send us some post at Nozstock Office, Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire, HR7 4LS

In 2015 we joined forces with Attitude is Everything (link – https://attitudeiseverything.org.uk/ )  They connect disabled people with music and live event industries to improve access together. Their vision is to see music and live event industries valuing disabled people as audience members, performers, professionals and volunteers. 

For 2023 Attitude Is Everything will be the sole recipient of all Nozstock guest list ticket donations.

Nozstock is thrilled to hold a Bronze Award (this may be amended to Silver dependent on what you agree with Alex, our Charter Manager) from Attitude is Everything’s Live Events Access Charter (link https://attitudeiseverything.org.uk/industry/live-events-access-charter/ ) for our ongoing commitment to improving the live music experience for our disabled visitors.  We are also proud to be one of only two festivals who received an Attitude is Everything Outstanding Attitude Award in 2016 – given specifically for our detailed online information and social story. Attitude Is Everything regularly recruit mystery shoppers and volunteers to provide feedback on a variety of U.K events. Register on here (link – https://attitudeiseverything.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/mystery-shopping/  ) to join the team. If you are a festival looking to sign up to the Live Events Access Charter or want more information on their other industry initiatives, then click here.  (link https://attitudeiseverything.org.uk/industry/

The campsite opens at 14:00 on Thursday and 09:00 on Friday. When you arrive you will be greeted by a gate steward. Inform them if you have booked accessible camping, or require a larger parking space and they will direct you accordingly. You will then get accredited and be able to set up camp before the arenas open and the entertainment starts. To collect your wristbands you must have all your tickets and passes ready along with photo I.D. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to speak to a member of the access team, a steward, or our campsite info office team.

The above videos give you a tour of the key areas of site. It has been filmed when the festival is not on to give the best view of the terrain and the gradients.

Nozstock The Hidden Valley is an intimate event so nothing is ever very far away. The gross distance of the site from the furthest car park to the opposite outer boundary is 630 metres.  All stages, bars and areas are positioned in quite close proximity. Accessible camping is 250 metres from the furthest away stage (The Bandstand), approximately 50 metres to the main stage and located right next to our site Info Office. However, visitors should be aware that the festival is held on a working farm. As such the terrain is naturally hilly and rough and can be difficult to manoeuvre. Please be aware the site is predominantly a greenfield site, so flat pathways are limited almost exclusively to The Rave Yard area (including The Cubicles & Bullpen). There are various steep gradients around the site.The wristband exchange area is fairly flat with both grass and gravel terrain. However be aware this area can get very busy and you may have to wait to be processed. If you find queueing difficult please let us know.

If you are struggling with gradients on site, please speak to our access team. For some areas, we can offer alternative routes, or cut throughs.

Of course, in years where we’re plagued by wet weather, the site is likely to become muddy and can make getting around much more difficult. If there’s anything we can do to help you with getting around at the festival please let us know and we will be as accommodating as possible. During wet weather we do ensure that woodchip is spread around site to make the ground less slippy, however this can make it difficult for trikes etc to grip. Because of the terrain we cannot guarantee conditions will be traversable when bad weather strikes.

Seating can be limited on the farm so you may wish to bring along your own camping chair to give those feet a rest!

For a detailed breakdown of the accessibility of the stages, please click here.

If you are planning to bring an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter arrangements can be made to enable you to charge your scooter, but please do let us know beforehand if you feel this might be necessary.

There is a viewing platform for our visitors with disabilities to use for our main Orchard Stage. All other areas are smaller and do not have viewing platforms.  Please ask one of our stewards to help you find an accessible viewing space at the smaller stages. If you wish to make use of our main stage viewing platform at the festival please request a lanyard confirming you can use this space by emailing [email protected], speaking to our accessibility coordinator over the weekend or speaking to our campsite info team. This is to ensure that only those who really require the platform have access to it, as space is very limited. We operate a 1+1 policy for the viewing platform, issuing one assistant lanyard per booking. The closest accessible toilets to the viewing platform are in accessible camping, approximately 25 metres.

We do have accessible toilet facilities located on site. These are located by the entrance to The Coppice, in the accessible camping area, in The Dingle area and at the bottom of the main campsite. All are marked clearly on the festival site map. If accessible toilets are locked, the Info Office in the campsite can provide access keys/codes. Please note that all accessible toilet facilities on site are hand operated. We do not currently have any changing spaces on site.

We have accessible showers within the accessible camping area only. Showers in the main campsite are not accessible.

We welcome D/deaf visitors at Nozstock. Induction loops are located at wristband exchange, performers reception, the campsite info office and the Department of Cultural Affairs theatre tent. Some of our website info is available in audio format and some post event footage is captioned, but we recognise there’s a lot more we could do and are striving to improve. There is no assisted performance on site at present. We hope to add this in future years. If you would benefit from this please do let us know.

P2P Medical provide medical cover on site. They are on site 24 hours a day and are located just behind accessible camping.  If you have medication that requires special storage while you are at the festival please let us know in advance if possible, and we will make arrangements with the first aid team. Feel free to contact us if you have any other medical questions or needs.

Our welfare service is located next to accessible camping alongside a small sensory space. Here you can take a break from the festival hive in a space that engages the senses. Feel free to interact with the area and recharge your batteries without risk.

A limited amount of enlarged copies of our festival programme will be available from our festival Info Office. These have been enlarged from A5 to A4 to make them clearer and easier to read.

We do like a thumping sound system at Nozstock, but please be aware of the damage that can be done to your hearing with continued exposure to loud music, especially for little ones. Noise from the nearer venues at Nozstock do carry to our Accessible Campsite which can sometimes make the area quite loud. Ear plugs are available on request from our Info Office or you may wish to consider staying in our quiet camping zone instead.

In 2018 we joined the Association of Independent Festival’s Drastic on Plastic campaign to reduce single use plastics at festivals. As part of this campaign we have banned plastic straws on site. However if you require a straw then a supply of paper straws will be available at our info office.

As mentioned above, If you are planning to bring an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter arrangements can be made to enable you to charge your scooter, but please do let us know beforehand if you feel this might be necessary.

Please also be aware that various lighting is used at Nozstock, including the use of strobe lights. If you have any worries about when and where these lights may be in effect, then please get in touch with us before the festival.

If you are planning to bring an Assistance Dog to the event, you must supply proof your dog is registered with an organisation which is a member Assistance Dogs UK to [email protected]. We ask that official jackets and harness please be worn upon entrance and when working. Jackets may be removed when at your tent or on the viewing platform.

There is an accessible camping area at Nozstock. Here you are able to park your vehicle right next to your tent or campervan. You can also collect your wristband right next to accessible camping if  you have booked space in that area. You must book a camping and parking space in advance of your arrival so we can be sure to allocate suitable space. Please don’t arrive on the day and assume we can accommodate you as space does fill up quickly. Please call Ticketsellers on  0121 472 6688 to request a space within accessible camping and ensure you bring proof of eligibility with you on arrival. If you require anything further in particular for your camping experience, please let us know and where practical we will try and arrange this.

Live-in vehicles can be parked within the accessible camping area also. However, we do need to know how many live-in vehicles will be on site, so if you are planning to bring any type of live-in vehicle to the event you must purchase a camper pass from our website. Any live-in vehicles without a pass will not be admitted to the site. Please see our rules for live-in vehicles if you have any further questions regarding this.

We also offer glamping packages from Zoobells or pre pitched tents and camping extras from Camplight. These can be booked through the Zoobells or Camplight website. Please be aware these cannot be pitched in the accessible camping area.

Blue badge holders can park their car at the festival free of charge. Simply display your blue badge in your car windscreen when entering the festival site. You are able to park your car next to your tent in the disabled camping area. See above for how to book. However, if you intend to camp in the main campsite your car must be parked in the main car park area. Although we do have some accessible parking spaces here, please be aware you will have further to travel from your car to the campsite and festival arenas. The car park area is on field so can be difficult to manoeuvre, but is only approximately 40 metres from wristband exchange.

If you struggle with carrying your things to the campsite the access team may be able to help, let us know.

If you are planning to arrive by taxi, please inform us. We can make arrangements to allow your taxi to drop you off as near to the campsite as possible. Nozstockers get 10% discount off when booking in advance with Blueline Taxis. If you are intending to arrive by bus please let us know in advance so we can check the accessibility of your chosen route and make adjustments as needed.

Disabled visitors who receive PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance, have an Access Card or are registered partially sighted  can get one companion ticket for a personal assistant free of charge. Simply purchase your adult full price ticket and ring TicketSellers on  0121 472 6688 advising them you require a free carer pass with your purchased ticket. They will ask if you receive PIP and whether you require camping in the Accessible camping area. The Carer pass will then be emailed with your purchased ticket. You will need to bring proof of your PIP award to the festival. Alternatively you can email your order number along with proof of your eligibility to [email protected]. The standard is one free personal assistant pass per person.

For extra advice you can download our social story which gives you the low down on what will be going on around the site and how to prepare yourself. Download the social story here. 

You can also download our access pack here for further info regarding the festival and the site, to help you plan a weekend packed full of hassle free fun!