Another great gig at Celtic Connections
4
4
Date of visit: January 2019
I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Good
It was fabulous to be part of the audience for the BBC Radio Scotland young Traditional Musician of the year 2019! The show featured six phenomenal finalists in this traditional Scottish music competition. The Glasgow City Halls is a great venue with lots of traditional character to the building. It is situated within the Merchant City area of Glasgow. For Wheelchair users this is quite a pleasant area to navigate as there are quite a few dropped kerbs and pedestrian areas. The venue itself has quite a few heavy manual doors which I found only manageable. I am not sure if I approached the venue from the wrong side but found myself having to do a complete circle of the outside of the building to find the accessibile entrance. There is a multi storey car park on the same street as the city halls , however this may be difficult for vehicles with a high roof. There is also an open air car park on one not too far from the Halls. This is quite rough ground with pot holes at a cost of 6 pounds for 12 hours this may be cheaper than elsewhere.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
Heavy manual doors make access thoughout the building difficult without help. The doors within the corridors are magnetic and so will stay open by themselves unless the fire alarm goes off. The lift to take yo between floors is excellent as it is huge inside.
Parking & Transport
Good
I would normally travel up to Glasgow by train however as there was disruption on the railway I drove up by car with the help of my Mum. We parked in the St Enoch Centre car park which was ideal as it is open air and so no height restriction. Only thing is you have to have the right change availabile for the car park meter. Alternatively you can call Ring Go from your mobile and pay over the phone. Telephone number on parking meter. There are also also accessible and changing places toilets available within the St Enoch centre.
Accessible Toilets
Good
Toilets are accessible however the space within the toilet is very cramped I was pleasantly surprised to see that the emergency cord was hanging free to the floor. Well done city hall!
Staff
Good
Overall staff were pleasant and helpful the staff at the main entrance were slow to respond when we asked for help and directions as they were busy dealing with other customers.
Additional Information
This was a great visit to a lovely venue and a fantastic night of entertainment. The one thing I will mention is that during the interval of a performance, there is a bell that rings along with an announcement asking the audience to return to their seats. This made me jump a few times as it sounds like a fire bell and may be confusing for anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing so please try not to panic if you hear it
