Access to the front of the theatre is via six steps with a handrail or a pavement ramp. Level access is also available through the side entrance to the Café.

Wheelchair users
Access is available to the Stalls to the stalls directly from street level. Our customer services team will be happy to assist on arrival.

Arriving by car
Please note that there are double yellow lines outside the theatre on Nicolson Street, with parking restrictions from 8am–9.15am and 4.30pm–6pm. While there are no designated Blue Badge spaces on Nicolson Street, single yellow lines and Pay & Display bays are available on nearby side streets.

Accessible parking and drop-off
A limited number of spaces are available in the theatre’s courtyard. These must be booked in advance by calling Stage Door on 0131 662 1112 or emailing stagedoor@capitaltheatres.com. Please provide your name, registration, and the performance you’re attending. Spaces are limited, so early booking is recommended, especially for matinees.

Lifts
Inside the Festival Theatre, all levels are accessible by lift. Lifts are equipped with voice synthesisers for additional support.

The Box Office is situated in the foyer of the Festival Theatre and has a drop counter.

Booking tickets
Tickets can also be booked online, by phone on 0131 529 6000, or by using Text relay on 18002 0131 529 6003.

Specific access requirements
If you have any specific seating requirements please let the box office know when you book your tickets and we’ll be very happy to assist.

At the Festival Theatre, all seats are 45cm wide.

The Stalls has the best opportunity for leg room, and the entirety of Row R looks onto an aisle and has no seats directly in front, making it most suitable for people who require additional leg room. There are also many seats on an aisle – please refer to our seating plan or ask a member of Box Office to advise.

Our Stalls seats have a back 51cm high and have 50cm of legroom. Stalls seats are 43cm high off the floor.

Dress Circle seat backs are 51cm high and have 42cm of legroom, except for Row M which has 35cm legroom.

In the Upper Circle, seat backs are 40cm high. Rows A – F have 40cm legroom, and rows G – L have 37cm legroom.

All of our auditorium seats have arm rests that do not move.

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

Please let us know all of your requirements at the time of booking. To book a wheelchair space, please call the Box Office on 0131 529 6000; this will help us to prepare for your visit.

For extra assistance we offer the use of the theatre wheelchair. To pre-book a theatre wheelchair, please call 0131 622 8109.

Ear defenders are available and can be collected from the merchandise desk which is located on the first floor, stalls level 1.

The Festival Theatre has a Sennheiser infrared system available in central areas of the auditorium. Box Office will happily advise you on the best seats for reception. Headsets can be collected, free of charge, from the cloakroom on the lower ground floor mezzanine. A Sennheiser personal loop system is available for hearing aid users.

Please note that at some performances, audio equipment, headsets and adapters are in high demand but we will do all we can to accommodate your needs.

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

We also have single occupancy toilets on level 1, either side of the Founders Room. 

If you need any help locating toilets please do not hesitate to ask anyone wearing a black Capital Theatres t-shirt. 

Assistance dogs are most welcome at our venues. We will be pleased to look after them during the performance if required. We also provide water bowls.

This visual resource has been specially created for anyone who would like additional support or information about visiting the theatre. This might include people with autism, learning difficulties, sensory disorders, first time visitors or those whose first language is not English.

Download visual guide here

The Festival Theatre Café on the ground floor has level access, and all bars have lift access.

We sell refreshments from 90 minutes before the show and during intervals. Complimentary free water stations are available throughout the venue.

Our Front of House staff will be happy to order a taxi after the performance for those with mobility issues.

We know that visiting somewhere new can sometimes feel daunting. If it would help, you are welcome to come and look around the theatre before your event.

A member of our team will walk you through the spaces you’ll use on the day — from the foyer and bars to the auditorium, toilets and quiet areas. It’s a chance to see the building, ask questions and feel more at ease ahead of your visit.

If you feel like this would benefit you or someone in your party, please email foh@capitaltheatres.com to organise a visit.

Many of the shows that come to Capital Theatres provide Audio Described performances for those who are visually impaired. This service uses the Sennheiser infrared system such that you can utilise one of our headsets to have the visual elements of the performance described to you throughout.

In conjunction with the Audio Description performances, we also offer touch tours beforehand such that you can touch various elements of the set, props and costumes, to further contextualise the performance.

Use the Audio Description filter on the What’s on page to find relevant performance times.

We generally present sign language interpreted performances on Saturday matinees of week long shows, with the interpreter standing at the front of the stage such that deaf or hard of hearing audience members can follow the spoken narrative alongside the visual elements of the performance.

Seats in the stalls generally provide the best view of the BSL interpreter, and box office can advise of this further in your booking process.

Use the BSL – British Sign Language filter on the What’s on page to find relevant performance times.

Captioned performances generally take place on Thursday evenings of week long shows and they work similarly to subtitles on a film, with caption screens on either side of the stage with the text appearing as its being spoken by the performers.

This function aids deaf or hard of hearing audience members to follow the the spoken narrative alongside the visual elements of the performance.

Use the Captioned filter on the What’s on page to find relevant performance times.

Some of our key associate companies including Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera and the annual Pantomime create relaxed performances of their large scale productions.

These performances are designed to make you feel welcome, relaxed and well-supported, we’ll have lots of trained staff on hand to help with any access needs, anyone can feel free to make noise and move around the auditorium, we’ll keep the lights on, but dimmed to reduce anxiety, and we’ll provide break out spaces with a live stream of the show so that if people feel the need to leave the auditorium they won’t miss the action.

Use the Relaxed performances filter on the What’s on page to find performances.