Making Elche’s festival opening more accessible with live captions and translation

Every year, Elche City Council officially opens its local festivities with a public speech in front of a packed city square.

Accessibility is already an important part of this moment. The local government provides sign language interpretation so that more people can follow the opening speech.

For the 2026 edition, Elche City Council wanted to take this a step further.

Alongside sign language interpretation, Soundshape was used to provide live Spanish subtitles on the event’s LED screen and give attendees the option to access live translation on their own devices via a QR code.

Accessibility on the main screen

During the one-hour opening speech, spoken Spanish was converted into live Spanish subtitles and displayed directly on the LED screen.

This gave attendees another way to follow what was being said, complementing the existing sign language interpretation.

For an event taking place in a busy public square, this also made the spoken content easier to follow visually throughout the speech.

Translation directly on attendees’ own devices

A QR code was shown on the LED screen for visitors who wanted to access a translation.

By scanning the code with their smartphone, attendees could follow the speech in another language on their own device.

There was no need to distribute additional equipment to the audience. Visitors could simply use the device they already had with them.

Building on an existing accessibility approach

The goal was not to replace the accessibility measures Elche already provided.

Instead, live captions and translation added extra ways for people to follow the same important public moment.

By combining sign language interpretation, same-language subtitles and optional translation, Elche City Council expanded the accessibility of its traditional festival opening and made the experience more inclusive for a wider audience.