Council championing accessibility with quiet hours at Boston Christmas Festival
Visit England’s accessible tourism ambition is being realised in Boston with the council introducing quiet hours at this year’s Boston Christmas Festival, including at the new synthetic ice rink, to make sure that the event is accessible to all.
The inclusive initiative of quiet hours was successfully trialled by Boston Borough Council at this year’s May Fair and will be now used again to try and ensure everyone can enjoy their festive experience at Christmas Festival.
Destination Lincolnshire CEO Charlotte Goy said: “Around 14% of the global population have accessibility needs and this must be recognised and adopted by destinations who want to be more inclusive.
“The development of the quiet hour during Boston’s Christmas experience aligns to the national ambition to make England the most accessible destination in the world.
“Not only is this the right thing to do, but it has a huge economic return when people feel comfortable and welcomed in towns and cities that understand, and actively work with them on, their accessibility needs to make sure they have a really good time.”
She added: “It’s wonderful to see Boston Borough Council embracing this approach with local businesses.
“Visit England has done a lot of work on developing its national accessibility toolkit which aims to help destinations and businesses to be more inclusive.
“We are at the beginning of this journey in Lincolnshire and will be launching Visit England’s toolkit with local businesses in 2025.
“It’s really encouraging to see Boston adopting this approach in their Christmas activities and using the lessons they learned from the May Fair.”
Councillor Dale Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Town Centre inc Events at Boston Borough Council, said: “I am very much looking forward to this year’s Christmas festival in Boston as it’s a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate the festive season.
“With the previous year’s event being such a huge success, I am sure this year’s will top it with the newest addition of the synthetic ice rink.
“I’m particularly pleased that we’ve introduced quiet sessions at the ice rink following the success of the quiet hour sessions that we introduced earlier in the year at the May Fair.
“This inclusive initiative ensures that everyone can enjoy the magic of the holidays in a comfortable and supportive environment and was previously received with lots of positive feedback.”
Boston Christmas Festival 2024 will run in Market Place from 2pm on Friday, November 29 until 4pm on Saturday, December 1.
The quiet hour for the fairground rides will run between 12pm and 1pm on Saturday, November 30, and 10am-11am on Sunday, December 1.
The ice rink, which is a brand new attraction this year, is located at Bargate Green car park and offers a magical winter experience for all ages in the heart of Boston. Tickets are £2 per 30-minute session and under-5s skate free – click here for more information.
There is also an additional needs quiet hour without music and with fewer skaters between 12pm-1pm on Saturday, November 30, and 10am-11am on Sunday, December 1.
VisitEngland have produced an ‘Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Toolkit for Businesses’. It can help businesses in many ways by “tapping into under-served and growing markets, differing customer groups and local communities”
The Toolkit provides practical hints and tips for businesses, as well as the reassurance and confidence to move forward inclusively - click here for more information on how you can make your business accessible to all.