Ticketing and entry
- Visitors with disabilities are welcome to purchase a concessions ticket and request a free ticket for a carer at info@theticketsellers.co.uk
- Visitors with disabilities are welcome to come to the front of the queue at other times.
- Sheltered seating areas are available if required.
- Visitors in wheelchair and mobility scooters are advised to arrive early (9:45am) on Sunday morning for priority access – the first hour of Sunday is generally the quietest time and provides the best access for people with mobility scooters and wheelchairs.
- Visitors with invisible illnesses are welcome to request priority entrance or assistance.
Getting to the venue
Buses
If you are coming to the venue by local bus, the nearest bus stops are outside Churchill Square shopping centre in Western Road. This is approx. 700 metres from the rear entrance to the venue. Please note that access is via West Street which is on a hill. All city buses operated by Brighton & Hove Buses are accessible for wheelchair users. They also operate a “yellow card” scheme where you can alert the bus driver to any specific needs (eg please tell me when I get to my stop/please wait for me to sit down before you set off). More information is available on the Brighton & Hove Buses website.
Train
If you are arriving by train you need to exit the station via the main exit at the front leading to Queens Road. From here there is step-free access to the seafront and the Brighton Centre. This is approx. 950 metres from the rear entrance to the venue. There is also a taxi rank outside the station should you need one.
Taxis
If you need to book an accessible taxi we recommend the following taxi firms, all of which have accessible taxis in their fleets:
- Brighton & Hove City Cabs: Tel 01273 205205 www.205205.com
- Brighton and Hove Radio Cabs: Tel 01273 204060 www.brightontaxis.com
- Brighton & Hove Streamline Taxis: Tel 01273 202020 www.streamlinetaxis.org
There are free taxi-phones that can be used to call a taxi inside the venue.
Parking
Blue Badge holders can park in the many accessible parking bays around the Brighton Centre. The nearest public car parks with accessible parking bays are:
Churchill Square Car Park (BN1 2RU)
Full information on the car park, including parking charges, is available on the Churchill Square website.
- The entrance to the car park is via West Street.
- Customers are advised to access this car park from the seafront road (Kings Road) as there is no right turn available if you are coming down West Street from the top of the road.
- The height restriction of the car park is 2.13 metres.
- Lighting in the car park is good.
- There are accessible parking bays on all levels of the car park, but customers are advised to park on the lowest level if possible (Parking Level P1).
- If you park on a different level you will need to use the accessible lift to take you down to Parking Level P1 in order to exit the car park.
- The distance from the car park exit to the venue is approx. 30 metres. There is level access across the road with dropped kerbs via the pedestrian crossing next to the car park exit. Assistance is available via a call button if you need help when paying.
Regency Square Car Park (BN1 2FG)
This car park is a good option if you wish to access the main entrance to the venue, which is on Kings Road on the seafront.
- The entrance to the car park is via Kings Road, opposite the old West Pier.
- The height restriction of the car park is 2.13 metres.
- This is an underground car park.
- Customers are advised to park on the lowest level for ease of exit.
- Please note there is no lift in the car park and a steep slope when exiting the car park.
- The distance from the car park to the venue is approx. 250 metres.
- There is a short incline on leaving the car park but then the journey to the venue is flat and level with dropped kerbs at each junction along the seafront to the venue.
- Assistance is available via a call button if you need help when paying. Lighting in the car park is good.
Please note that the car parks close to the venue can get very busy when shows finish and there may be a queue to exit.
Other parking options with accessible parking
A full list of accessible parking bays can be found on the Council’s dedicated parking page here where you will find a PDF that lists accessible bays in the city, the Brighton Centre is located in “Zone Z” and the closest bays are on West Street and Cannon Place
Blue Badge regulations apply to other on-street parking, e.g. yellow lines.
Further information about getting to the venue and parking is available here.
Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome at this event.
Venue facilities
Accessible Toilets
There are accessible toilets on all floors in both the main venue and the Syndicate Wing.
- All toilets have level entry
- All floor surfaces are smooth and anti-slip
- All areas are well lit
- The door clear opening width to all the toilets is 760mm
- The locks can be opened from outside in an emergency
- There is clear floor space in all the toilets up to 1200 x 1200mm
- There is right and left hand transfer to the WC
- The space beside the WC is 800mm
- Vertical rails are fitted beside the WC
- Most WC seats have lids
- The basin taps are lever taps
- Hot water temperature is controlled at the point of delivery
- There is a strobe light linked to the fire alarm
- There is an emergency cord
- There are colour contrasts between surfaces
- There is clear signage to all toilets
- There are baby changing facilities on the ground floor
- There are accessible toilets close to all accessible platforms
Lifts
Lifts are readily available at the venue for visitors with disabilities to go from one floor to another.
Sizes of all lifts are:
Door width – 1100mm
Floor depth – 1700mm
Floor width – 1950mm
- All lifts have audible announcements for each floor level.
- The signage inside the lifts includes pictograms
- The buttons in the lifts are tactile with Braille but the signage is not
- There is currently no inductive coupler in the lifts.
Ramps
There is a ramp connecting the main foyer on G/F to the Syndicate Wing. The ratio of the ramp is 1:15. The floor surface of the ramp is carpeted, and the lighting levels at the ramp are good.
Talks
In each talks room with rows of seating, seats will be made available for visitors with disabilities in the front row of the talks rooms, and spaces for wheelchairs/mobility scooters made available. Anyone who is hard of hearing, or has a disability, and requires front-row seating, should make themselves known to event staff / stewards manning the talks room in question, and priority seating will be arranged.
BSL interpretation is available at a number of talks and cookery demos – visit the page here for the sessions with BSL interpretation.
Quiet Spaces
The Brighton Centre is a compact venue and therefore does get very busy however, some areas are quieter than others.
Of the main bars the West Bar on 1/F is generally quieter and seating is available. The venue medical room is also located off the West Bar and can be used as a quiet space.
Emergencies
In the event of an emergency, there will be both an audible alarm in all areas, as well as flashing lights in the main auditorium and strobe lights in the accessible toilets. Venue stewards will ensure the safe exit of all people.
The venue has Evacuation Chairs available. These have a safe working load of 136kgs, and venue staff are trained to use them.
All areas of the venue have emergency evacuation plans including the accessible areas.
Venue staff are fully trained in the evacuation of the venue and each accessible area has a specially trained venue staff who is able to evacuate people from the accessible areas.
Shopmobility in Brighton
There is a Shopmobility service available in Brighton. The service is available from three locations: Churchill Square Car Park, Kemptown and London Road. To book please call 01273 323239 for more information. Normal opening times are Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. Winter times are subject to change. More information is available from the Shopmobility website.
Further questions
If you have any requests, concerns, or questions please email info@vegfest.co.uk in advance of the event, thanks.
For full accessibility info from the venue, read the venue’s Access Statement here.