I had a great time seeing Noah Kahan and his opener, Wild Rivers, at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland! I also went to 3 Arena to see Niall Horan a few weeks later and had an amazing time. However, there are some wheelchair accessibility issues that need to be addressed in order for disabled fans to have equitable experiences. This issue was covered in The Irish Times in 2017, and I am disappointed to see things have not changed.
Read this review on my Instagram here!
Accessible Ticket Sales in Ireland: I bought “accessible” tickets through Ticketmaster Ireland. In my 3 experiences in buying concert tickets in Ireland and the UK through Ticketmaster, accessible tickets come with the option of a free companion ticket! My friend and I each paid half of the price, and the fees were very minimal compared to the US. After purchasing my tickets through the Ticketmaster website, I received an email that said I had 3 weeks to submit proper documentation to Ticketmaster that I needed accessible tickets/a companion ticket, or my tickets would be canceled.
Providing Documentation: My primary care provider in the US wrote a letter for me. Once I submitted the documentation by replying to that email, it was saved to my Ticketmaster IE profile (a separate account from my Ticketmaster US account). When I purchased tickets for another concert through Ticketmaster IE, I didn’t have to submit further documentation.
Arriving at the Venue: I took the Dublin Bus to 3Arena, which has an automatic ramp and a wheelchair space on every bus. I entered through the concierge entrance, which leads you to the box office and is less crowded and easier to navigate than the entrance where most people go. Once we scanned our tickets in the box office, we went up an elevator that was located nearby. There is an image of the front of the venue with the concierge entrance.
Our Seats: The “accessible” area of the venue is one row along the sides behind the first tiered seated section (in red on the image below, beneath the images from my view). It consists of chairs that can easily be moved out of the way for a wheelchair. I arrived when doors opened, 90 minutes before the start of the opening act because the seats are first come first serve for some reason.
The first time I was here, I sat in section B, in the seat next to the aisle between B and C. When people were standing in their seats, I was unable to see. I was able to see the screens during the show, but only because I was sitting next to the stairs so I didn’t have anyone obstructing my view. This would not be the case for the majority of the “accessible” seats. Thankfully, to my surprise, the entire section remained seated for the majority of the concert- they did stand for about 4 of the biggest songs. This is not the case for similar concerts in the US. I was only able to see the stage thanks to the couple in front of me who stood in one seat. At first, the couple tried standing slightly in the aisle to allow me to see, but they were immediately instructed to move back to their seats. Overall, it did work out for me in this case. However, this is not an excuse for 3Arena to continue to provide this as the only option for “accessible” seating! Currently, 3Arena is not providing adequate access for disabled customers.
The second time I was here, I sat in section A, once again in the seat next to the aisle. I was able to see the stage well by looking down the aisle. Once again, the fans remained seated during the opener and for this show, only stood for the final song. Thankfully, the people sitting directly in front of me were short and I was still able to see for the final song.
Navigating the Venue: The venue was easy for me to navigate, and there were accessible bathrooms available. I saw 2, but I hope there are more. In Ireland, accessible bathrooms are typically single rooms that are separate from the women’s and men’s bathrooms. This was the case at 3Arena as well. The counters for concessions were slightly above my head, which is not ideal but I was able to make it work. The merch counter was at a lower height.
Leaving the Venue/Area: We were escorted by staff along the accessible row to an exit past section G. There was a very large elevator for people in wheelchairs and their companions to use. Additional staff blocked the stairs leading up to the accessible row so that wheelchair users could get to this elevator easily and quickly. The elevator was close to an exit which was right near The Point LUAS stop (Red Line). I took the LUAS (which has level entry and wheelchair spaces) to another stop and then transferred to a bus to get home. I was able to get on the LUAS first, so it was not crowded at the time. It did get extremely crowded before we left the venue, but the people around me were helpful when it was time for me to exit. I let them know a few minutes beforehand so that we were prepared when it was time for me to exit.
Concluding Thoughts: The staff was helpful and kind, which I appreciated greatly. I had a great time, but I feel I was uniquely positioned to do so since I was next to an aisle and had considerate fans in front of me, and for the second concert, the fans were short enough that I could see over (which is unlikely to be a regular occurrence me, as a short wheelchair user). In my opinion, 3Arena should remove the row in front of the accessible row so that seated patrons can have an unobstructed view, just as other patrons in seated rows have. I know that means less seating for fans, but they should have designed it correctly in the first place. I do not know how this design was approved. It is not fair for fans like me who can not stand.
