Accessibility on site
What applies on the grounds: step-free routes, places to sit, free entry for companions, and a name you can turn to. The statement about this website is kept separate.
The route across the grounds
From the platform and back
01
Arrival
The stop outside the grounds is served step-free, and the path from there to the entrance is paved and free of kerbs. Anyone arriving by car will find marked bays near the entrance — the number and location are fixed once the venue is signed.
02
Entrance
A separate way in without a turnstile, wide enough for a wheelchair or a walker. Admission checks happen seated where that is needed, and nobody has to join a different queue for it.
03
Main routes
The axes across the ground are at least 180 cm wide and stay that way even when people are queuing alongside them. Queues run across the axis, not along it — that is the point at which grounds otherwise seize up.
04
Stands and counters
Every serving point has at least one spot at 85 cm. That is not a suggestion in the handbook but a condition of stand approval.
05
Quiet zone
A separated area away from the stages: dimmed light, seating with backrests, no sound system. Reachable from any point on the ground in under two minutes.
06
Toilets
Accessible toilets at a minimum of two points, not one — so the way there never crosses the entire ground. Signposted like everything else.
Step-free routes
Step-free means unbroken
A single lift does not make a site accessible. What counts is that the chain never breaks — from the kerb through the floor surface to the door width at the end.
Level throughout
From the edge of the tram stop to the last hall without a step. Where the site has changes in level there are fixed ramps at no more than six per cent with intermediate landings, not sheets laid on top.
Floors that carry
Gravel and grass get firm tracked paths. Cable bridges are built to be driven over and are bevelled — a cable duct running across the main route is the single most common trip hazard at festivals.
Widths that hold
Main axes 180 cm, side routes 120 cm. Stand construction, signage and bins may not encroach on these dimensions; the ground is walked and cleared before doors open.
Doors and thresholds
Clear passage width of at least 90 cm, thresholds no higher than 2 cm and bevelled. Doors on the main routes stand fixed open during opening hours.
Quiet zones
A festival has to be able to go quiet
A coffee festival is loud, crowded and bright. For part of the audience that is exactly why they leave after two hours. So there are places where nothing happens.
The quiet room
Away from the stages, acoustically shielded, dimmed light. Sitting and lying down are both possible, no obligation to buy, no time limit. Anyone who needs it does not have to explain why.
Seating along the way
On every main axis, seating with a backrest and armrest at intervals of no more than 50 metres. That is the difference between two hours and a whole day.
The low-stimulus hour
The first hour of each festival day runs without music and with reduced lighting. Meant for anyone who finds crowded rooms hard — and incidentally the best time to taste.
Companions
Whoever accompanies does not pay
Assistance is not an add-on you book. It is the condition for somebody being able to come at all, and it is treated accordingly.
Free entry
Where the German disability pass carries mark B, the companion comes in free. Proof at admission is enough — no advance registration, no separate ticket.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs are admitted across the whole ground, including where other dogs are not. Water points are ready at the information desks.
Personal assistance
If you come without a companion of your own and need support getting across the ground, register in advance — we will arrange somebody for your visit. Capacity is limited and allocated in order of arrival.
Services at a glance
What is fixed, what is planned, what stays open
We do not write everything in the future tense and hope nobody asks. Every line has a status — and the open ones stay open until they are not.
Accessible toilets
At a minimum of two points on the ground, signposted from the entrance.
Planned
Wheelchair-height counters
At least one serving point per stand at 85 cm — a condition of stand approval.
Planned
Quiet room
Separated, damped, no obligation to buy.
Planned
Free entry for companions
Where the pass carries mark B, on proof at admission.
Confirmed
Assistance dogs admitted
Across the whole ground, with water points at the information desks.
Confirmed
Hearing loop at the stages
Depends on the venue's stage equipment. We are asking for it but are not promising it yet.
Still open
Sign language interpreting
Foreseen for selected Coffee Talks, subject to the programme schedule and availability.
Still open
Parking near the entrance
Number and location are only fixed with the venue's traffic plan.
Still open
The route itself
Width is not a number, it is an experience
On paper two metres are two metres. On the ground what decides it is whether a queue happens to be standing there, whether a stand has pushed its crate out, and whether the surface still holds after rain. That is why the stand inspection is walked, not calculated.
Who to ask
A name instead of a form
Questions about accessibility have an address that does not land in the general inbox. Anyone wanting to settle something in advance gets an answer from somebody who knows the ground.
Beforehand
Write to zugang@coffeefestival.eu. We answer within two working days and say honestly when something is not possible — that is more useful than “ask when you get here”.
On the day
The information desk at the main entrance is the first place to go, and the person there is responsible rather than just passing you on. Recognisable by the orange vest.
Do I need to register in advance if I use a wheelchair?
No. All routes, entrances and counters are laid out to work without advance notice. Registration is only needed for personal assistance, because we have to assign somebody.
Does the reduced fare apply without a disability mark?
Free entry for the companion depends on mark B. Beyond that, the regular ticket tiers apply, published together with the presale.
How loud does it get on the ground?
Trade-fair volume during the day, concert volume in the stage area from late afternoon. The quiet room deliberately sits outside that area, and the first hour of each day runs without music.
Can I bring my own assistance animal?
Assistance dogs yes, across the whole ground. Other animals follow the general dog rule set out on the FAQ page.
What about the accessibility of this website?
That has its own statement — it gives the status against WCAG, what is already done and where it still falls short. This page covers the grounds only.