So that the concert visit will be successful for everyone, the Korsholm Music Festival has this year tried to put focus on accessibility. Accessibility starts with removing barriers when going to a concert and we can happily tell you that almost all the concert venues are accessible to the disabled. Only the Orthodox Church in Vaasa and Tikanoja's art home do not meet all the requirements for accessibility. A big thank you to the Ostrobothnian congregations that in recent years have modified old church spaces to be more handicap friendly.

In addition to concerts, the Korsholm Music Festival arranges several excursions and guided tours. Disability-friendly excursions are on Saturday 27.7 to Oravais battlefield and Sunday 28.7 trip to Björköby where there is a chance to participate to a small hike to Saltkaret lookout tower also with a wheelchair. The boat trip in conjunction with the concert on the same day is less accessible to the disabled. On Thursday 1.8 there's another excursion to Tottesund Manor. You can participate in the guided tour without any problems for the disabled.

Unfortunately, this year we have not yet been able to find buses with low floors for public transport. But the driver and the festival staff help if necessary, to get in and out of the bus. Bus transportation is arranged to most of the concert venues outside the city center for a small fee.

Since Muhammad cannot come to the mountain, the musicians must go out to the audience. This year a music group from the Musethica education program performs at the Music Festival. A string quintet that makes a tour of 10 concerts at various institutions in Vaasa, Korsholm and Umeå in service centers, elderly homes and day care centers, and in Vaasa prison and in the central hospital. The international Musethica program has emerged from a need to bring high-quality music to special groups and people who, due to physical limitations, or other reasons, cannot go to a concert hall. Musethica also performs in own concerts for audiences at the Baptist Church in Vaasa, in Tottesund Manor and in the city church in Umeå.

Participating in the Festival’s concerts is also not depending on money. Discounted tickets are offered for unemployed, pensioners and students, as well as for military and civil servants. In addition, the number of free concerts and events is large. Almost every day you can enjoy such in the center of Vaasa. We are especially pleased that the Loftet festival café is easy to access and its coffee concerts available in several ways.

The Music Festival tries to draw attention to different language groups and user groups in its marketing. Most of the marketing takes place in three languages, Swedish, Finnish and English. The web pages can be read with a screen reader and on social media, Korsholm Music Festival updates also as video greetings.

Social accessibility is important for the Korsholm Music Festival. You can come to the festival’s concerts as you are. Forget about the dress codes for traditional classical concerts and other rituals that largely belong to the past. For a successful concert visit it is important is that you respect the others in the audience and that you have the equal right to enjoy music in peace and quiet without being disturbed. The concerts are excellent opportunities for peace and quiet from stress and everyday life.

In the training of our staff we try to take into consideration special groups and different special situations. We sincerely hope to meet different kinds of people. We welcome responses in order to develop our operation. And our staff is happy to help solve any issues concerning accessibility. The Music Festival concerts are part of the Vänkort-service, through which you may visit the concerts together with your support person, who enters the concert for free.

We are not yet perfectly perfect in our accessibility, but during the years we have taken small steps forward both within the festival organization and in society in general. We are proud of this development at the Korsholm Music Festival!