World Village Festival is an accessible and open urban festival for everyone. We also aim to communicate as clearly as possible and to improve the accessibility of the festival every year.
An Accessible Festival Site
In spring 2026, the festival will move to a new location in the centre of Helsinki. With the new festival site, we aim to further improve accessibility and inclusion. As the new area takes shape and site plans are confirmed, we will update this page with the latest information on accessibility.
The outdoor areas of the Lasipalatsi District and Narinkka Square are paved with asphalt or even stone surfaces, which makes moving with a wheelchair easier, also in rainy conditions.
If arriving by accessible taxi, we recommend using the Lasipalatsi taxi stand at Salomonkatu 2, 00100 Helsinki. There are several parking garages near the Lasipalatsi District (e.g. EuroPark P-Kamppi, EuroPark P-Eliel).
The new festival site has accessible toilets, which also include a baby changing table.
Guide dogs are welcome at the festival site, but please note that noise and large crowds may not be suitable for all animals.
Indoor Venues
All indoor venues of the festival are accessible by wheelchair.
Bio Rex: Speaker’s Stage, Market of Possibilities, Foyer, Terrace
The Speaker’s Stage located in the Bio Rex auditorium is equipped with an induction loop, which transmits the microphone sound directly to hearing aids or cochlear implant processors, reducing background noise. Accessible seating for the Speaker’s Stage is in the Bio Rex auditorium on row 9.
Almost all Speaker’s Stage programme items are livestreamed on the festival website during the event. Some programme items will also be published after the festival with subtitles on the festival’s YouTube channel. Some programmes also include sign language interpretation.
The main entrance to Bio Rex is the same as the main entrance to Amos Rex and is located on the Mannerheimintie side. The doors do not open automatically and are heavy to use. There is also a small threshold of 2.5 cm.
An accessible entrance to Bio Rex is located on the Lasipalatsi Square side. The double doors at this entrance open automatically by pressing a button.
Bio Rex is located on the second floor of Lasipalatsi. Access is provided via wide and gently sloping but long stairs, which start from the Amos Rex main entrance ticket lobby. This lobby also serves as the festival information point. The staircase has handrails in the middle and on the sides.
The second floor of Bio Rex can be accessed step-free by elevator from the museum lobby, next to the museum shop. After exiting the elevator, there are heavy double doors on the left, with a small 2 cm threshold. When one door is open, the doorway width is approximately 77 cm; when both doors are open, the width is approximately 158 cm.
The Bio Rex foyer has several soft benches and standing tables. Some of the benches have backrests.
Access to the Bio Rex balcony and the auditorium boxes is only via spiral staircases. There is no festival programme in these areas.
The toilets in the Bio Rex foyers are not accessible. The accessible toilet on this floor is located on the Restaurant Lasipalatsi side. The route from the cinema or foyers is not fully accessible and includes doors that do not open automatically. Access to the accessible toilet may not always be unobstructed. When the museum is open, the accessible toilets on the exhibition floor (-1) are also available for Bio Rex visitors.
There is a 6.5 cm high threshold at the Bio Rex terrace door, which does not open automatically. The terrace has a narrow-fixed ramp, but it does not fully guarantee accessibility. The terrace walkway leading to the ramp is 96 cm wide. The ramp itself is 89 cm wide and 220 cm long.
Henry Moore’s Moon Head sculpture is on display at Bio Rex. When standing, the artwork is at eye level; when seated, it is slightly above eye level. Access to the sculpture is via the Bio Rex stairs or via accessible elevators, as described above.
The Bio Rex auditorium has a rising, tiered seating area. On the sides of the seating area there are gently sloping stairs with wide and shallow steps, equipped with handrails. The seats are padded, have armrests, and feature fold-down cinema-style seats.
Access to the stage in the Bio Rex auditorium is via doors on the Lasipalatsi Square / Mauno Koivisto Square side. These doors are not automatic and have small thresholds of 3.5 cm and 3 cm. A few steps lead up to the stage; a ramp can be built if needed, but this must be agreed upon separately.
The first door leading into the auditorium has a small 3 cm threshold; otherwise, access to the auditorium is step-free. Accessibility information for Luckan and other indoor venues will be updated as soon as possible.
Festival Communication
Visual impairments and other vision-related limitations have been considered in the festival’s communication as thoroughly as possible. The font size and contrast on the festival website are set to be large, and the content is readable with screen readers. More information about the accessibility of our website can be found in the accessibility statement.
Signage, maps, and other symbols at the festival site are designed with clear contrast and legible fonts. We communicate on the festival website and at the festival site in clear Finnish and English.
If you notice any shortcomings in the festival’s accessibility or would like to ask for additional information, please contact the production manager or communications manager. Our goal is to make World Village Festival an accessible and enjoyable experience for everyone, and we welcome suggestions for improvement.
