Gluten-free festivals: access, not a food preference

Marike Bol once brought her own gluten-free food to a festival and was refused permission to take it inside. The only food she could safely find that day was an apple and a water ice. Friends watched performances and bought snacks while she spent much of the event searching for something that would not make her ill. Another common scene is a worker removing croutons from a salad and declaring it gluten-free again. For coeliac disease, contact has already happened. Coeliac disease is not a food trend or simply eating less bread. It is an autoimmune response to gluten, managed through strict lifelong avoidance. A menu label answers an ingredient question but not the process question: separate fryer, utensils, preparation surface and storage. The access issue is whether a participant can follow one consistent procedure to bring medical food when the site cannot provide a safe meal.

The exhausting part is not only limited choice. Other people decide what to eat at the last moment; a coeliac visitor researches the FAQ, emails the organiser, prepares evidence and explains the condition again to security and each vendor. A friend who walks to the safe stall with them is offering more than a few minutes. They are saying that a health risk does not require leaving the shared experience alone.

• Search three terms before buying: “gluten-free”, “allergens” and “own food”. Email unclear organisers and retain or print the reply.
• Ask beyond “is there an option?”: verify fryer, utensils, work surface and contact with ordinary bread, batter or beer.
• Carry evidence and a proper fallback meal: medical documentation, coeliac-association information and shelf-stable food can help, but entry policy must be reconfirmed each edition.
• Map food on arrival: identify fully gluten-free vendors and cross-contact procedures before hunger makes the decision urgent.

Practical takeaway: medical food is not special treatment; it can be a condition of participation. Organisers need more than a “gluten-free” sign. They need one process that security, vendors and visitors all understand.

Sources: NOS reporting; Nederlandse Coeliakie Vereniging festival guidance; Voedingscentrum information on coeliac disease. Last checked 9 August 2026.