Overview

My wife and I have been to the Manchester Arena multiple times and are normally accommodated in accessibility section of Block 105 which is great as it it is tiered into 2 section with a front row for those with are ambulant of have hidden disabilities (as you have to walk down a step which isn't too steep) and a section for wheelchairs and their companion on the row behind all of which offer a great view of the stage. However, when we went to see Shinedown & Alter Bridge we were in Block 109 within the accessibility section. Having not sat in this section before we assumed that the set up would be similar to our previous experiences. How wrong we were. When we arrived we noticed it was one long section with no permanent seats which meant as a result the event staff had to bring out fold down chairs for those who required them. The section was packed with a variety of different sized wheelchairs along with their companions. Their was very little space for a wheelchair user to manoeuvre out of their spot easily without having to ask the 3 people either side to move over. We were placed with very little room to move and I started to feel claustrophobic immediately. We asked the event staff if there was anywhere else we could move, She eventually pointed us a small raised area behind where we were sat that was more suitable to my needs and this is where we watch the show from. The only other problem with this seating arrangement is you feel miles away from the stage so didn't necessarily feel part of the action Having been to the fantastic First Direct Arena in Leeds, I found the disabled view spot to be old and dated. Leeds has a singled level accessibility seating that runs the whole length of the arena. Whilst there is not permanent seating in these seating areas, they number the spaces within each section which gives you more space and do no feel like you are sat on top of each other.

Transport & Parking

We drove and parked up on a street about 10 minutes walk from the entrance to the Arena, however there is a car park attached to the arena and Metrolink Trams run into Victoria station which is right next door to the Arena.

Access

We had to collect our tickets from the Show Day Box Office as we had misplaced ours at home. It is not clearly signposted where the box office is and as a result we found ourselves walking around the outer perimeter to try and find it. There are lifts available to take you to concourse level and there is a specific queue for accessibility ticket holders to get through security without having to join the large queues. The entrances to the seating area is quite narrow and the doors can be difficult to open. Also trying to get out at the end of the show can be tricky if others who are in the general seating starting also use the same set of door to exit into the concourse

Toilets

Manchester Arena have an accessibility toilet in every main toilet section for both men and women. There are also a number of larger toilets that are operated by Radar key. The toilets were relatively close to where we were sat. However I found the the accessible toilet was open to abuse due to their only being 3 cubicles within the Mens toilets and when I went to use it towards the end of the night, I found that the baby change table had been opened, the Red Cord had been pulled around the toilet flush handle and toilet roll had been left on the floor making it difficult to walk around due to the floor also being wet.

Staff

The box office staff where very helpful both on the phone and in person although I wish I could of specified tickets in 105 rather than where we ended up sitting. Staff on the lifts and security where very nice and we were directed towards the correct queue and direction in which our seats where located. The member of staff in the seating area was helpful in suggesting for us to seat behind where we were initially positioned but when I thanked her for her assistance she just grunted as though it was an inconvenience for us to have asked to move.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Manchester Arena is still a great venue to watch live music but it is starting to show signs of its age. The fact the accessible section we were sat in was so cramped until we moved proved to me that they could do with looking at a better system to ensure everybody has enough space. When you compare the disabled facilities to ones at newer venues such as the First Direct Arena, it really shows it age and even when compared to a venue of a similar age such as the Sheffield Arena, Manchester Arena falls down the list of venues that you could consider as truly accessible.

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