Parallèle seeks to provide a space of discovery, fun, and shared participation; we stand for respect, inclusivity, equality, diversity, and openness. If benevolent behavior may appear to be a product of common sense or good will — not abandoning a person in need; favoring listening and dialogue over animosity — experience demonstrates that this is not always the case. The festival, in collaboration with its partners and participating artists, is dedicated to providing a safe space for everyone. Statements or attitudes considered to be sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, or otherwise discriminatory will not be tolerated within the Festival space.

Parallèle thus commits to:

— Placing humanity at the heart of our artistic and cultural initiatives;
— Supporting a plurality of artistic forms as the foundation of our cultural actions: we do not seek to judge, condition, or restrain creative freedoms or means of expression that our artists wish to explore and which ground them in the power of their creativity;
— Protecting existing artistic forms and promoting the emergence of new ones;
— Guaranteeing the fundamental right to cultural diversity and the right of all groups to define themselves as being anchored in a given culture;
— Guaranteeing the right to choose and embody one’s culture as a founding tenet of a given group’s freedom of expression — groups that we wholeheartedly invite to participate in our events;
— Creating easy or facilitated access for those who wish to attend or participate in our events;
— Enforcing an ethos of participative democracy by taking into account dynamics that facilitate the integration of the initiatives and investments of all concerned parties;
— Affirming the central role of social connection in the organization of a festival;
— Preserving the environment and natural resources, as well as shared cultural resources, with an eye to future generations.

Festival Parallèle and our team have instituted concrete measures to ensure adherence to these guidelines:

— The Festival is dedicated to sustainable ecological practices at all levels of its organization: team transportation, food services that center waste-reduction, local production, and sustainable agriculture; reducing our meat consumption, using recyclable table settings, and making recycling available wherever we work;
— We have drafted a charter of engagement to ensure the respect of rights and freedoms, and the elimination of psychological, physical, and sexual violence and harassment, and discrimination more widely;
— This charter will be added to our partnership contracts with the spaces and structures that welcome our events, as well as to our contracts with invited artists and their teams, thus ensuring a collaborative effort to work in respect of the law at all levels of our organization;
— A memo regarding the responsibility of all of producers to ensure the respect of the law in the work environment will be annexed to this charter;
— We invite all attendees, regardless of their function at the event, to look after oneself and others, and to accompany individuals in need to a safe space and notify the festival team;
— Two Parallel team members, wearing fluorescent arm-bands, will be available throughout the festival to help, orient, and listen to any individual in need, with respect for their confidentiality. We encourage all attendees to remain attentive to themselves and others, and to notify the aforementioned team members of anyone who seems unwell or otherwise in need of assistance, as well as any individual(s) displaying discriminatory or hostile behavior.