Spend a Night at the Hollywood Bowl

Accessible Entertainment, Events, Resources
Captions at Hollywood Bowl. Photo by Nancy Mullen Gray

Captions at Hollywood Bowl. Photo by Nancy Mullen Gray

Have you ever wanted to enjoy a night of music under the stars at one of L.A.’s favorite landmarks, but thought your hearing loss would make it impossible? Never fear; open-captions are available upon request for every show at the Hollywood Bowl! And the seats are great, too.  Read on for a primer about how to enjoy a night on the town.

GENERAL

  • Thanks in part to the work of theAdvocacy Committee of the Hearing Loss Association of America – Los Angeles Chapter, the Hollywood Bowl has offered “on demand” real-time captions for most shows for the past few years.
  • Seating in Section K3 has been set aside for providing captions. This is a box about two-thirds up the hill from the stage, on the far left side. There’s a large screen directly in front of the box, which broadcasts action from the stage (the screen may not be used for some shows; it depends on the artist).
  • Two flat screen monitors for captions are affixed to the railing at either side of the box; they’re slightly below eye level.
  • The box has two rows of metal folding chairs, with at least 10 chairs per row. There’s a third row of chairs just outside the box.
  • Tickets have assigned seat numbers. The ushers can, at times, be a little rigid about this. If you need the best view of the captions, request that your seat be either on the far left or right of section K3, in the front row.
  • http://www.hollywoodbowl.com

TICKETS

  • Tickets must be ordered through the Hollywood Bowl Accessibility Office, either by phone, by fax or in person.
  • Don’t order tickets directly from the website. Ticketmaster now handles online ticket orders, and you won’t be able to request captions, or the discounted prices.
  • Tickets can be mailed or held for pick up at the Will Call window.
  • https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/visit/accessibility

2018 PRICING

  • In section K3, with captions, tickets are the same cost as the lowest priced bleachers for that show. These prices are for Bowl-produced shows only.
  • To order tickets at these prices, there must be someone in your party needing captions.
  • Prices for leased events are offered at regular prices. Leased events are indicated on the Bowl’s online and print calendar.
  • Bowl produced shows: Tues-Wed-Thurs – $1 / Fri & Sun – $14 / Sat – $17 (subject to change)

ORDERING BY PHONE

  • Call the Bowl’s Accessibility Office at 213-850-2125
  • Hours are Tues-Sun 11am-5pm
  • Call at least one month in advance to request captions. Tickets must be ordered at the time captions are requested.
  • Be sure to specify seats in section K3, with real-time captions.
  • In general, there’s a $5 handling fee per ticket when ordering by phone. This can vary with the cost of the ticket.

ORDERING BY FAX

  • Send a fax to Hollywood Bowl Accessibility Services; 323-850-2155
  • There is a $16 total handling fee for ordering by fax, no matter how many tickets are ordered.
  • Include:
    • notation that tickets are for section K3 with real-time captions
    • indicate that seats should be directly in front of either monitor showing captions (if required)
    • number of tickets
    • name of performer
    • date of performance
    • ticket price
    • your name, phone, email, billing and shipping address
    • credit card information
    • Again, request tickets at least one month in advance for captions. Tickets are sent 1-2 days after fax order is received.

GETTING TO THE BOWL

There is a designated drop-off and pick-up spot if you’re taking Uber, Lyft or a taxi.

Park & Ride or Bowl Shuttle tickets can be purchased either when you buy your show tickets, or separately online. There are Park & Ride locations throughout Los Angeles. Tickets are $7 round trip.

  • Check online for a location near you, and for bus times.
  • There’sa $1.25 handling charge per ticket, when ordered online or by fax.
  • Tickets can be printed at home. You need to set up a free L.A. Phil email/password account to process the order.
  • These tickets are $12 cash when boarding the bus.
  • It’s best to order tickets in advance, to ensure a seat.
  • http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/visit/getting-to-the-bowl

OTHER ACCESSIBILITY

  • The Bowl provides wheelchair service to and from seats, if needed. The check-in area is in the Plaza near the box office. Leave your name, seat number and parking/shuttle details with the attendant.
  • They’ll get you to your seat, come back at intermission if requested, and retrieve you after the show. It can take 10-20 minutes for the wheelchair attendant to come for you at the end of the night.
  • You’ll be taken to a staging area to wait for a golf cart ride down the hill to the plaza area.
  • The best part is, you won’t have to rush down the hill and across the street to catch the shuttle buses within the allotted 25 minutes.
  • Even if you don’t need a wheelchair, you can still board the return bus from the plaza area. Make your way down the hill, where the last buses of the night will come in. The wait may be up to an hour post-show.
  • You can either walk down the hill, or go to the staging area to check in and ride a golf cart down. The staging area is at the far right side of the walkway leading to section K3, near the restrooms and mini-gift shop. The wait time at the staging area can be 20-30 minutes.