Accessibility
We at Flow Festival have consulted Riesa Consultative, a company specialising in accessibility, about the accessibility of Flow and have improved the accessibility of the festival according to their guidelines. Additionally, we strive to develop the overall accessibility of Flow by placing careful attention on safety and equality. Below, you will find the most common answers related to Flow’s accessibility. If you need further information on the subject, please feel free to contact us by email at office@flowfestival.com.
FESTIVAL AREA
Flow Festival takes place in Suvilahti, Helsinki. The area is primarily asphalted, and the walking environment is flat and solid. There are, however, some podiums and gravel in the area. Flow’s production team has done their best to smooth out these areas. The festival area has been planned according to easy wheelchair access to all performance venues and restaurant areas. The Main Stage and Red Arena by Lapin Kulta Pure have separate wheelchair podiums. The information staff and security officers will help pass the uneven areas upon request.
There is an accessible entrance to the Gold Area through the Resident Advisor Front Yard. The security staff will help with access to the Gold Area upon request. There is also an accessible toilet in the Gold Area.
All accessible routes, entrances and services are marked with the accessibility symbol:
Flow’s festival area is furnished spaciously. Furniture can be accessed with assistive devices. The routes are mostly even and solid, regardless of weather. Thresholds and apparent height differences are marked with contrast or paint, or they are sloped.
ASSISTANTS, INTERPRETERS, GUIDES AND ASSISTANCE DOGS
A person with reduced mobility or needing assistance buys a regular ticket to Flow. Assistants can always enter Flow Festival free of charge with the assisted person. The assistant does not need a separate wristband or ticket. We do not require a separate card or certificate of disability. However, showing the EU disability card can speed the access if the disability is not visible. The assistant policy also applies to interpreters, assistance dogs and guides.
GETTING THERE
Flow’s festival site is situated in Suvilahti, near Helsinki’s city centre. The street address is Parrukatu, 00540 Helsinki. Flow Festival can be easily reached by public transport.
The closest stations and stops are:
Metro – Sörnäinen and Kalasatama
Bus – Suvilahti and Sörnäinen (M)
Tram – Sörnäinen (M), Lintulahti, Helsinginkatu and Kaarlenkatu
The festival site is located in the public transportation zone AB. In zone A, you need an AB, ABC or ABCD ticket, depending on the area you travel in. A one-zone ticket is available only in zone D. Read more about the zones here: https://www.hsl.fi/en/newzones.
For more information on how to buy public transportation tickets, visit: https://www.hsl.fi/en/tickets-and-fares.
For more detailed information about public transportation, please visit The Helsinki Region journey planner (Reittiopas) by HSL: https://reittiopas.hsl.fi/etusivu?locale=en.
You can find more information about the accessibility of public transport on HSL’s website: https://www.hsl.fi/en/travelling/accessibility.
Unfortunately, there is no parking near the festival site. However, there is a specific point designated for wheelchair-accessible taxis. Located near the Flow Info Desk, the point serves as a pickup point for wheelchair-accessible taxis. Please note that the point is not a taxi stand, but a point where ordered taxis can come to. The address of the point is Parrukuja. Wheelchair-accessible taxis can reach the point via Hanasaarenkatu, where security personnel will guide them.
ACCESSIBLE WRISTBAND EXCHANGE
The wristband exchange point in Suvilahti has a lowered, accessible desk marked with an accessibility symbol. The ground at the lane is solid and flat. The lane is one (1) meter wide. There is also a marked accessible lane at the festival’s main gate. This lane is located on the left, next to the fast track. The wristband exchange in the Helsinki city centre is not accessible.
HEARING ENVIRONMENT
Unfortunately, Flow’s hearing environment is not barrier-free, as the event does not have an induction loop in the tents.
TOILETS
There are numerous accessible portable toilets in the area and one accessible indoor toilet at The Other Sound venue, marked accordingly.
A Toilet Card can be used at Flow Festival. The holder of a Toilet Card has the right to access, for example, an accessible toilet or public toilets without queuing. The purpose of the Toilet Card is to make the festival experience easier for people with intestinal diseases, for example. Please consider the Toilet Card holders when doing business in the toilets of Flow Festival!
FLOW’S ACCESSIBILITY CONTACT PERSON
Flow Festival’s accessibility contact person is production manager Katariina Uusitupa, katariina@flowfestival.com.
EQUALITY
Flow Festival is committed to justice, equity, and equality. Everyone is welcomed to the festival just as they are, and we tolerate no form of harassment or discrimination. We expect our entire staff, as well as our associates and distributors, to adhere to the same values. If you encounter or witness these issues, please report the matter immediately to the nearest security officer or Flow Festival’s info desk. The security officers wear yellow or orange vests.
SAFETY
Flow Festival is committed to justice, equity and equality. Everyone is welcomed to the festival as they are, and we tolerate no form of discrimination. We expect our entire staff, as well as our associates and distributors, to adhere to the same values. Flow is known as a safe festival, but we recognise the challenges involved with events with large crowds. Together with the festival-goers, subcontractors, and other stakeholders, we create an event everyone can attend safely. Securitas Oy is responsible for the security of the festival area.
HEALTH SAFETY
In the festival area, we pay special attention to the health safety of our customers and staff. Flow Festival follows the current guidelines of the authorities and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. There are several hand washing points in the festival area equipped with soap and hand sanitiser. Face masks are available at the info desk free of charge. Staff and restaurants are instructed to follow common safety and hygiene guidelines. Please only participate in Flow Festival if you are healthy.
ROUTES AND POSSIBLE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS
The festival area’s routes are kept open, and the site is spacious. Overcrowding and bottlenecks do not form. Together with the security personnel, we monitor the situation continuously and, if necessary, make changes to the festival area and policies. We are prepared for a wide range of possible dangerous situations. We inform the audience about the operating instructions with screen texts, stage hosting, through Flow’s mobile application and social media channels. If you notice any security flaws at Flow, please report them to the nearest security person or to office@flowfestival.com.
QUESTIONS ABOUT SAFETY AND FIRST AID
In case of any questions about the safety of the festival area and other possible matters, such as experiencing or witnessing distressing or inappropriate behaviour, you can approach the nearest member of the security personnel. You can turn to the security personnel in yellow vests for all questions related to the security of the festival area and other problematic situations. You may also use the first aid station located on the right side of the Main Stage, where the first aid workers of the Finnish Red Cross are trained to respond to a wide variety of situations and provide emotional first aid. In addition, SPR’s first aid workers and SPR’s preventive substance abuse care workers walk around the festival area, where you can approach them on any matter concerning your health. Flow info volunteers also help in the area. They can be identified by their pink info vests. You can ask them anything related to the festival. They give out earplugs and face masks as well.
If you need more information on Flow Festival’s accessibility, please feel free to contact us via email at office@flowfestival.com.
Welcome to Flow!