'My heart broke in a gazillion pieces': Autistic woman left feeling overwhelmed and excluded due accessibility issues at EP
An autistic festival-goer has criticized the accessibility arrangements at the Electric Picnic festival, citing poor placement of the accessible platform and sensory issues. She is calling for better planning and consultation with disabled attendees for future events.
Why it matters
The story highlights the ongoing challenges regarding inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities at large public events.
Avid music fan Kate Raftery at EP with her mother Michelle. Picture: Michelle Raftery
An autistic woman has said her "heart broke in a gazillion pieces" when she saw the main accessible platform at Electric Picnic was next to the toilets this year.
Kate Raftery felt “excluded” and she called on the organisers to meet people with disabilities before next year’s festival for better planning.
This was Kate’s second EP but she felt distressed instead of enjoying the music as freely as she did in 2025.
She said problems started last Friday when an official festival map showed an incorrect location for this platform.
When they tracked it down, she said: “We were between queues for the bar and the toilets. We couldn’t get in sometimes, people thought we were skipping the queues.
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