ABOUT FESTIVAL THEATRE

Access

The Festival and King's Theatres aim to be accessible to all and we are committed to making your visit to our theatres as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. All of our Front of House staff undergo disability awareness training and will be pleased to assist you should you require any information or help. If you need any further information, wish to make any comments or suggestions, or would like to let us know how we can help you in any way, please feel free to contact our Front of House Duty Manager on 0131 662 1112.
For an independent assessment of our access facilities, please visit www.disabledgo.info. Disabled Go provides free detailed access information for disabled people across the UK.
This website has been created with Accessibility in mind. Please click here to view more details.

Information in other Formats

Our brochure is available in Braille, Large Print, and Audio (CD or Tape). You can sign up to our mailing list to receive a free brochure in any of these formats. Please email marketing@eft.co.uk or call 0131 622 8108. 

With thanks to Braille-Net and Lothian Sound.

How to Buy Tickets

You can book tickets for our shows in several different ways:
In person:
Our Box Office is situated on the right hand side of the foyer in the Festival Theatre. You can visit us there Mon – Sat (10am - 6pm), or until 8pm on performance nights.

Please note that the Box Office at the King’s Theatre will only be open on performance dates 1 hour before the show starts.

Over the phone:
For our central box office please call 0131 529 6000 Monday – Saturday 10am-6pm.

For groups of 8 people or more please call 0131 529 6005 Monday – Friday 10am-6pm. If you book with Group Sales you won’t have to pay booking fees and you may qualify for great discounts!

Online:
We now have an Accessible Seating Form on our websites:
www.festivaltheatre.org.uk and www.kingstheatre.org.uk

The Form is available on all show information pages. You will find it in the Access listings, underneath the ticket prices. The Form can be emaled to our Box Office and you can use it to let us know of any needs you may have. We will do our best to accommodate all your requests

Using Text Relay:
Call 18001 0131 529 6003.

If you have any specific seating requirements or any other additional needs please let our staff know when you book your tickets.

Arriving at the Festival Theatre

If you are arriving by car please note that there are double yellow lines on Nicolson Street directly outside the theatre. As it is a main traffic route there is no parking at restricted times from 8.00am to 9.15am and from 4.30pm to 6.00pm. There are single yellow lines and Pay and Display spaces on nearby side streets.

Access from the road to the front of the theatre is up six steps with one handrail or up a pavement ramp. Level access is also available at the side entrance to Café Lucia if required. 

Inside the theatre there is lift access to all levels. Lifts have voice synthesisers to assist visitors.  Braille and tactile signage is also located throughout the building.

Wheelchair Users at the Festival Theatre

There are eight spaces in the stalls for wheelchair users, with adjacent seats for companions.

King’s Theatre: There are four spaces at the rear stalls for wheelchair users, with adjacent seats for companions.

Please let us know all of your requirements at the time of booking; this will help us to prepare for your visit.

Assistance with Hearing

Both the King’s and Festival Theatres have a Sennheiser infrared system available in all areas of the auditorium. Headsets can be collected, free of charge, from the cloakroom on the lower ground floor mezzanine of the Festival Theatre or from the programme box in the foyer of the King’s Theatre. A Sennheiser personal loop system is also available for hearing aid users. Our staff can instruct you verbally or through the use of print on how to use the equipment.

Assistance Dogs 

Assistance dogs are most welcome at our venues. We will be pleased to look after them during the performance if required. Water bowls are available at both theatres.

Accessible Toilets at the Festival Theatre

There are unisex accessible toilets on levels one, two and three of the theatre – all have emergency call buttons.

Refreshments at the Festival Theatre

Café Lucia on our ground floor has level access, and all bars have lift access.

Please note that our bar areas do not serve refreshments after the performance; only before and during the interval.

After the Show

Our staff will gladly order a taxi for those with mobility issues. Please ask a member of staff on your arrival and we can arrange for it to be ready to collect you at the end of your evening with us.

Artlink

Artlink (Edinburgh and the Lothians) provide a volunteer companion service for people who have difficulty in attending performances on their own. For details please phone 0131 229 1112 (Mon-Fri).

Audio Description

For patrons who are blind or visually impaired, we offer an Audio Description service. Look out for the Audio Description logo in our main brochure or on our website denoting shows which have this service.

Audio Description consists of a simultaneous commentary of the visual elements of a performance which is broadcast though a personal headset. The describer will let you know things like where the characters are on stage, what they’re wearing, how they gesture and what the set looks like. They will also provide you with an introduction to the performance, which may include things like detailed character descriptions and which actors are playing in the performance. This introduction will begin through your headset 15 mins prior to the show beginning.

Prior to each Audio Described performance we will provide a Touch Tour of the set, costumes and props. Your describer will give you a full account of the items that you’re introduced to, and how they will feature in the performance. Touch Tours usually commence 1 hour prior to the show starting, in the theatre’s entrance foyer. Please book your place on the Touch Tour when booking your ticket for the performance.

British Sign Language Interpreted

For patrons who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing we provide BSL Interpreted performances. Look out for the BSL logo in our main brochure or on our website denoting shows which have this service.

A BSL Interpreter will stand on the stage and interpret all spoken or sung speech during the performance. Please mention that you wish to use this service when you book your show tickets and we will allocate you appropriate seats to clearly see the interpreter.

Captioning

For patrons who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing we provide a Captioning Service. Look out for the Captioning logo in our main brochure or on our website denoting shows which have this service.

Captioning is a bit like subtitles on TV. The captions are shown on a raised display unit in large print and delivered at the same time as the words spoken or sung by the actors. This is also a wonderful service for anyone who has difficulty in following strong accents, or whose first language is not English.