Hi, my name is sweetpea7! How can i go to concerts etc for disabled area to sit??

sweetpea7

hi i have problems with my hips and cant stand for long time due to hips giving out at any time , i have a blue badge and wondered how can i go to concerts etc for disabled area to sit?? can anybody help please ?

poppy123456

There's some useful information here. https://help.ticketmaster.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360022250454-I-have-a-disability-how-do-I-book-tickets-that-will-meet-my-access-requirements-

That link also includes information for free carers tickets but please be aware that they may not available for every event/venue. The registration forms for this are here. https://help.ticketmaster.co.uk/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360000361214

Alex_Alumni

Hello @sweetpea7 and welcome, that's a great question

Depending on the venue, there's usually a section on the website of the event about accessibility. It's likely that you'll need to get in touch with the venue directly to book accessible seating, or discuss and assistance requirements. 

This can be a bit hit and miss, because sometimes a venue will ask for documentation or evidence for you to be able to purchase a free carer ticket for example, or book a wheelchair space, and others won't ask for documents at all.

I've not seen it anywhere, but hopefully in future it will be as easy to book accessible seating just by clicking it online, like booking any other seat. As I said, there's usually a dedicated phoneline or email which you'll need to contact to get your seats booked.  

I hope that helps, but please ask if you're still unsure of anything.

kjx

I went to a boxing fight recently and got abundant disabled seating (carer goes free) but there aren’t many seats available so you have to get in there quick if it’s a popular event. Good luck x

CATP

sweetpea7 said:

hi i have problems with my hips and cant stand for long time due to hips giving out at any time , i have a blue badge and wondered how can i go to concerts etc for disabled area to sit?? can anybody help please ?

@sweetpea7 hi.sorry i know you started off this thread in january,i dont get to go to many night clubs or concert venues because of acesibility and even if your not coming to manchester i hope these can be applied to other places you go,or perhaps help other people who are looking for the info.

ive got a lot of experience with nynex/manchester arena/AO arena, they give free carer/PA/support staff tickets but you need to prove you need that person as support,even if its emotional/behavioral support.

the first thing my support staff do when i want tickets is contact the acesibility hotline,either via phone-they dont answer first usualy, so make sure to leave contact details for getting back to you,they often get back the same day and are open 7 days a week (i think?).

once you go threw all the forms (get hold of a DLA/PIP award letter under a year old if you can),and are told you meet there criteria, theyll give you the chance to to pay for the ticket straight away,but theyre very reasonable if you have difficult issues like for example a few years ago i had the money to pay but not the card as im under corporate appointeeship so they rang my dad after staff finished speaking to them and i got sent the paper tickets months later. they give you up to a week i think to pay the ticket,it coud be two weeks,ive not been since last november.

other things you need to tell the acesibility team when booking are:

-- if you can do stairs or not, steps or not, if you are in a wheelchair or powerchair, if you will need to use the lift (they only let disabled people on the list use the lift) ,if your able to transfer from chair to regular chair.

--if you will be sitting in a disabled section in a regular seat,these can often be flimsy plastic sometimes and cause agonising pain to people with back problems-id recomend bringing along a cushion or easily portable backrest with cushion seat with you but first make sure to tell the acesibility team this to see if its OK - it also has to get wrote on the list of whats being brought with you.

--make sure to tell the accesibility team about any medications being brought with you and if they are allowed in- especialy anything classed as a controled drug, they prefer it if meds are brought in in a blister pack with the signature.

--get there early, aim to get there for 30 mins at least before the doors open to give you time to get sorted and get in the cue.

--be aware the steward will usualy come in the lift with you (if using one) so it can get a bit tight on space with a chair,and a PA and a steward but this was brought in because of the incident that happened in manchester arena.

--if you comunicate with specialist software and an ipad like i do,you will need to tell this to the acesibility team over a week before going as ipads are banned from the arena.you have to prove its used for comunication so the care company who works with me wrote them a letter.

--rucksacks and anything similar are banned from the arena,ive always found simple tote bags are fine with the security.

--DSLR cameras are banned,even though loads of us who own/owned them are not profesional, just use your phone for photography if you do like taking pics.

--you can take a small bottle of water in with you for you medication, but get this checked by the acesibility team first to make sure.

--dont bring any sweets/drinks in that have nothing to do with your disability because they will get dumped by the security,and it shoudnt need saying but dont bring alcohol, recreational whatsits etc in either as a lot of there concerts now have extremely cute,clever little sniffer dogs.

--so, that leads me on to another thing,anyone who is alergic or very phobic of dogs be aware theyll often have german shephards with the security although they hold them quite far back from the cues but if you are sensitive to noise (for example you have autism and/or hypercusis) the barks quite high pitched,just dont go to this arena without decent earplugs and/or ear defenders.

they also have drug detection dogs which are a lot less fidgity-i think theyre called king charles spaniels.

--i cant tell you what the acesible toilets are like as ive never been in them,i cant tell you what the non acesible toilets are like either from first person sense, but my sister went in the ladies and she came out laughing saying there was lots of women all singing to take thats' 'relight my fire' - wrong concert;this was the yearly pete tong with orchestra gig?

depending on the concert-the foyer (where everyone is lined up into cues to go under metal detection units, the disabled cue is very different,there is no metal detection unit but they do use the handheld ones and they do in a manner of speaking frisk you,like asking you to lean forward a bit if your in a chair-really they frisk the chair more than yourself.

--buy a lightweight collapsable seat if you are able to use one of these (my sister has long covid and uses one for everywhere) you will be waiting a while in the cue,if you are semi ambulant then you need something to sit down on really as you wont cope with the cueing.

--if you are like me,and love buying merch, then at the AO arena, when they open the green inner foyer doors, head left asap-thats where the merch stands are and depending on the concert,youll find things like signed vinyl albums to hoodies etc,if you went right the limited stuff usualy sells out quick-again,depends on the concert.some of the merch companies are terrible though and will use weakly screen printed tote bags for £15-20.

--before i forget,disabled parking in the MENs car park is £15, though that was last november so its probably gone up.

as for the albert hall, when i went to the masquerade ball (laura jackson, pete tong and claptone) in may, they coudnt have done enough to make it acesible. ill write up a post on them another time.