Access Information
Everyone is welcome through our doors. A concert, a music class, just somewhere to hang out – whatever brings you to The Glasshouse we want you to enjoy your visit.
On this page, you’ll find information about our building, our facilities and what to expect from your visit. If you need anything that isn’t here, our Box Office team are always happy to help answer any question.
We’ve achieved Gold on Attitude is Everything’s Live Events Access Charter and are committed to making sure our venue is accessible for everyone.
Contact us
Email: boxoffice@theglasshouseicm.org
Telephone: 0191 443 4661
Visit: our Box Office desk is open when the building is open.
Opening times: check when we’re open to plan your visit.
About our building
The Glasshouse is a large building but one we hope will feel like home when you step inside. If it’s your first time visiting us, here’s a bit more information about the building itself.
- We’re located above the banks of the River Tyne, meaning you get great views of Newcastle, but we’re at the top of a small hill. There are lots of different ways to get here, depending on how you need to travel. You’ll find some of our recommended routes in the Travel section on this page.
- We have two entrances into the building – one on the Tyne Bridge side (next to a ramped pavement up from Shore Road), and one facing the Millennium Bridge (with steps up from Baltic Square).
- Both entrances into the building are step-free with wheelchair accessible doors.
- Our building is step-free, front and back of house. That includes our Box Office, toilets, performance spaces, café, restaurant and bars. It also includes our dressing rooms and stages. We have accessible toilets on every floor, including some with changing tables, hoists and showers.
- Our Car Park with lift access is right behind the building. We’ve got priority spaces for Blue Badge holders next to entrances to The Glasshouse, as well as in the main car park.
- Dogs are very welcome in our public spaces. If you need to bring your assistance dog into a performance space, that’s fine too. Get in touch with our Box Office team and they’ll be able to help with any arrangements and advise on nearby dog spending areas.
Our Access Scheme
Joining our free Access Scheme means you can quickly and easily find the best available seats and tickets for you to enjoy great live music and classes. You’ll be able to order tickets online, over the phone or in person.
If you have any access requirements, you can register for our Access Scheme by answering a few questions and sharing some supporting documents, such a Recognised Assistance Dog ID card, front page of your PIP or DLA. You can find a full list on our Access Scheme page.
We then make an account for you, with all your details stored safely on file, ready for when you next book.
Once you’re registered, you’ll also be able to get free Personal Assistant (PA) tickets whenever you come to see a performance.
How to apply
To join, ask our Box Office team for a form on your next visit, download the form to print at home, or complete the form online.
If you need any help with your application, our Box Office team are happy to help.
Seating in our venue
We have two main performance spaces in our building with different layouts. You can find photographs and descriptions of the seating layouts on our Seating Plan.
Sage One: seats are 46cm wide and have fixed arm rests.
Sage Two: seats are 52cm wide. Most of the seats have fixed arm rests except in the centre of Level 1. If you’re attending a ‘cabaret’ style show, seating layouts might change – our Box Office team will be able to let you know what options are available.
Concourse: you’ll find lots of seating options from single chairs to booth style benches.
If you’re attending an event in any other space and would like to check seat sizes, call us on 0191 443 4661.
Travel guide
Arriving by car
Our accessible parking spots are always free no matter how long you stay. Simply scan your Blue Badge at the payment machines – located at street level (ground floor) and car park level (level 1). You’ll find our Car Park right behind our building which is accessible by lift from street level. Read more about Parking at The Glasshouse.
Take a taxi
You’ll find a taxi drop-off point right next to our Tyne Bridge entrance in the turning circle.
Using public transport
Free Metro travel: if you’ve got tickets for a performance, for two hours before and after your concert, you can travel to and from Gateshead Metro station (including on the Shields Ferry) for free. Just show your ticket and you’re ready to go.
By train: the nearest station to us is Newcastle Central.
By bus: find all the latest info on local bus routes and the nearest available bus stop on the Go North East website.
Step-free routes
We’ve created a couple of short films to help you plan the best step-free route from our Car Park, Gateshead Interchange (for bus or Metro) and Newcastle Central Station (for train or Metro).
We’ll be adding more routes and detail to this section soon but if you have any questions to help plan your journey, get in touch with our Box Office team.
From our car park
From Gateshead Interchange
From Newcastle Central Station
Arriving at The Glasshouse
You’ll always get a warm welcome whenever you arrive at The Glasshouse but we know it’s useful to know what to expect, especially if it’s your first visit.
What to expect when you visit The Glasshouse
- You’ll be greeted by one of our team wearing bright blue t-shirts. They’ll check your ticket if you’re coming to see a concert.
- Our Box Office desk is by the Tyne Bridge entrance. There will also be an Information Desk at each entrance where you’ll find members of staff who can answer any questions you might have, or point you in the right direction of where you need to be.
- If you’re coming to a Make Music class in the Foyle Music Centre, you need to head to the lower level of the building. You can get there by lift or stairs next to the Café.
Pre-visits and early access
- If you want to visit the venue before an event, one of our team will be happy to arrange that. We can show you the concert hall where you’ll be for your gig, and any other spaces you might need to see. If that’s something you’d find helpful, give us a call and we can book a visit in.
- On the day of your concert, we can help you avoid queues and crowds by seating you before everyone else comes into the venue.
Quiet spaces
Let one of our team know if you need help finding a quiet spot from the hustle and bustle if you’re visiting on a busy day.
We’re working on having a dedicated Quiet Room soon.
Toilets
This accessible toilet is located on level One and is equipped with a hoist, changing table and shower.
We have male and female designated toilet facilities on every level and gender neutral toilets on our main Concourse. You’ll find multiple accessible toilets on each floor.
In addition, there is an accessible toilet on the first floor of the building’s west side (Millennium Bridge side), equipped with a hoist, changing table and shower. The nearest Sage One door is E.
Access to performances
We want everyone to enjoy the show and do our best to offer support and a range of performances accessible to everyone.
Strobe lights and haze: we’ll always include a sign outside the venue if a performance contains visual effects like haze, stroboscopic lighting or other forms of flashing lights. We try to share this information on the event listing on our website as soon as we can – but we get this information from artists, and sometimes they only let us know on the day. If you’re affected by these effects, call our Box Office and we can help get you the answers you need wherever possible.
Ear defenders: if the noise gets a bit much for you, ask one of our Customer Experience Team or at Box Office for ear plugs or over-head ear defenders.
Relaxed performances: we have a number of relaxed performances throughout the year. We keep the houselights on and the doors open so you can come and go as you please. We’ll let you know if there are any loud noises and there won’t be an interval. There will also be a chill out room near the performance venue.
Supporting your medial requirements
You’re welcome to bring medicines, food and drink with you to help manage medical conditions. If you need to bring additional bags or medical equipment into the venue, let us know ahead of your visit and we’ll make a plan with you. We have a bag policy to keep everyone safe and have restrictions on size of bags allowed into venues but we’re happy to make exceptions for medical or access requirements.
If you have accessible requirements and want to discuss a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP), contact our Box Office ahead of your visit.
Our team receive first aid training and can help in an emergency – or if you just need some help.
Access riders for artists
We want everyone to have what they need to thrive when they’re at The Glasshouse. That’s why we use Access Riders for our artists and musicians.
We think it’s important to be the ones to start the conversation when it comes to access. Our Access Rider allows all visiting artists to tell us about their access requirements.
We wanted to make our Access Rider available to other organisations, venues, artists and promoters. Anyone is free to use or adapt the template if it’s helpful for their work.