Venue Access

The Fringe has long been committed to listening closely to audiences, performers and our wider community of stakeholders. We are working continuously to improve the accessibility of our venues and Box Office to better meet the access needs of our customers.

On this page, please provide as much information as possible about the accessibility of your venue and, if you require any information on show accessibility, please email our Venues team on venues@edfringe.com.

Access

Access Contact Details

If you start to type an EdFringeware user's name in the Access Contact Details field, a drop-down box will display all similar names registered with EdFringeware and you can select the correct one before saving. To enter your own contact details, start typing your name and then select yourself from the list.

If the person that you want to invite to be the Access Contact isn't registered with EdFringeware, select or add contact details before filling out the rest of the invitation.

Will staff at this venue have undergone access training before the start of the Fringe?

Training is available to help venue staff in providing a good service to customers with access requirements. This can be arranged through the Fringe Society or through other service providers. Please let us know what level of formal training you will be providing for your staff and if you would like to take advantage of the sessions provided by the Fringe Society, please get in touch on venues@edfringe.com

Is your venue participating  in the Venue Access Award Scheme? 

The Venue Access Award guides venue managers through 16 different topics which lead to the achievement of awards (levels one to three). Taking part in the award will help venues to ensure that they are doing as much as they can to be accessible to all audiences and performers but fully acknowledges the challenges of temporary venues in unadaptable spaces. Please contact equalities@edfringe.com for more details.

What level? 

Please indicate the level of award you've received from the scheme. 

Will staff at the venue have undergone access training before the start of the Fringe? 

Please indicated whether or not your staff will have undergone access training before the start of the Fringe. 

Wheelchair Access

Is your venue wheelchair accessible across the whole site?

Please tell us about the accessibility of public areas such as your bar and box office. Only tick yes if all public areas in your venue are accessible for wheelchair users. If your site is partially accessible, you can give more details in the text box. You will be able to add information on performance spaces separately.

If there is anything about the approach to your venue that you think it would be helpful for people to know (for example, at the top of a steep hill or stairs outside the venue) then please indicate here

Many people unfamiliar with Edinburgh, regardless of access requirements, find information about the outside approach to a venue to be very helpful. If there is anything at all about the approach for your venue that you think could be problematic then please note it here.

Do you have an accessible WC?

For a venue to be fully accessible, it also needs to provide adapted WC facilities. Please indicate if you have these here.

Accessible Parking

Does the venue have reserved accessible parking?

Please indicate if your venue has a car park with spaces reserved, or available to reserve, specifically for disabled people.

Is there on-street parking at your venue which can be used for free by a blue badge holder?

Please indicate if there is public parking near your venue that offers people who own a blue badge free parking.

More parking information

Please state any other pertinent information in relation to parking which might affect or enhance access to the venue.

Personal Assistant Tickets

Many disabled patrons may not be able to attend events without the help of a Personal Assistant. Are you happy for the Box Office to issue complimentary tickets to personal assistants?

Best practice is to provide a complimentary ticket for the Personal Assistant in this instance and the Fringe Society recommends this policy. Tickets for Personal Assistants are only available on request from our Box Office Access Department. If you are happy for the Fringe Box Office to issue these complimentary tickets to Personal Assistants please tick Yes.

If you do not provide information on this, our default policy will be to issue complimentary tickets on this basis.

If you tick No you will then be asked to specify your policy on Personal Assistants.

D/deaf or Deafened Customers

Does the venue have a textphone?

A textphone is similar to a standard telephone but it also has a keyboard and display screen that lets the user type conversations. If your venue has a textphone then please tick Yes.

If you do tick Yes then you will be asked to enter the telephone number for this textphone.

Will any shows in your venue offer communication support eg sign language interpretation or captioning?

Please confirm if your venue provides additional communication support to audiences. You can include details of the service you offer in the text box below.

General Access Information

Does the venue offer information in additional accessible formats? (such as Braille, large print, on yellow paper)

If your venue provides information (for example programmes or leaflets) in any other formats that would help people with accessibility issues then please indicate here. If you say Yes to this question, you will then be asked to provide further details.

Are assistance dogs allowed into all parts of the venue?

Assistance dogs are specially trained to help people with disabilities and the law requires you to allow owners and dogs into all areas of your venue. If there are any parts of your venue which you feel it is not possible for assistance dogs to enter, please give details in the text box.

Please enter here any further accessibility information you would like to provide for your venue

Please enter as much information as you can about the accessibility of your venue. This information will be used by the Box Office to give information and assistance through our access booking services.

 

Audio Enhancement System

Does the venue have an audio enhancement system at the reception or box office?

Audio enhancement systems, including hearing loops, are an aid for people with hearing difficulties. A hearing Loop is a loop of cable which generates magnetic field that can be picked up by hearing aids. Other audio enhancement systems may use mobile phones, tablets or other devices to provide a service for those with hearing difficulties.

If you have an audio enhancement system installed at your public front of house areas, please click on Yes. You will be able to give details for performance spaces separately.

What type of audio enhancement system is it?

Please indicate which kind of audio enhancement system is installed in your venue.

When was the audio enhancement system last tested?

Please give the date (month and year) that the audio enhancement system was last tested.

Who tested the audio enhancement system last?

Please specify a company or individual in your organisation who tested the working order of the audio enhancement system most recently.

Would you like the Fringe Society to test your audio enhancement system?

Please let us know if you would like the Fringe Society to test your audio enhancement system; this is free of charge.

Is the audio enhancement system well signed so customers know which counter to go to?

It's important that people with hearing difficulties are made aware that there is an audio enhancement system within your venue. Please let us know if your hearing loop is well advertised, including on signs in your venue.

 

Babes in Arms

What is your Babes in Arms Policy?

Please select the usual policy that applies at your venue with regards to babies and young children and ticketing. This information will be used by our Box Office team when advising customers.

What age constitutes a baby at the venue?

Please define the age of baby that the above ticketing policy applies to.

If there are any exceptions to your policy for babies and young children for any particular shows, then please write these here.

If any of your shows have a different policy to your usual policy towards babies and children, please write the details here. For example, a show written specifically for young children can be assigned a different babes in arms policy than the rest of the shows at your venue.