NOW FULLY BOOKED
SENDfest brings together children, young people and their families for an amazing festival like no other!
Choose your vibe from either a more chilled time with quieter activities in the morning or a full-scale festival-style experience in the afternoon – have it your way! The day will feature workshops, exploration activities and a picnic in the park.
SENDfest is an event for accompanied young people under the age of 25 and will feature accessible and inclusive multisport activities, musical workshops, vocational opportunities, PFAL (Preparing For Adult Life) workshops and keynote speakers for families, children and young people with SEND.
A trade area, live demonstrations and even a fully functioning railway will mean the day will be one not to forget!
Date:
- Sunday 20th July 2025
- 9:15am Chilled Vibes
- 11:15am Festival Vibes
Chilled Vibes will be restricted to those young people and their families who need a more bespoke, relaxed and less busy experience.
- Venue: Easton College Bawburgh Rd, Easton, Norwich NR9 5DU [view on map]
⤓ Download Easy Read event flyer (.pdf)
View our interactive SENDfest map
Listen to the audio event description:
SENDfest walkthrough video:
Take a look at our walkthrough video from SENDfest 2023.
About the event:
Picnic in the Park
Festival Vibes featuring a musical feast including a Big Sing and a Special Guest!
Food will be available to purchase from stalls on-site or feel free to bring your own picnic. Sing along with the stars during this inclusive performance celebration!
With designated quiet spaces available this really is a day not to be missed.
Workshops will be available throughout the day, delivered by specialised partners including: Bonnie the Bubble Lady, Edible East, Football Fun Factory, Fun With Trains, Lab Media Education, Norfolk Emergency Services, Oak Circus Centre, Vision28 and Yoga Rap along with tutors at Easton College.
A link will be sent to you to sign up to the workshops of your choice prior to the event so you can plan your day.
Timetable for the day:
- 9:15am – 11:15am: Chilled Vibes (pre-registered families only)
- 10:45am: Car park area open
- 11:00am: Event open and arrival
- 11:15am: Workshop 1
- 12:15pm: Workshop 2
- 1:00pm: Exploration and Lunch Organisation
- 1:30pm: Picnic in the Park
- 3:30pm: Event Ends
Frequently Asked Questions
- How accessible is SENDfest going to be? We have undertaken an accessibility audit for the event at Easton College and will be putting all accessibility recommendations in place to ensure that all young people are able to attend
- What is Chilled Vibes and how do I sign up? If your child or young person needs a quieter option with less people you will be able to sign up to attend workshops and experience pop-up performances before the main festival starts commencing at 9:15am.
- If I sign-up for Chilled Vibes do I have to leave the site at 11:00am? The reason that we have a Chilled Vibes option is to allow those young people who need it, the opportunity to experience the festival in a quieter environment. However, your family are free to leave the festival whenever they feel comfortable to do so, even if this is at the very end of the day! It is worth noting though that by selecting the Chilled Vibes option, you will only be allocated structured workshop choices at the very beginning of the day before the main event starts.
- If I am unable to attend are my wristbands transferable? Unfortunately as bookings are for individual families, wristbands for SENDfest are not transferable to another party should you be unable to attend.
- What age range is SENDfest suitable for? SENDfest is for all young people and their families under the age of 25 with complex needs. We are unable to accomodate any young people who are not accompanied by a family member or PA. Any bookings made which do not include a young person will be automatically cancelled as this is a requirement of the event.
- Am I able to book for multiple families on one booking? Unfortunately bookings are made per vehicle attending the site so a separate booking will need to be made if you require more than one vehicle pass for the event. Any bookings made which do not contain young people will be automatically cancelled.
- When will we be able to book our workshops? Emails will be sent out from sendfest@norfolk.gov.uk on the 23rd May 2025 so that you can specify which workshops you would like to attend
- Do we have to sign up to attend workshops? You do not have to sign-up to attend workshops as there will be other activities available on the day. However, if you don’t sign up to attend workshops in advance there will be no ‘on the day’ availability
- What if I miss the deadline to book workshops? There will be plenty to do across the site to keep your family busy – unfortunately workshops will not be able to be booked past the deadline
- My vehicle has a tail-lift, is there special parking I can access? Yes, please let us know on sign-up if you require a tail-lift parking pass
- Will there be accessible toilets and changing facilities available? Through our accessibility audit we have identified appropriate toilets/changing facilities with hoist availability and will also be bringing in additional mobiloo facilities to increase capacity
- Are dogs allowed? The only dogs permitted on-site will be assistance dogs but please contact us on sendfest@norfolk.gov.uk in advance so that we are able to issue a assistance dog pass
- Will the picnic in the park be signed? The performances will be signed both in British Sign Language and Makaton
- Will there be a walk-through video of the venue made available in advance? The walkthrough video from May 2023 can be found above which outlines the different areas within Easton College where activity is taking place.
- Will there be a map of activities available? There will be a map available on the day to ensure families are able to find their way around the event. This will also be sent out in packs to families in advance
- Will there be any designated quiet spaces allocated on the day? There will be 4 spaces allocated as ‘chill-out’ zones/quiet spaces which will be identified on the map
- Will food be provided at the picnic in the park? Families are free to bring their own picnics but there will also be food available to purchase on the day itself. There will also be a designated food allergy zone should you require it
- Will there be medical storage facilities available? At the control centre we will have room temperature and refrigerated storage available for medication should this be required
- I have missed out on booking a place at the event, will you be running a waiting list in the case of any families not attending? As in previous years, we will not be running a waiting list for SENDfest 2025
- What if I have a query that is specific to my family? Please feel free to email us on sendfest@norfolk.gov.uk at any time.This inbox will be monitored Monday – Friday
Event registration
This event is now fully booked and registration is closed.
Data protection
The data you provide on this form will be used by data processors contracted by Norfolk County Council and stored within internal servers in the UK. If the media includes images of a child or young person it will not be used two years after the date the image was taken. Data requests should be referred in the first instance to sendfest@norfolk.gov.uk
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