York Barbican Reviews Summary

Accessibility

Pros:

• "Fantastic wheelchair access & loo."
• "As a wheelchair user, I found the venue easy to get around."
• "Easy wheel hair access and parking."
• "Disabled access looked good to me, as you are able to remain ground floor level throughout the visit."
• "Lift access to get to balcony level if stairs are a struggle."
• "Staff were friendly and seating for disabled people was brilliant."
• "Access is great with level floors and working lifts."

Cons:

• "No facilities whatsoever for disabled people."
• "Once inside the only seating is very high bar stools impossible for disabled to use."
• "Also needs lift up to top floor or at least handrails on the steps to the upper tiers...very hard when you are slightly disabled."
• "The only gripe was the lack of any disabled parking."

Staff and Security

Pros:

• "Barbican Staff are all lovely, friendly and welcoming."
• "The staff as a whole were fantastic."
• "The security staff at the York Barbican were polite & professional, especially the women."
• "The experience was made even more enjoyable by the warm, welcoming and very polite team of staff."
• "Staff were all exceptionally welcoming and friendly on the occasions I've visited."
• "Staff are very friendly and helpful."
• "I really enjoyed my visit here, the seats were spacious enough and the staff were polite."

Cons:

• "Bouncers weren't very autism friendly, they were really rude."
• "Miserable unhelpful staff made finding cash difficult."
• "Alittle disorganized when I was seen into the arena, staff where not the friendliest."
• "We had problems with the staff at the venue some of whom didn't know there own rules."
• "Staff not helpful and some even rude."
• "Staff unfriendly."
• "Security staff are either passive aggressive at the wrong customers and then don't deal with disruption customers."

Facilities and Comfort

Pros:

• "Toilet facilities kept clean."
• "The foyer/ main bar area is spacious and is where people wait for the interior doors to open."
• "The seats were also comfy enough at first but did feel a bit cramped after an hour."
• "There were 2 bars offering a decent selection of drinks and snacks."
• "Plenty of merchandise to buy. Games to play while waiting. A large bar area so I wasn't waiting long for a drink."
• "Ventilation was good which is very important at this time."
• "The whole experience was great from arrival to the end of the concert."

Cons:

• "There's not much parking. The main car park, behind, has horrible queues to get out of after an event."
• "Parking across the street is ok but getting out is a pain took about 40mins to get out."
• "The seating feels temporary and far from comfortable."
• "You had to stand awkwardly to let people pass."
• "Once inside the main auditorium, the views of both tables are brilliant."
• "The venue was roasting hot. I tried to order water at the bar, so they pointed me to a big water tank. It was empty."
• "No cash accepted by the bar and yet it's still the slowest and most expensive drink you'll ever buy!"

Value and Experience

Pros:

• "No seat is a bad seat."
• "Really enjoyed seeing the Barenaked ladies band here."
• "The acoustics were excellent and I had a great view from row K."
• "The staff during the event were brilliant, interacted with us whilst we were in the queue."
• "Staff were amazing service wise."
• "The staff inside were extremely understanding of my difficulties and really amazed me by their services."
• "Great location, the barbican has great facilities, good seating and leg room, which is good for someone who is tall with long legs."

Cons:

• "Prices of drinks and sweets were astronomical."
• "On a technical level the acoustics in this venue are the worst ever, it's like sitting in a cladded cow shed!"
• "However, we were seated on the balcony and the steps from the first floor up were very, very steep."
• "No food or drink of any sort allowed."
• "Music very loud could hardly hear Dionne Warwick sing (or was that on purpose) venue smelt dreadfully of fried fish and the overall venue was far too hot."
• "Terrible seats!! Uncomfortable, and absolutely no leg room!!"
• "Drinks are astronomically priced - £15 for 2 drinks!"