Two Crows for Comfort performing at The Music Cocoon in November 2025.
Ila Barker performing at The Music Cocoon in November 2025.
It was so beautiful to see such diverse people from all walks of life enjoying live music together, especially those who aren’t able to make it happen for their family without special accommodations. We had multiple parents express to us that this was the first time they were able to be out at an event as a whole family together, ever!
Good + Plenty Arts Collective
Good + Plenty Arts Collective
Sensory-Friendly Concert
Pilot Project: The Music Cocoon, an inclusive, sensory-friendly concert created specifically for caregivers, families, and individuals with sensory needs.
Project Duration: 2025-2026
Continuing to Implement: Considering caregiver accessibility and needs for future events.
Resources Shared:Event Summary and Reflection, Graphic Design to Build Audience Trust, Event Information Slides for Accessibility, Using Floor Plans to Plan Family-Friendly Events
About Good + Plenty Arts Collective
Location:Winnipeg, Manitoba
Artistic Discipline: Music
The Good + Plenty Arts Collective is a non-profit organization that believes Manitoba is filled with good music (and plenty of it), that should be accessible and barrier-free for all!
The collective runs community-building music-based events to showcase the incredible talent of Manitobans, especially women, 2Spirit, gender-diverse folks and those at the intersections. Their subgroup, the Good + Plenty Producer’s Club, creates opportunities and connection for women, 2Spirit, and gender-diverse folks in the music production and audio engineering industries in Manitoba. Since their formation in 2020, Good + Plenty has received multiple nominations and awards for their empowering work, being nominated for Community Excellence award at the WCMAs in 2023, and receiving the Rising Leaders award at the Women in Music Canada Honours in 2024.
Good + Plenty is a provincially incorporated artist collective committed to creating more opportunities for women, Two-Spirit, non-binary, and gender-expansive individuals within the Manitoba music and music production industry.
Good + Plenty’s Level UP! Project
Good + Plenty Arts Collective’s pilot supported the creation of The Music Cocoon, a sensory-friendly matinee concert series designed with caregivers, families, and people with sensory needs in mind. Co-presented with the West End Cultural Centre, the first event took place on November 16, 2025, in Winnipeg and featured live original music by local artists Ila Barker and Two Crows for Comfort.
The pilot created a flexible, nurturing concert environment where attendees could move around, make noise, regulate, and enjoy live music without the usual expectations or “social norms” of a traditional concert setting. Good + Plenty made a strong effort to communicate detailed information about the event well in advance, providing information about parking, accessibility, venue layout, available supplies, food and drink, and who to contact for support. This helped caregivers arrive with a clear sense of what to expect and contributed to a calm, relaxed atmosphere at the event.
Project Highlights:
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- Offered quieter sound levels, soft lighting, flexible seating arrangements, and space for children and families to move around.
- Created a Chill Room for feeding infants, self-regulation, and de-stimulation.
Provided toys and sensory-friendly items, including ribbons, pom poms, streamers, and soft-play items. - Offered practical care supplies, including diapers and wipes for people of all ages.
- Used detailed pre-event communication with words, photos, and videos to help caregivers plan their visit and know what to expect.
Resources
Good + Plenty Arts Collective | Event Summary and Reflection
About This Resource Good + Plenty Arts Collective created this Event Summary and Reflection in 2026 to share details about their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project.
Good + Plenty Arts Collective | Event Information Slides for Accessibility
About This Resource Good + Plenty Arts Collective created this resource, Event Information Slides for Accessibility, in 2025 as part of their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project. The slides were designed to help caregivers know what to expect before attending The...
Good + Plenty Arts Collective | Using Floor Plans to Plan Family-Friendly Events
About This Resource Good + Plenty Arts Collective created this resource in 2026 as part of their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project. The resource explains how Good + Plenty uses floor plans to improve accessibility and the experience of people attending their...
Good + Plenty Arts Collective | Graphic Design to Build Audience Trust
About This Resource Good + Plenty Arts Collective created this resource, Graphic Design to Build Audience Trust, in 2026 to share details about their Balancing Act Level UP! Pilot Project. The resource explains their approach to developing posters and other visual...
More Information
For more information about the Good + Plenty Arts Collective, visit www.goodandplenty.org.
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