Accessibility
Accessing the Opera House
The War Memorial Opera House has three public entrances during performances.
Van Ness Avenue
Grove Street
North Carriage entrance
All three entrances are accessible by wheelchair and without stairs. During normal business hours, when there is not a performance, only the Van Ness entrance is available. The wheelchair ramp at the Van Ness entrance is located to the left of the large staircase.
Patrons can be dropped off and picked up at 301 Van Ness for the main Van Ness entrance, on Grove Street, or behind the Opera House at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Fulton Street to access the Carriage entrance.
If using a rideshare app, use the address 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102 as the location of the Opera House. This will drop you off at our main Van Ness entrance.
After evening performances, we offer guided walking groups to the UC Law Parking garage and the Civic Center BART station, for those who don’t wish to walk alone. Those groups meet 15 minutes after curtain outside the Van Ness entrance.
Facilities
Once inside the house, there are elevators in the northeast and southeast corners of the building. These elevators access every floor, but the 5th floor Balcony which requires stairs. The elevator operator can help guide you to the correct floor for your seats.
If you can use the stairs, we encourage you to do so. This kindness allows those with the most need to access the elevators in a timely manner.
Restrooms are available on each floor of the Opera House, except the 1st floor, Orchestra level. Accessible restrooms are on every level except the 1st floor Orchestra Level and the 5th floor Balcony level. Please save the accessible stalls for the patrons who need them.
There is an accessible all-gender restroom on the third floor.
For deaf or hard of hearing patrons, you can call SF Opera Box Office through CA Dial TTY at 711: or call 1-800-735-2922 (English) or 1-800-855-3000 (Spanish). The phone number to access is 415-864-3330.
Accessible drinking fountains are located on all floors except the Balcony level.
Wheelchair and Accessible Seating
Accommodations for patrons in wheelchairs, or patrons with disabilities, and their companions can be made online or by calling (415) 864-3330.
If your accessible seating needs change, please call the Box Office to ensure that your seats meet your needs when you arrive.
We offer the following accessible seats:
- Wheelchair space—no seat: These spaces have no physical seat; they are spaces that can accommodate a wheelchair. These are located in the Orchestra Level and the last row of the Dress Circle. Wheelchairs and other personal assistive mobility devices are not provided by either San Francisco Opera or the War Memorial Performing Arts Center.
- Accessible companion seat: These are seats for those accompanying a patron with accessible seating needs.
- Accessible seat—no stairs: No stairs are needed to reach these seats. These seats are located in the Orchestra level and the last row of the Dress Circle.
- Transfer Seats: These seats have armrests that move for easier access into the seat. These are located in the Orchestra level and the Grand Tier.
- Bariatric Seats: These seats are wider and can support more weight. There are a limited number of these seats available on Orchestra Level and in the Dress Circle.
The War Memorial Opera House is a historic building, and while not all sections are accessible, we offer accessible seats at a range of viewing angles and prices. The locations are described below and shown in our PDF seat map.
On the Orchestra Level we offer wheelchair and accessible seats at the Orchestra 4 price and the Balcony Circle 2 price. To access these seats with a wheelchair, patrons enter the theater through the accessible ramp on the North Carriage side of the house. The outside aisles are ramps that lead down to row S or back to the Standing Room area. From there, patrons can access the internal aisles to get to row ZZ or the other side of the house. There are also ramp entrances on the Grove Street side for patrons who cannot use stairs.
In the Dress Circle we offer wheelchair and accessible seating in row L. These seats are our most affordable option at the same prices found in the Balcony 1, 2 and 3 sections. To access these seats, patrons must take the elevator to the 3rd floor and then the Dress Circle from the rear.
Patron Wheelchair Assistance Guidelines
- The War Memorial Complex is unable to provide patrons with a wheelchair or personal assistance to navigate around the Opera House, Davies Symphony Hall or the Veterans Building venues.
- If you will be arriving in a wheelchair, and require assistance with activities of daily living, including transferring to and from a wheelchair, your caregiver will be granted un-seated entry to assist you and then wait in the lobby for the performance to conclude.
- Only in the case of unforeseen medical needs can our house EMTs provide medical assistance and/or transport.
Fraud: The Department of Justice has recognized that there has been ticketing fraud in relation to the purchasing of accessible seats and has recently enacted federal laws to protect the rights of patrons with disabilities. San Francisco Opera strives to be in full compliance with these laws.
Other Services
Assistive listening devices are available for hearing-impaired patrons at the North or South Lobby coat check. ID deposit is required.
Text-to-Voice Supertitles: Live Titles, headsets that provide a spoken version of the projected supertitles, are available at the North Lobby coat check. A major credit card or driver’s license is required for deposit.
Large print cast and synopsis sheets are available at the North and South Lobby coat checks for performances where program books are available.
WEBSITE accessibility
San Francisco Opera is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. To provide a website that is as accessible as possible, we strive to substantially conform our website to the WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
In the meantime should you experience any difficulty in using the our website, please don’t hesitate to email patronservices@sfopera.com.
