Inclusive language and representation are no longer just buzzwords – they’re essential pillars of any successful family-friendly festival today. A festival’s audience can include people of every gender, culture, and ability, so making everyone feel welcome is both the right thing to do and smart business. In fact, studies show that 61% of consumers in the U.S. value diversity in advertising, meaning audiences notice who is (and isn’t) represented (marketing.org.nz). For a festival billed as “family-friendly,” this is even more critical: families come in all forms and backgrounds. Ensuring that every touchpoint – from your website copy and social media posts to on-site signage and staff interactions – is inclusive will help every attendee see themselves in your event and feel respected. This guide shares practical steps and real-world examples on how festival organisers can audit their content, train their teams, diversify their marketing, address mistakes, and embrace inclusion as a daily practice.
Audit Copy and Visuals for Inclusive Representation
One of the first steps is to audit all festival communications and visuals to check for bias and exclusion. This means examining your website, flyers, emails, tickets, posters, and even stage announcements for language or imagery that might unintentionally alienate or overlook certain groups. Start by reviewing text for gendered language or cultural assumptions. For example, avoid phrases like “ladies and gentlemen” or “hey guys” when addressing crowds – instead, use neutral terms like “everyone” or “friends” (make.wordpress.org). Such small tweaks ensure you’re not implicitly excluding people who don’t fit into binary gender terms or who might not identify with colloquial phrases.
Inclusive language tips:
– Use gender-neutral terms whenever possible. For instance, say “parents or caregivers” instead of “mothers and fathers,” since families can have single parents or same-sex parents. Similarly, use “actors” instead of “actors and actresses,” or “police officer” instead of “policeman.”
– Respect cultural and family diversity in your wording. Rather than assuming one cultural norm (like referencing only Christmas in holiday greetings), acknowledge that your audience may celebrate a variety of holidays. Simple inclusive phrases (e.g. “Happy Holidays”) can go a long way in making non-mainstream groups feel seen.
– Highlight abilities with care. When mentioning facilities or activities, use people-first language (e.g. “attendees with disabilities” rather than “the disabled”) and avoid negative terms like “wheelchair-bound” (say “wheelchair user” or better yet, focus on the accessible facilities you provide). Make sure any copy about accessibility is welcoming in tone and clearly outlines the accommodations available for disabled festival-goers and families.
Just as crucial as words are the visuals you use across all touchpoints. Families who look at your posters or social media should see themselves represented. Audit your photos, videos, and graphics: do they feature a diverse mix of people in terms of gender, race, age, and ability? If, for example, all your promotional images show only young white nuclear families, that sends a subtle message about who your festival is “for.” Instead, aim to show a wide range of family types – multiracial families, single-parent families, grandparents with grandchildren, families with two mums or two dads, and families where a member uses a wheelchair or has a visible disability. Authentic representation in imagery signals that everyone is truly welcome.
Real festivals have learned the importance of this the hard way. In Malaysia, the George Town Festival released a promo video that was criticized for showcasing only certain ethnic groups, leaving out others in the country’s rich multicultural mix. The organisers responded by pulling the videos and issuing a public apology (www.marketing-interactive.com). They explained that they had tried to include all major communities and highlighted that their festival programming was culturally diverse – but the incident shows how easy it is to get representation wrong if you’re not careful. The takeaway? Be proactive and thorough in balancing representation. If your festival is in a multicultural society like Malaysia or the United States, ensure your marketing materials visibly include folks from all major demographics in your audience.
On the flip side, many events have set positive examples by weaving inclusion into their visuals and content. The Notting Hill Carnival in London began as a celebration of the Caribbean immigrant community and today prominently centers Black British culture, yet also welcomes people of all backgrounds (theword360.com). At the Globaltica World Cultures Festival in Poland, promotional materials and performances feature Indigenous artists from around the globe, preserving endangered cultural traditions and signaling that global diversity is a core value (theword360.com). And at Belgium’s massive Tomorrowland music festival, you’ll see flags from around the world on stage and in the crowd – a deliberate visual celebration of global unity that helps attendees from over 200 countries feel they belong. These examples show that whether your event is a local community fair or a world-renowned festival, inclusive imagery and programming can resonate powerfully.
Finally, remember that inclusivity in visuals isn’t just about who is depicted, but how. Avoid stereotypical portrayals – for example, don’t always show mums doing craft activities with kids and dads doing adventurous stuff, or vice versa. Show men and women in varied roles, and portray people of different cultures without resorting to clichés. If you’re using illustrations or mascots, ensure they are respectful and represent a mix of identities (many modern cartoons intentionally include characters of different skin tones, body types, and abilities – your festival graphics can too). For any copy or visuals you create, consider having a diverse set of eyes review them. Bringing in community representatives or staff from different backgrounds to double-check content can catch blind spots before they go public.
Train Staff on Pronouns and Respectful Address
Your festival staff and volunteers are on the front lines of creating an inclusive atmosphere. It’s vital to train your team on using correct pronouns and practicing respectful forms of address with attendees. Every interaction – whether it’s an email reply to a ticket buyer, a greeter at the gate, or an emcee on the main stage – should make attendees feel valued and included.
Start by educating staff about the importance of pronouns and how to use them. In practice, this could mean briefing everyone during orientation to not assume gender based on appearance, and to politely ask if they are unsure how someone wishes to be addressed. Many events have adopted the simple practice of staff and volunteers introducing themselves with their own pronouns (e.g., “Hi, I’m Alex, and I use she/her pronouns”) to set a welcoming precedent. For example, the Brighton Festival in the UK has instituted pronoun-sharing and even provides pronoun badges to staff who want them (brightonfestival.org). This way, crew members can display on their name tags whether they go by he, she, they, etc., making it easier for others – including attendees – to respect their identity, and subtly encouraging attendees to share theirs. This kind of initiative signals that your festival respects gender diversity not just in theory but in everyday practice. It also normalises the idea that no one should assume anyone else’s pronoun, creating a safer space for transgender and non-binary individuals.
Training on respectful address goes beyond pronouns. It covers all the ways staff interact with guests. Small changes in language can have a big impact. Train your team to avoid gendered or presumptive terms when greeting or helping people. Instead of “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,” an announcer can say “Welcome, festival friends” or simply “Hello, everyone!” to include those who don’t identify within the gender binary (and it’s also more age-inclusive, since children are neither ladies nor gentlemen). Remind staff not to default to honorifics like “sir” or “ma’am,” as not everyone identifies with those – using someone’s name or a polite neutral phrase (like “How can I help you today?”) works universally. Inclusivity training should also cover phrases and attitudes when assisting disabled attendees or others with specific needs. Staff should learn to never make assumptions – for example, if they see an attendee with a disability, they should ask “Is there anything I can do to assist or make the experience comfortable?” rather than assuming help is needed or, worse, ignoring the person. Another aspect is cultural respect: if your festival draws a multicultural crowd, brief staff on any relevant cultural etiquette (like forms of greeting or gestures to avoid) and consider having multilingual staff or translation services for key languages. Something as simple as having a few Spanish-speaking volunteers at a U.S. festival, or French-speaking staff at a Canadian event, can greatly enhance the comfort of families who aren’t native English speakers.
In addition, incorporate a Code of Conduct and diversity training in your volunteer/staff onboarding. Outline that discriminatory language or behavior from staff or attendees will not be tolerated. Many festivals now have formal anti-harassment policies. For example, AFROPUNK, a music festival with events from Brooklyn to Johannesburg, is famous for its posted slogan of “No racism, No sexism, No homophobia, No transphobia, No ableism, No ageism” and so on, clearly broadcasting its zero-tolerance policy on any form of discrimination. By training your team to uphold these principles, you create an environment where attendees know that if someone uses a slur or behaves disrespectfully, your staff will handle it swiftly and appropriately.
Remember to support your staff as well. Create an environment where employees and volunteers feel comfortable discussing inclusivity and asking questions if they’re unsure about something. Offer resources or cheat-sheets about pronoun usage and inclusive language – even a small glossary of current respectful terms (e.g. explaining gender-neutral titles like Mx., or the preferred terms for various disabilities) can empower staff to interact more confidently. Some festivals invite local LGBTQ+ centers or diversity consultants to conduct training workshops for their teams before the event – a worthwhile investment for education. The more your frontline personnel practice inclusive communication, the more naturally it will come during the festival when things get busy. When every security guard, info booth attendant, stage manager, and food vendor is on board, inclusion becomes a lived reality on-site, not just a policy on paper.
Feature Diverse Families in Campaigns
Marketing campaigns and promotions for your festival should mirror the diversity you want to see at the event. If you aspire to attract all kinds of families, then all kinds of families need to be visible in your campaigns. This goes hand-in-hand with the content audit above, but let’s talk specifically about advertising, social media, and outreach.
When planning a campaign, make a conscious effort to feature photos and stories of diverse families. This could mean including imagery of families of different ethnic backgrounds, families with LGBTQ+ parents, families with many children and with one child, blended families, and families who have members with disabilities or neurodiverse conditions. For instance, if you’re creating a promotional video for a family-friendly festival, you might show a montage that cuts from a scene of a father and son in a wheelchair dancing to a band, to a scene of two mothers cheering as their child plays a carnival game, to a scene of a grandfather holding his granddaughter on his shoulders in the crowd. Such representation isn’t about being “politically correct” – it’s about authentic storytelling. Real audiences are diverse, so reflecting that reality makes your marketing feel genuine and relatable. It helps potential attendees picture themselves at your festival.
Consider also highlighting diverse family stories in your content marketing. Some festivals run blog series or social media spotlights on “festival families” – interviewing attendees about their experiences. This is a great chance to intentionally showcase variety. Perhaps one week your blog features a local immigrant family who attends to celebrate their heritage, and the next week a family with an autistic child who found the festival’s sensory-friendly tent extremely helpful. By giving these stories a platform (with permission and in a respectful manner), you both celebrate those families and educate your audience that everyone belongs.
A positive example comes from Ireland’s new Sensoria festival, which was created specifically as a “neurodivergent-friendly” event for families with autistic and other neurodiverse members. In their promotional messaging, Sensoria’s organizers emphasised that “it is every parent’s and child’s right to enjoy public events” (council.ie). They designed marketing materials to show calm spaces and smiling staff using sign language, directly addressing a group of families that often feel left out of loud, chaotic festivals. The result was not only a successful launch, but also a strong message to the community that this festival sees them and is built for them. Even if your festival isn’t dedicated solely to a specific group, you can borrow this approach: speak to different segments of your audience in your campaigns. For example, you might run a targeted ad featuring a family with hearing-impaired members enjoying a music festival with the help of on-site sign language interpreters (letting people know such resources exist). Another ad could show an indigenous family at your event, highlighting cultural performances or land acknowledgments your festival incorporates, to connect with that community.
It’s also crucial to get the language of inclusivity right in your campaigns. Craft taglines and copy that embrace diversity. Avoid assumptions like “you and your wife” or “kids with their mums” – instead use wording like “bring the whole family” or “kids and their grown-ups” which covers all guardian situations. Make sure translations of your campaign (if you produce materials in multiple languages) are culturally sensitive and accurate, not just direct Google translations which might miss nuance. And double-check any slogans or hashtags to ensure they don’t have unintended meanings in another language or culture (a funny tagline in English might be confusing or even offensive in Spanish, for example). Having bi-cultural team members or consultants review campaign content is extremely valuable if your festival markets internationally or to specific ethnic communities.
One more angle: community partnerships can help ensure representation in campaigns. Work with local cultural organizations, disability advocacy groups, or LGBTQ+ family networks to both spread the word and co-create content. For instance, if you partner with a local Pride Family alliance, you might have them contribute ideas on how to depict queer families respectfully in your marketing. Or collaborate with an indigenous media outlet to highlight First Nations families coming to your festival and what it means to them. These collaborations not only lend authenticity to your promotional materials but also extend your reach directly into diverse communities in a respectful way. Plus, they feed into word-of-mouth marketing; people are proud to promote events that clearly celebrate their identity.
Lastly, when showcasing diversity, do it meaningfully. Representation can backfire if it feels tokenistic. Audiences are savvy; they can tell when an image or character was plonked into an ad just to tick a box. Make diversity a natural part of your festival narrative. A good example in the festival world was the Primavera Sound 2019 “The New Normal” campaign, where the festival didn’t just talk about inclusion – it executed it by booking a lineup that was 50% female artists (fundacioprimaverasound.org). That move was heavily publicised and became a proud part of Primavera’s marketing, showing that inclusion was more than skin-deep; it was in the very fabric of the event. Similarly, ensure the diverse families and faces you feature in your campaigns are also reflected on the ground at your festival (in your activities, lineup, vendors, and amenities). Alignment between your marketing and the actual experience is key to building trust with your audience.
Correct Mistakes Publicly and Gracefully
Even with the best intentions and preparation, mistakes will happen – and how you respond is critical. Inclusion is a learning process, and your audience will understand that, as long as you handle missteps with transparency and a willingness to improve. Whether it’s a poorly worded tweet, an oversight in your signage, or a complaint about something at the event, the rule is: acknowledge and address it out in the open.
If someone from the community points out a lapse (say, your brochure used an outdated term for a certain group, or your stage hosts accidentally made a stereotypical joke), resist the urge to defensively explain it away. Instead, apologize swiftly and sincerely, and explain what you’ll do to fix it. A real-world case in point: when fans noted that an official promo video for George Town Festival had only Chinese and Indian representation and no Malay representation, the festival organisers didn’t get defensive. They issued a public apology for the oversight and removed the video (www.marketing-interactive.com). In their statement, they reaffirmed their commitment to balanced representation and even highlighted the Malay cultural programs in that year’s festival to assure the public it wasn’t intentional (www.marketing-interactive.com). By taking the criticism seriously and responding transparently, GTF managed to turn a potentially damaging mistake into a moment of public accountability and education.
Another example comes from the UK’s Camp Bestival, a large family-focused festival. A few years back, they rolled out a new “Parenting Programme” of talks and workshops, but many parents noticed the initial lineup of speakers lacked diversity – it was largely composed of white, non-disabled, heterosexual voices. When questioned on social media, the organisers’ first response was that more names (presumably more diverse ones) were “to be announced,” implying that diversity was coming later (thesoundofmotherhood.com). This response fell flat and was viewed as tokenism – essentially an afterthought attempt to sprinkle in diversity while the “main” content was homogeneous (thesoundofmotherhood.com). Observers pointed out that true inclusivity means planning it from the start, not adding it last-minute only after being called out. Camp Bestival’s experience was a cautionary tale: if you’re called out on a valid inclusion issue, avoid making excuses or dragging your feet. Instead, thank the community for raising the point, admit you fell short, and outline concrete steps you’ll take (such as immediately diversifying that speaker lineup, or improving the selection process for next year). By doing so, you show humility and a growth mindset, which can actually earn respect from your audience.
When correcting mistakes, consider doing it both publicly and directly to those affected. Publicly, you might post on your social media or website acknowledging the issue and what you’ll change. Privately or internally, if a specific person or group brought it up, reach out to them to thank them for their feedback. Maybe even involve them in crafting the solution if appropriate (for instance, if an accessibility advocate pointed out a shortcoming in your access services, invite them to consult on your improvements). This level of engagement turns critics into collaborators and signals that you truly care about getting it right.
It’s also important to educate your audience through the process. If you misused a term or made an error, you can briefly explain what the correct approach is as part of your apology. For example, “We apologise for using the term X in yesterday’s post – we learned that it’s outdated and the respectful term is Y, which we’ve now updated in our materials.” This way, other people reading your correction might learn something too, and it reinforces your festival’s values of respect and learning.
No matter what, do not hide or ignore genuine criticism related to inclusion. A common mistake some organisers make is deleting negative comments without response, or silently editing an error without noting it. That can sometimes be okay for minor typos, but if it’s a significant inclusivity concern, a purely silent fix can seem like you’re sweeping it under the rug. Being forthright is usually the better path. Audiences tend to be forgiving when they see real accountability – and unforgiving when a problem is compounded by a poor response. So when in doubt, remember the formula: listen, apologise, correct, and do better.
Inclusion is a Daily Practice, Not a One-Time Task
Perhaps the most important lesson for festival producers is that inclusion is an ongoing commitment. You can’t just run a one-off diversity training or add a couple of diverse photos and call it a day. To truly foster inclusive language and representation, you need to bake it into your festival’s culture and operations from start to finish, year after year.
What does it mean to practise inclusion daily? It means regularly revisiting and updating your strategies. Society and language evolve – terms that were appropriate a decade ago might be viewed as insensitive today, and new best practices will emerge. Make it a habit to review your copy, forms, and signs each festival cycle with fresh eyes (or better yet, with an inclusion advisory group). For example, perhaps this year you learn about the importance of offering a gender option beyond male/female on forms, or adding Mx. as a title for non-binary individuals; by next year’s ticket launch, you can implement that. (On that note, using a flexible ticketing platform can help – for instance, Ticket Fairy’s system allows organisers to customise registration forms. You could add a pronoun field or an accessibility needs question at checkout, demonstrating inclusivity right from the ticket purchase.) Small ongoing improvements like these show returning attendees that you’re continually working to be more welcoming.
Another aspect of daily practice is staff and stakeholder buy-in. Make inclusion a standing item in team meetings and planning sessions. When you discuss marketing plans, ask “whose perspective is missing here?” When you plan site layout or programming, consider “does this accommodate everyone who might attend?” By keeping those questions front-of-mind, you normalize the consideration of diverse needs as a standard part of planning. Some festivals form diversity committees or hire inclusion consultants to audit their plans – a helpful step especially as your event grows. But even at a small scale, you can designate a couple of team members as inclusion champions to help keep the rest of the crew accountable and informed.
Also, treat community engagement as part of this ongoing inclusion work. Build relationships with diverse communities year-round, not just when you want to market tickets to them. For instance, if you aim to attract more families from the local Deaf community, throughout the year attend Deaf community events or invite input on how your festival can be more accessible. If you want to include indigenous culture respectfully, consult with local indigenous leaders during your planning, not just as a perfunctory opening ceremony gesture. These sustained engagements will not only make your festival more inclusive, but they also turn those communities into genuine partners and fans.
A wonderful example of sustained inclusivity is how many Australian festivals now operate. It has become common practice in Australia and New Zealand to open events with a “Welcome to Country” or acknowledgment of Indigenous custodians of the land, done by a respected Aboriginal or M?ori elder. Festivals like Woodford Folk Festival or Splendour in the Grass have embraced this tradition, not as a token one-time act, but as an integral part of the festival’s identity each year. It’s accompanied by ongoing collaborations with Indigenous artists and communities in programming and outreach. This consistency sends a powerful message that inclusion isn’t just a trend, but a core value.
Finally, embed the mindset that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility on your team, every single day. It’s not just the job of a “diversity officer” or the marketing department. From the CEO or festival director down to seasonal volunteers, everyone should champion respectful language and diverse representation. Leadership can set the tone by how they speak in public and internal communications. Middle managers can ensure hiring and volunteer recruitment reaches broadly. Social media managers can double-check the tone of each post. Logistics teams can continually improve accessibility (like adding more wheelchair ramps, gender-neutral restrooms, or quiet spaces as needed). When each person takes initiative in their area, inclusivity becomes woven into the fabric of the festival.
Inclusion as a daily practice also means learning continuously. Encourage a culture where your team shares articles, attends workshops, or talks openly about inclusivity experiences. Celebrate the wins – like a positive comment from an attendee who felt especially welcome – and treat each challenge as a chance to improve. Your festival’s journey toward inclusion is a marathon, not a sprint, but every step makes a meaningful difference. As the saying goes in the diversity community, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” Make sure that at your festival, everyone is not only invited, but truly feels free to dance.
Key Takeaways
- Audit Your Content & Imagery: Review all festival copy, websites, forms, and visuals to ensure they use inclusive language and depict a diverse range of people (gender, culture, abilities). Remove or rephrase anything unintentionally exclusionary, and add content that lets everyone in your audience feel represented.
- Inclusive Staff Practices: Train your staff and volunteers in inclusive communication – from using individuals’ correct pronouns to greeting guests without gendered terms. Provide tools like pronoun badges and clear codes of conduct so your team can help create a welcoming environment for all attendees.
- Diverse Marketing Campaigns: In your advertising and outreach, feature families of all kinds. Showcasing different family structures and backgrounds in campaigns (and backing that up with authentic programming) will attract a wider audience and signal that everyone is welcome at your event.
- Address Mistakes Openly: If you slip up, own it. Apologise publicly, correct the issue, and explain how you’ll do better. Audiences are forgiving of mistakes but will appreciate your transparency and commitment to improvement. Use feedback from your community as a valuable asset to grow more inclusive.
- Commit to Ongoing Inclusion: Treat inclusivity as an ongoing, everyday priority rather than a one-time project. Continuously educate yourself and your team, update your practices, and engage with diverse communities year-round. Over time, these consistent efforts will build a truly inclusive festival culture where every attendee feels they belong.
25th August 2025