If there is anything needed to make our space accessible to you beyond what’s listed below, please get in touch and we will do our best to make it available. Our Box Office team are available on 0300 999 1000 or by emailing box.office@operahollandpark.com. We are always looking to improve access to Opera Holland Park, so if you have any comments or requests we would love to hear from you.

 

Access tickets and booking instructions

We offer half price access tickets to all opera and ballet performances at the theatre for access bookers and one essential companion. To qualify for access tickets, the access booker must fall into at least one of the following categories:

  • Registered disabled
  • Have a blue badge
  • Receive PIP
  • Receive funds from the DVLA
  • Have a Disabled Persons Freedom Pass or Railcard

Access tickets can be booked either online or by calling the Box Office on 0300 999 1000. After booking, the Box Office will contact you to verify your eligibility.

Online Booking Instructions

  • Ensure you log in to our website before you begin the booking process
  • If you have not yet identified your access needs to us:
    • Go to My Account
    • Open Other Preferences
    • Tick any of the options which apply to you
    • Scroll down to the bottom and click save
  • Select the performance you wish to attend
  • Select your seats – the half price access ticket offer applies to all seats in Price Bands B (Red), C (Green) and D (Yellow). Please also note that only those who have self-identified as a Wheelchair User will be able to access the reserved wheelchair accessible and accompanying carer seats. These seats appear in Rows A and B, marked either by a wheelchair symbol or a star
  • Once you have selected your tickets, click Continue at the bottom of the screen
  • On the next screen, ensure that you have selected the Access ticket type for all applicable tickets in the drop down. Your discount will not be applied until you reach the Basket stage, where you will see your saving alongside the discounted ticket price, so please keep clicking through

When booking online, the access account will only apply to one pair of tickets per production. If you wish to book more than one pair of access tickets for any of our productions, please call the Box Office on 0300 999 1000 or email us via box.office@operahollandpark.com.

 

Relaxed Performances

We will be holding three Relaxed Performances during our 2024 Season.

  • Tosca – 9 June at 2pm
  • The Barber of Seville – 16 June at 2pm
  • The Yeomen of the Guard – 10 August at 2pm

A Relaxed Performance offers a warm welcome to people who find it difficult to follow the usual conventions of theatre behaviour, including those with learning disabilities, movement disorders, autistic spectrum disorder or other neurological conditions.

Many other people may choose to attend a Relaxed Performance either as an access requirement or because they enjoy the inclusive environment. The performance offers a laid-back approach to noises and movement from the audience, giving everyone permission to relax and respond naturally.

During our Relaxed Performances:

  • If you need to leave the auditorium at any time for any reason, please feel free to do so. You will be able to re-enter whenever you are ready
  • There is a relaxation space available for anyone who needs a safe place outside the auditorium to chill out while you’re on site. This is located in the Dutch Garden Lounge. Staff members will be able to show you where to go

 

Audio-description and Touch Tours

Audio-description is a live, verbal commentary relayed through hearing enhancement headsets, to assist patrons who are blind or partially sighted. It helps set the scene of the show, describing settings, characters, costumes and action on stage throughout the performance.

Tickets for these performances can be purchased online or via the Box Office once booking opens, and we welcome anyone who would benefit from these services to make use of them. Blind and partially sighted patrons are also entitled to purchase half price Access tickets. Find out more about this service here.

Normally, audio-described performances would be preceded by a Touch Tour. Touch Tours give blind and partially sighted patrons the opportunity to go up on stage and touch scenery, props and costumes before the performance, enhancing their experience of the opera.

 

Dementia Friendly Theatre

In 2018 we became London’s first Dementia Friendly opera company. All our staff are trained as Dementia Friends by our partners at Resonate Arts, and our theatre has been accredited as being accessible for people living with dementia.

If you or anyone in your party needs any additional support, please don’t hesitate to talk to one of our Front of House stewards.

As well as being a Dementia Friendly theatre, we run a number of projects through our Inspire programme aimed at people living with dementia. For more information or to get involved, please email inspire@operahollandpark.com.

 

Step Free and Level Access

Access to the theatre site is step-free via both the East and West Gates. There is a short hill with a steep gradient at the West Gate, so the East Gate is more appropriate for those using a self-propelled wheelchair.

There is level access to the auditorium at the front on both sides. Access to all seats in Rows AA, A, B,C and Side Seats is step-free. Some seats in row A-C can accommodate a motorised wheelchair of up to 1.2m in length – please call our Box Office for advice and to ensure availability: 0300 999 1000 / box.office@operahollandpark.com. Please see the Access tickets and booking instructions section here for more information on how to book a wheelchair space.

All toilet facilities are accessible by ramp, including a unisex accessible toilet.

Further mobility access information:

  • There is a short flight of stone steps leading to the central gate of the theatre
  • Auditorium access
    • The auditorium seating is arranged over seven levels, with the first level on the ground (step free)
    • Steps to each subsequent level are roughly seven inches in height
    • Access to each level is available from the front, side, or back of the auditorium
    • There are no hand rails on the steps inside the auditorium
  • Mobility scooters must be left outside the auditorium, and we will provide a covered area for these

 

Parking and drop offs

Unfortunately there is no disabled parking available at the Opera Holland Park Theatre, which is situated in the middle of Holland Park. The closest car park is the Abbotsbury Road Car Park, a five minute walk from the theatre (approximately 100 metres).

If you would like to be dropped off closer to the theatre, there is a step-free walk up a gentle slope from Ilchester Place to the theatre’s West Gate or a flat step-free walk from Duchess of Bedford’s Walk to the theatre’s East Gate.

Wheelchair users and anyone with mobility needs can be dropped off by car in the turning circle outside the theatre’s West Gate, next to the Holland Park Café. Permission to drive into the park via the Ilchester Place entrance must be arranged in advance via operations@operahollandpark.com or by calling 020 3846 6218.

 

Assistance and Service Dogs

We are very happy to welcome trained and licensed assistance or service dogs to Opera Holland Park. Your dog may accompany you to your seat, or our Front of House staff will be happy to look after them during the show.

 

Hearing Loop

Unfortunately, our theatre does not have a Hearing Loop system in place. If you are interested in attending one of our pre-season events, please get in touch with us or the venue, and we will be able to advise you of whether there is a Hearing Loop system available.