Feel the Force Day is not just another film and television convention. It is something far more powerful.

Peterborough Cathedral
Saturday 5th September 2026

It is a day built on a simple but radical idea: that everyone should be able to fully experience the stories, characters and worlds they love. For too long, mainstream conventions have struggled to offer meaningful access for disabled fans. Ramps and accessible toilets are important, but they are not enough. Real access is about experience. It is about touch, sound, space, dignity and ease. It is about not having to prove yourself in order to belong.

Feel the Force Day was created by people who understand this reality from lived experience. People who work with disabled communities, who live with disability, who support friends and family, and who know that inclusion must be designed in from the start. What has emerged is something beautifully unconventional: a convention that reimagines access as creativity.

These events are joyful, immersive and carefully thought through. They consider the subtleties that often get overlooked. Quiet spaces. Honest carer policies. Affordable tickets. Sensory awareness. Space to move. Time to breathe. The freedom to engage without barriers.

There is an understanding that disability is not a single story. Access is different for everyone. And instead of assuming it has all the answers, Feel the Force Day listens. It adapts. It invites feedback. It evolves.

That spirit of humility and collaboration is precisely what makes it powerful.

For a city aspiring to be UK City of Culture, inclusion cannot be a bolt-on. It must be foundational. Feel the Force Day embodies that principle in action.

It reminds us that culture is not simply about spectacle. It is about who gets to participate, who feels welcome, and who sees themselves reflected.

In Peterborough, where diversity, youth voice and everyday creativity already shape cultural ambition, initiatives like this align perfectly with the wider aspiration to build culture with communities, not simply for them. A City of Culture year must belong to everyone. Events like this show how that can be done with imagination and integrity.

At its heart, Feel the Force Day is about joy. About stepping into another world without anxiety. About meeting heroes. About cosplay and creativity. About shared excitement and laughter.

But beneath that joy is something deeper: dignity.

The belief that no one should have to fight for access to culture. The belief that difference strengthens creativity. The belief that fandom can be a force for equality.

Join the celebration at Peterborough Cathedral on Saturday 5th September 2026.

Tickets are available now.

Because when culture truly includes everyone, we all feel the force.

Photos by Terry Harris/Discover Peterborough