Overview

Fantastic music and great accessibility at ABBA Arena.

Transport & Parking

I drove to the ABBA Arena, I booked free accessible parking a few months before I attended the show by contacting the accessibility team by emailing them. The traffic was really bad driving to the arena and when we got there we got a little confused about where the accessible parking was, we drove past it once and had to drive around again to get back to the entrance. A staff member opened the gate for us to get into the accessible parking area however, there was a big speed bump that we had to go over as we drove in. I think it would be best to have a sign to warn people of the bump as it shook me about in the car a little too much. The accessible parking spaces were quite spacious, the ground was smooth enough for a wheelchair users to drive on and you went into a specific accessible entrance from the parking.

Access

It is all level access around the ABBA Arena and there are push buttons at the doors into the arena so you can enter and exit yourself. The view from where we were sitting was amazing and even when people were standing up I could still see over them. There was plenty of space around where we were sitting and after waiting a couple of minutes once the show had finished we were able to easily leave without too many people banging into in the crowd. The foyer area was very spacious outside the arena, the bar had a lower down area for wheelchair users to be able to pay for their own drinks. I would say the only area that was a little difficult to get access to was the merchandise shop as there were stalls showing what was on sale in front of it. Although staff were very helpful in moving things.

Toilets

I had looked at previous reviews before I visited ABBA Arena and I was very happy when I saw they had a Changing Places Toilet but, I was a little confused when I saw the images so I had to take a look for myself. I think this arena is built to be able to be taken down and built elsewhere so, the tracking hoist is not attached to the ceiling or the walls. Instead they are using what is called a gantry hoist. This is where a track is attached to two standing legs at either side. You should be able to see what I mean in the images below. It is a great way to have a Changing Places toilet without doing much structural changes to the building but I think it may need to be positioned differently because when I saw it the tracking hoist was not actually over the toilet. I’ve used a gantry hoist before and they are quite heavy but I don’t know if two people would be able to slide the whole hoist over to the toilet, of course before someone was attached to the hoist. Or if you could position the hoist over the toilet and the bed at the other side of the track, still allowing space in the middle for a wheelchair. The RADAR key was available to pick up at the cloak room which was right beside the Changing Places Toilet. There were also other accessible toilets but I didn’t have time to have a look at them.

Staff

All the staff within the ABBA Arena were amazing, they were really friendly and helpful with anything we needed. When we first arrived someone came straight over to my car to help us to our seats but, I don’t know if this was because we running late. During the show, they were super enthusiastic getting everyone up dancing when particular songs came on. Due to entering the area through the accessible entrance, I didn’t manage to get a photo in front of the main entrance where the light-up ABBA sign is. Even though once you exited the area you weren’t allowed to re-enter, we explained about the picture to the staff and they kindly let us out just to take the photo.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I would 100% recommend you go to see ABBA Voyage if you are in London, it is an amazing show. I contacted the accessibility team before I bought my ticket to ask if I could get 2 free carer tickets. They were quick to get back to me and said yes, I just had to provide proof that I needed 2 free carers.

Photos