Gig Buddies: Making Live Music Accessible

Gig Buddies is a volunteer project that pairs adults with learning disabilities or autism with volunteers. Together they go to concerts and festivals so that people with disabilities can enjoy live music. Everyone deserves the freedom to attend gigs if they want to, and Gig Buddies match people based on shared interests so that both the participant and the volunteer get to have a great time together, while combatting social isolation.

The project began in Sussex in 2013, noticing that many fans of live music with learning disabilities were being taken home before concerts ended due to support staff shifts ending. In response, Paul Richards and the team launched a buddy scheme to enable people with learning disabilities to enjoy full nights out, and what started as a local initiative quickly grew.

Since its launch, Gig Buddies has had a life-changing impact, with 90% of participants reporting that having a Gig Buddy made them feel less lonely, and 86% regarding their Gig Buddy as a true friend. 78% of participants said that they had made new friends in addition to their volunteer buddy, and 80% said they were getting out more in the evenings overall, indicating that Gig Buddies isn’t only about a monthly outing, but sparking broader engagement in community life.

Gig Buddies is a grassroots way to reduce social isolation, addressing loneliness and exclusion in a fun, organic manner. In Britain alone, Gig Buddies has expanded to around 15 regions from big cities like to London to areas like Bradford and Gloucestershire. Wherever you are in the UK, there’s probably a Gig Buddies branch near you, and if there isn’t yet, the team invites interested locals to get in touch about bringing Gig Buddies to new areas.

We spoke to the organisers of Gig Buddies to find out more:

Can you explain how Gig Buddies works in your own words?

Can you tell us more about what originally inspired the project?

Do you feel that combatting isolation and loneliness is actually more urgent than when you initially launched?

How would you describe the growth of Gig Buddies since the beginning?

Can you describe the impact that you’ve seen your organisation have on participants with learning disabilities or autism?

How exactly does the matching process work?

Can you share any memorable stories that have stood out to you?

Are there any common misconceptions about volunteering with people with learning disabilities that you’d like to address?

What regions is Gig Buddies currently operating it?

How can people get involved?