Overview

We attended this fantastic event as part of a belated birthday celebration; it was part of the 'Under Canvas' summer festival of events at Eden Court Theatre and Cinema and the event that we attended was a 'global music D.J.' set, held in a marquee adjacent to the theatre. This was the first live music event I've attended since Lockdown began and I can't stress how well worth the wait it was. I was feeling nervous about mixing with people at an event like this but the Covid safe system that the staff employed, along with being in a tent and having an open air dance area, made me feel as reassured as I could have been at a public event. Capacity was limited and distancing was maintained around tables but this didn't affect the atmosphere at all and actually made it better for our party. It was just the perfect balance with music with universal appeal which crossed all age barriers. We had delicious pizza and drinks and the table service was really good too.

Transport & Parking

We drove there and there are eight disabled parking spaces available onsite; we had no problem parking, the road surface is tarmac and easy to negotiate. When the theatre is busy, it can be difficult to find a disabled parking space but I've always managed to park somewhere on site nonetheless. The theatre is about a 15-20 minute wheel/walk from both bus and train stations in the centre of Inverness.

Access

The theatre buiding itself is very accessible and the marquee floor, although slightly more uneven in bits, was not a problem for me in my powerchair. There was plenty of room to manouevre both around tables and on the dancefloor. Despite the obvious risks re. mixing with people on the dancefloor, the risks were minimalised due to it being outside and having less people crammed into a venue. There was a great balance of feeling safe and included at the same time.

Toilets

There is an accessible toilet available inside the theatre on the ground floor. When entering the theatre, there is a one-way system in place with hand sanitising stations and Covid Safe instructions. The toilet was very clean with room to manoeuvre, grab rails and a red cord.

Staff

The staff are amazing, helpful and friendly and added to the experience!

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The Track and Trace System was still in place when I visited and as mentioned above, there were hand sanitising stations and a one-way system into the building itself. Tables were distanced and capacity was controlled. Obviously dancing always has an element of Covid risk but as this area was outdoors in open air, I never felt in danger; I felt Eden Court did all that they could to balance everyone's health and enjoyment. I have to give a special mention to Karawane who were brilliant too and made me feel part of the crowd and included and truly represented 'dj's without borders' both in music and in community; thank you Karawane!

Photos