“We couldn't be more grateful to Performance Interpreting for their incredible work. Their amazing team of BSL interpreters brought energy, passion, and accessibility to every performance.”
Adam
Event Organiser, Croydon PrideFest
Festival Sign Language Access
BSL and ISL interpretation at the UK and Ireland's biggest festivals - designed, staffed and delivered end-to-end.
What we do
BSL & ISL interpretation at the UK and Ireland’s biggest festivals
Performance Interpreting is the UK and Ireland’s largest provider of sign language access at live festivals. From Reading and Leeds Festival (~90,000-capacity each) and Download at Donington Park, through to BST Hyde Park, Brighton Pride and boutique gatherings like Wilderness and Camp Bestival - we design the access plan, place NRCPD-registered interpreters where Deaf audiences can actually see them, and coordinate the team on the day.
Festival sign language access isn’t a side-service for us - it’s the work we’re known for. We helped establish the legal precedent that BSL access at live events is a requirement, not a courtesy. Coverage spans England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with ISL teams for Irish festivals such as Electric Picnic in Stradbally.
600+
Festival days delivered
27+
Festivals on our 2026 roster
100+
NRCPD-registered interpreters
1
Free app for Deaf festival-goers
Where you’ll find us
Festivals we work at across the UK and Ireland
Every festival we work is added to the PI Events App so Deaf festival-goers can plan their access in advance.
Major Music Festivals - UK & Ireland
Multi-day camping festivals and national broadcast events where we design the access plan from the ground up
- Reading Festival
- Leeds Festival
- Download Festival
- Latitude Festival
- Wilderness Festival
- Camp Bestival
- Big Feastival
- Boardmasters
- Wireless Festival
- Victorious Festival
- Isle of Wight Festival
- Creamfields
- TRNSMT
- Parklife
- Electric Picnic (Stradbally, Ireland)
- BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend
- BBC Radio 2 in the Park
Pride Festivals
Multi-stage BSL access for the UK's Pride calendar
- Brighton & Hove Pride
- London Pride
- Croydon Pride
- Reading Pride
- Peterborough Pride
- Swindon Pride
London Festivals & Concert Series
BST Hyde Park, Crystal Palace Park, Finsbury Park, Victoria Park, Gunnersbury, Knebworth
- BST Hyde Park
- All Points East (Victoria Park)
- Crystal Palace Park concerts
- Crystal Palace Bowl shows
- Finsbury Park (Festival Republic)
- Field Day
- Come Together
- Gunnersbury Park concerts
- Knebworth Park
Specialty, Family & Boutique
Smaller and themed festivals where access is just as important
- Splendour Festival
- Godiva Festival
- We Have Ways Festival
- Forbidden Forest
- Silverstone Grand Prix Fan Zone
- CarFest
For Deaf festival-goers
Find every BSL and ISL interpreted set in one place
The free PI Events App lists every interpreted festival set - by stage, by set time, and by the interpreter on duty. Plan your day, request access for sets that don’t yet have it, and give feedback after the event so we can keep raising the bar.
Free on the App Store and Google Play - no sign-up required
See interpreter names and profiles before you go
Request BSL or ISL for sets that don’t yet have it
Give post-festival feedback that we share with the organiser
For festival organisers & production teams
Festival access designed, not bolted on
Festival BSL access is a production discipline. Lighting, sight-lines, riser placement, rotation schedules, accreditation logistics, weather contingency and integration with your in-app guide all matter. We bring the playbook from hundreds of festivals so your team doesn’t have to invent it.
BSL & ISL Interpretation
Multi-stage, multi-day teams of NRCPD-registered interpreters with festival experience.
Access plan & legal advisory
Equality Act 2010 advisory, access audit, signage, captioning where appropriate, induction loops.
On-site coordination
A PI lead coordinator manages the interpreter team end-to-end and liaises with production in real time.
PI Events App integration
Your festival shows up automatically when you book - no extra work for your access team.
Post-event reporting
Audience feedback, attendance data and access metrics for your funders and stakeholders.
Why this matters
We helped set the UK legal precedent for live-event BSL access
The landmark Little Mix case established that providing BSL interpretation at live music events is a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. Performance Interpreting testified in that case. We don’t just supply interpreters - we’ve helped define what good festival access looks like in UK law.
For festival organisers that means access decisions made with PI are grounded in the actual legal standard, not guesswork.
How a festival booking flows
From first enquiry to post-event report
We’ve refined this over 600+ festival days. Your job is to focus on the festival; ours is to make access invisible until the moment a Deaf attendee experiences it.
1
Tell us about your festival
Dates, venue, stages, line-up, expected audience size. We come back with questions and a draft plan.
2
We build your access plan
Interpreter team sizing, stage allocation, rotation schedule, accreditation, accommodation and on-site logistics - all confirmed before contract.
3
Pre-festival briefing
Interpreters are briefed on line-ups, setlists, specialist vocabulary and stage logistics ahead of show day.
4
On-site delivery
The PI coordinator arrives early, manages the team across the run, and handles real-time changes to your schedule.
5
Post-event report
Audience feedback, app analytics and access metrics packaged for your funders, sponsors and access stakeholders.
What festivals and audiences say
Trusted by festival organisers and Deaf festival-goers
Make the next one better
Tell us how your festival access actually went
Whether the festival you attended had BSL or ISL provision from us, from another team, or none at all - your experience tells us where festival access is genuinely working and where it’s falling short. Good, bad, in between - share what happened in writing or in sign language video. We collate the patterns, share insights back with festival organisers (only with your permission), and use what we learn to push standards higher across the industry.
Record a video in BSL or ISL
Share your experience in sign language. Your feedback goes straight to PI and helps us improve access for everyone.
Max 50MB. MP4, MOV, WebM supported.
Happy to appear in festival photos or videos?
Entirely optional. You can withdraw consent at any time.
Festival access - frequently asked questions
Everything Deaf festival-goers and festival organisers ask us about BSL and ISL access at live festivals.
Can I get a BSL interpreter at a music festival?
Yes. Performance Interpreting provides British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters at the UK's biggest music festivals - including Reading, Leeds, Download, Latitude, Wilderness, BST Hyde Park, BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend and many more. We work directly with festival production teams to design the access plan, supply NRCPD-registered interpreters, and coordinate everything on the day. Deaf festival-goers can find out which sets have BSL through our free PI Events App.
Which festivals does Performance Interpreting work at?
Our regular festival roster includes Reading, Leeds, Download, Latitude, Wilderness, Camp Bestival, Big Feastival, Boardmasters, Wireless, Victorious, Isle of Wight, Creamfields, TRNSMT, Parklife, BST Hyde Park, All Points East, Mighty Hoopla, BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, BBC Radio 2 in the Park, Splendour, Godiva, We Have Ways, Silverstone, CarFest, Brighton Pride, London Pride and Electric Picnic in Ireland. We add new festivals every season - if your festival isn't on the list, get in touch.
How do Deaf people find out which festival performances have BSL?
Through the free PI Events App. It lists every BSL and ISL interpreted performance at every event we work, including stage, set time and the interpreter on duty. Deaf and BSL-using festival-goers can plan their day around interpreted sets, request access for sets that don't yet have it, and give feedback after the event. Available on the App Store and Google Play, no sign-up required.
Are festivals legally required to provide sign language access?
Under the Equality Act 2010 (covering England, Scotland and Wales), service providers - including festival organisers - must make reasonable adjustments for Deaf and disabled customers. Providing BSL interpretation at live performances is now an established reasonable adjustment, in part because of the landmark Little Mix legal case in which Performance Interpreting testified. In Northern Ireland the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 applies; in the Republic of Ireland the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 places ISL on a statutory footing. We can advise organisers on their specific obligations.
How many BSL interpreters does a festival need?
It depends on the duration, the number of stages you want to cover, the audience size and the kind of access experience you want to deliver. A single show typically needs two interpreters rotating every 15–20 minutes. A three-day, multi-stage festival typically needs a designed team of 4–12 interpreters plus on-site coordinators and volunteers. As part of our consultancy we spec the right team for your event - we will never under-staff, and we'll always tell you honestly if a request is too tight.
How are festival BSL interpreters positioned on stage?
Interpreter positioning is a production decision, not an afterthought. The interpreter needs a clear sightline to the audience, sufficient lighting (especially at evening and night-time sets), and a position that doesn't block the artist or stage visuals. We work with your production team during the planning phase to design the placement - typically on a riser stage-left or stage-right, with dedicated lighting. For festivals with large viewing areas we sometimes use IMAG (screen) interpretation in addition to a physical interpreter on stage.
Do you work at Pride festivals?
Yes - we cover Brighton & Hove Pride, London Pride, Croydon Pride, Peterborough Pride, Reading Pride, Swindon Pride and more across the UK Pride calendar. Pride events often have several stages running concurrently (Main Stage, Cabaret, Family, Women's Stage) and we staff each independently. Our Pride teams include Deaf interpreters and a mix of BSL-using volunteers to support the audience throughout the day.
What is the difference between BSL and ISL, and do you provide both?
British Sign Language (BSL) is the language of the UK Deaf community; Irish Sign Language (ISL) is a distinct language used by the Deaf community in Ireland. They are not mutually intelligible. Performance Interpreting provides BSL across the UK and ISL across Ireland and Northern Ireland where appropriate. We have ISL teams on the ground for events such as Electric Picnic and provide bilingual provision at Irish festivals on request.
Do you cover Irish festivals like Electric Picnic?
Yes. Performance Interpreting provides ISL interpretation at Electric Picnic (Stradbally) and other Irish festivals. Our Irish interpreter team is a dedicated unit of qualified ISL interpreters with festival experience. For events on the island of Ireland we'll always recommend ISL as the appropriate language unless the audience specifically needs BSL.
How early should festivals book interpreters?
As soon as the festival dates are confirmed. For major multi-day festivals, four to eight weeks ahead of show date is typical to give us time to assemble the right team, brief them on the line-up and coordinate accreditation. For one-day events two to four weeks is workable. Tight requests are sometimes possible - we'll always be honest about whether we can deliver the standard we'd want to.
Do interpreters camp on site or travel daily?
Both, depending on the festival and the interpreter. For multi-day camping festivals (Reading, Latitude, Download, Wilderness, Camp Bestival etc.) most of our team will be camping or campervan'd on-site. Some interpreters drive in daily where the venue is local. Accommodation logistics are coordinated by our on-site lead so the festival production team doesn't have to think about it.
Can I see who'll be interpreting at my festival in advance?
Yes. Booked interpreters appear in the PI Events App on the relevant set listing, with their names and a short profile. Some Deaf attendees prefer to follow specific interpreters and check in advance which sets they're working - the app supports this. For festival organisers, we share the team roster in advance as part of the pre-event briefing pack.
Are all Performance Interpreting festival interpreters NRCPD-registered?
Yes - every BSL interpreter we deploy is registered with the NRCPD (National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People). Where relevant we also work with interpreters registered with NUBSLI (National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters) and SASLI (Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters) in Scotland. Irish Sign Language interpreters working with us are qualified through the relevant Irish bodies. We do not deploy unregistered interpreters under any circumstances. Our coordinators and volunteers are vetted and trained, and we run our own festival training weekends through PI Academy.
How much does festival BSL access cost?
Festival BSL access is priced as a designed access package rather than per interpreter-hour. The cost depends on the number of stages covered, the number of festival days, team size (typically 4-12 interpreters plus coordinators and volunteers), whether the team camps on site, and whether you want a full access package (BSL plus live captions, induction loops, post-event reporting). For context, the wider UK market typically charges £40-£80 per hour for a single qualified interpreter at smaller events; festival-scale designed access is quoted per project. Festival quotes are tailored - share your dates, venue and line-up with us via the quote form and we'll come back with specifics.
What if it rains? Can interpreters work in wet weather?
Yes. Our festival interpreters are equipped for British weather and our coordinators carry rain plans. Where the interpreter position is uncovered we'll ask the festival production team to provide cover (gazebo, riser canopy, lighting rig position). Audience visibility of the interpreter is the priority - we will not stop interpreting for rain.
What's included in a Full Access Package for a festival?
A Full Access Package typically includes: BSL or ISL interpretation across stages, on-site coordination by a PI lead, sight-line and lighting design for interpreter placement, live captioning for hearing-loop or screen display, induction loops at relevant points, pre-event audit and access plan, post-event reporting with audience feedback, and integration with the PI Events App so Deaf festival-goers can find your event and provide feedback. Each package is shaped around the specific festival.
Do you work outside the UK and Ireland?
Our core coverage is the UK and Ireland. We've worked on festivals and events further afield on a case-by-case basis where the brief makes sense - contact us with your specific requirements and we'll let you know if we can help.
Ready to make your event accessible?
Tell us about your event and we'll put together a plan.
About this page · Last updated · Maintained by the Performance Interpreting team · Coverage: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.