Practical Guides 6 min read

The Most Inclusive UK Festivals 2026

The UK festivals that score highest on FestivalFocus's evidence-based Inclusion Rating — ranked across accessibility, affordability, safety and diversity. Powered by GoldBerry.

By FestivalFocus Editorial Team · Published · Updated

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Ranked by the FestivalFocus Inclusion Rating — the UK's only evidence-based inclusion audit, powered by GoldBerry.

Most festival guides rank on line-up or size. This one ranks on something no other platform measures: how genuinely inclusive a festival is — across accessibility, economic access, language, cultural diversity, environmental impact and safety & welfare. Each festival is scored 0–10 against published evidence. Here's how we score →

The top-rated festivals for inclusion

1

Green Man Festival — 7.9 / 10

📍 Crickhowell, Wales A perennial standout. Strong accessibility provision, a welcoming ethos and a genuinely diverse programme put Green Man at the top of the table. View the full breakdown →

2

Africa Oyé — 7.7 / 10

📍 Liverpool The UK's largest free celebration of African and Caribbean music — and free is exactly why it scores so highly on economic access. A benchmark for inclusion done right. View →

3

Glastonbury Festival — 7.2 / 10

📍 Pilton, Somerset Scale hasn't cost it its values: mature access facilities, welfare provision and one of the broadest programmes anywhere. View →

4

Shambala Festival — 6.9 / 10

📍 Market Harborough A sustainability and safer-spaces leader, consistently strong on welfare and community. View →

5

Connect Festival — 6.7 / 10

📍 Edinburgh

6

Boomtown Fair — 6.6 / 10

📍 Winchester — notable harm-reduction and welfare infrastructure.

7

Musicport World Music Festival — 6.5 / 10

📍 Whitby

8

Camp Bestival — 6.4 / 10

📍 Wareham — one of the strongest for families and younger attendees.

9

WOMAD — 6.4 / 10

📍 Malmesbury — built around cultural diversity by design.

10

Green Gathering — 6.2 / 10

📍 Chepstow

Also rated highly: Junction 2 (6.2), Houghton (6.0), Neighbourhood Weekender (6.0) and Hay Festival (5.8).

What "inclusion" actually measures

Our rating combines six dimensions rather than collapsing everything into one vague number:

  • Accessibility — disabled access, viewing platforms, accessible facilities.
  • Economic Access — affordability, concessions, low-income schemes.
  • Language — multilingual information and support.
  • Cultural Diversity — representation across programming and audience.
  • Environmental — sustainability and travel access.
  • Safety & Welfare — safer-spaces, harm-reduction and support on site.

Find inclusive festivals yourself

You don't have to take our word for it — every rating is evidence-based and shows its working. Browse all festivals sorted by Inclusion Rating →

Organiser think your rating should be higher? Request a re-audit → — a better festival should show a better rating.

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