We Too! worked with organisers to set a new inclusivity standard for the annual festival of light.
We Too! has helped deliver the most accessible SPECTRA Festival of Light to date, enabling many more residents and visitors to experience one of the city’s leading cultural events in ways that worked for them.
SPECTRA returned to Aberdeen city centre from 5-8 February 2026, welcoming thousands of people across four nights. The free, family-friendly festival transformed the city with immersive light installations, interactive artworks and a ‘Be Curious’ theme that encouraged audiences to explore and discover. For many, this year marked the first time they could fully enjoy the festival, thanks to increased accessibility support.
Working in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, We Too! once again played a central role in designing and delivering an inclusive visitor experience. The customer-led charity, which supports disabled people and their families, provided specialist insight, practical planning support and a highly visible team of volunteers known as the We Too! Ninjas.
Present across festival locations each night, the We Too! Ninjas offered friendly, on-the-ground support alongside visual guides, sensory aids and clear information, helping visitors navigate the event with confidence and ease. Across the four public evenings, the team provided direct assistance to more than 1,200 attendees, with a further 300 people supported through the Quiet Tour.
New accessibility features enhanced or introduced for SPECTRA 2026 included:
- BSL QR-linked videos at every installation, allowing Deaf visitors to access British Sign Language explanations on demand, alongside the festival’s live BSL tour
- Community Communication Boards; new AAC-friendly community communication boards across festival sites, offering symbol-based support for visitors who use or benefit from augmented communication
- Sensory breakout areas and Accessibility Welcome Desks; providing quieter spaces for regulation and tailored guidance on accessible routes, sensory support, mobility aids and parking, based at Aberdeen Town House and Trinity Centre each evening
Phionna McInnes, Chief Ninja at We Too!, said:
‘Accessibility isn’t an add-on. It’s what makes events truly belong to everyone. This year, we saw more people than ever looking for supportive, inclusive ways to enjoy SPECTRA, and we’re proud to have helped make that possible.
‘From BSL QR videos and communication boards to the continued success of our Quiet Tour, SPECTRA 2026 showed what can be achieved when accessibility is built in from the start. With the right partners beside us, we can go even further and make inclusive events the norm, not the exception.’
Demand for accessible experiences was clear throughout the festival. We Too!’s Quiet Tour, a supported, low-stimulus way to explore the installations, reached full capacity of 300 ahead of the event, reflecting growing awareness from both residents and visitors who benefit from calmer, more accessible experiences.
We Too! also thanks local video production specialists Yellow Balloon Films, who donated their time to capture footage of the We Too! Ninjas volunteering at the event, alongside visitors able to enjoy SPECTRA in ways that may otherwise have been inaccessible. The short film will be shared via the We Too! Facebook page shortly.
The charity’s work at SPECTRA builds on its wider track record of supporting accessible public events across Aberdeen, including the widely praised Accessible Tall Ships programme, which demonstrated what fully inclusive large-scale events can achieve when accessibility is prioritised.
With interest in inclusive cultural experiences continuing to grow, We Too! is now looking to build on the momentum created by SPECTRA 2026. The charity is keen to speak with organisations and corporate partners who share its vision for accessibility and want to help shape the future of inclusive events in Aberdeen and beyond.
