Accessibility

Facilities and accessible seating

The War Memorial Opera House is accessible through the Van Ness Avenue, Grove Street and North Courtyard entrances.

Elevators to the fourth floor are available in the northeast and southeast corners of the building. There is no elevator service to the 5th floor Balcony level.

Restrooms are available on each floor of the Opera House, except the main floor, Orchestra level. Wheelchair accessible restrooms are located on the Lower level, Box level, Grand Tier, Dress Circle and Balcony level. There are no accessible restrooms on the 5th floor Balcony level.

For information about ramp access, please see below.

Wheelchair and Accessible Seating

Accommodations for patrons in wheelchairs or patrons with disabilities and their companions or attendants can be made by calling (415) 864-3330. Wheelchair accessible seating is also available to purchase online.

Please let our Box Office know if your wheelchair status changes to ensure your seating will be correct when you arrive.

Accessible Seat Types

Four accessible seat types are available. Please call the Box Office at (415) 864-3330 if you would like more information.

• Bariatric Seat: These seats are wider and can support more weight.
• Wheelchair space—no seat: These spaces have no physical seat; they are spaces that can accommodate a wheelchair. Wheelchairs 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 needs.
• Accessible seat—no stairs: No stairs are needed to reach these seats.
• Movable armrests: These seats have armrests that can be tilted upright for easier access to the seat.

Accessible Zone Definitions

Because the War Memorial Opera House is a historic building, not all sections are wheelchair accessible. We match the prices of these inaccessible sections in accessible areas of the Opera House. The locations are described below and shown in our PDF seat map.

• Wheelchair Access @ Orchestra 4 (ORC4) Price: wheelchair accessible tickets at the same price as the Orchestra 4. Located in row S on the sides of the main floor and in the center sections of the last row of the main floor.
• Wheelchair Access @ Balcony Circle (BC2) Price: wheelchair accessible tickets at the same price as the Balcony Circle 2. Located in the last row of the main floor on the left and right side as you face the stage; they are not located in the Balcony Circle.
• Wheelchair Access @ Balcony 1 (BAL1) Price: wheelchair accessible tickets at the same price as the Balcony 1. Located in the last row of the Dress Circle in the center sections as you face the stage; they are not located in the Balcony.
• Wheelchair Access @ Balcony 2 (BAL2) Price: wheelchair accessible tickets at the same price as the Balcony 2. Located in the last row of the Dress Circle on the left side as you face the stage; they are not located in the Balcony.
• Wheelchair Access @ Balcony 3 (BAL3) Price: Wheelchair accessible tickets at the same price as the Balcony 3. Located in the last row of the Dress Circle on the right side as you face the stage; they are not located in the Balcony.

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. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website as defined by Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act  and level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user-friendly for all people.

In the meantime should you experience any difficulty in accessing the our website, please don’t hesitate to email patronservices@sfopera.com.