Museum, theater and performing arts venue website accessibility: tickets, seat maps and visit details

Museums, galleries, community theaters, concert halls and performing arts venues sell tickets, memberships and donations online, and many visitors with disabilities plan every detail of a visit on the website first: which performance has captions or audio description, where wheelchair seats are, how far it is from the parking to the entrance. If the seat map only works with a mouse, the show calendar is an image, or access details are buried in a PDF, those visitors give up or call. Here's what to check.

1. Show calendars and event listings

Season brochures posted as an image or PDF can't be read aloud or zoomed. Put each show or exhibition on the page as text with a heading, dates, times, price and any access features (captioned, audio-described, relaxed or sensory-friendly performance, ASL-interpreted). Filters such as "Family" or "Captioned" need real buttons or checkboxes, and the number of results should be announced when the list changes. (WCAG 1.3.1, WCAG 1.4.5, WCAG 4.1.3)

<fieldset>
  <legend>Show only performances with</legend>
  <label><input type="checkbox" name="access" value="captions"> Open captions</label>
  <label><input type="checkbox" name="access" value="ad"> Audio description</label>
  <label><input type="checkbox" name="access" value="relaxed"> Relaxed performance</label>
</fieldset>
<p role="status" aria-live="polite" id="show-count"></p>
<!-- after filtering, put text such as "3 performances match" in #show-count (example) -->

2. Seat maps and "best available"

A clickable seat map is one of the hardest things on the web to use without sight or a mouse. Seats shown as coloured dots with no names, and wheelchair or companion seats marked only by an icon or colour, block screen reader and colour-blind users. Always offer a keyboard-usable alternative next to the map: a "best available" picker with a section dropdown, a seat count, and an option for wheelchair-space and companion seats, plus a phone number for the box office. (WCAG 2.1.1, WCAG 4.1.2, WCAG 1.4.1, WCAG 1.1.1)

<label for="section">Section</label>
<select id="section" name="section">
  <option>Orchestra, $38</option>
  <option>Balcony, $24</option>
</select>
<label for="seats">Number of seats</label>
<input id="seats" name="seats" type="number" min="1" max="8" value="2">
<label><input type="checkbox" name="wheelchair"> Include a wheelchair space and a companion seat</label>
<!-- example values -->

Most venues use a ticketing platform for this. Ask the provider for its accessibility conformance report (often called a VPAT) and what keyboard alternative it offers to the seat map; see VPATs explained and our booking widget test.

3. Timed tickets and checkout timers

"Your seats are held for 10 minutes" countdowns can push out people who type slowly or use assistive technology. Warn people before the hold runs out and let them extend it, give every checkout field a visible label and autocomplete, write specific error messages, and don't make people retype details they already gave. (WCAG 2.2.1, WCAG 3.3.2, WCAG 1.3.5, WCAG 3.3.1, WCAG 3.3.7)

<div role="alert" id="hold-warning">
  Your seats are held for 2 more minutes.
  <button type="button">Keep my seats for 10 more minutes</button>
</div>
<!-- example values; show this before the hold expires -->

See form error messages and checkout accessibility.

4. A visit or access page with facts, not "fully accessible"

Visitors decide from specifics. Write them as text on a "Plan your visit" or "Accessibility" page linked from every ticket page: step-free entrances and which door, distance from parking or drop-off, lifts, wheelchair and companion seating and how to book it, assistive listening devices, captioned, audio-described, ASL-interpreted and relaxed performances, large-print or braille programmes, seating for people who can't climb steps, service animals, quiet rooms, and who to contact with questions. Don't call the building or a show "fully accessible" or "ADA compliant"; give the facts. Example (made up for this guide): "Example: the main entrance on Elm Street is step-free; wheelchair spaces are in row K of the orchestra; assistive listening headsets are free at the coat check." See our accessibility statement template.

5. Exhibition images, audio guides and virtual tours

Give artwork and object photos alt text that says what's shown (alt="Example: oil painting of a red barn in snow, 1920s"), with longer descriptions in text nearby for key works. Offer audio-guide scripts and podcast episodes as transcripts. 3D and 360° virtual tours are hard to use with a keyboard or screen reader, so describe the same rooms and highlights in text on the page. (WCAG 1.1.1, WCAG 1.2.1) See alt text examples and our free alt text checker.

6. Trailers, video and moving banners

Caption show trailers and artist interviews, don't auto-play sound, and give moving hero carousels a pause button. (WCAG 1.2.2, WCAG 2.2.2) See video captions and accessible sliders.

7. Memberships, donations and pop-ups

Membership level cards and donation amount buttons should be a real radio group with a legend, with each price as text, and a labelled "Other amount" field. "Become a member" and newsletter pop-ups must be reachable with the keyboard, close with Escape and not cover the ticket button on a phone. (WCAG 1.3.1, WCAG 2.4.3, WCAG 2.5.8)

<fieldset>
  <legend>Donation amount</legend>
  <label><input type="radio" name="amount" value="25"> $25</label>
  <label><input type="radio" name="amount" value="50"> $50</label>
  <label><input type="radio" name="amount" value="other"> Other amount</label>
</fieldset>
<label for="other-amt">Other amount in dollars</label>
<input id="other-amt" name="other_amount" inputmode="decimal">
<!-- example values -->

See the pop-up and chat widget checklist and our nonprofit website guide.

8. Contrast and zoom on dramatic designs

Light text over dark production photos and thin display fonts often fail contrast. Put a solid background behind text and check at 200% zoom and on a narrow phone that dates, prices and the ticket button still fit. (WCAG 1.4.3, WCAG 1.4.10) Check colours with our free colour contrast checker.

Common mistakes

• A seat map with no keyboard or "best available" alternative.
• Wheelchair seats shown only by an icon or colour.
• The season calendar as an image or PDF.
• A ticket hold timer with no warning or way to extend it.
• "Fully accessible" with no facts about entrances, seating or listening devices.
• Captioned and audio-described performances not marked on the show listing.
• A virtual tour with no text version.

A 15-minute check you can do today

1. Using only Tab, Shift+Tab, arrow keys, Space and Enter, pick a show, a date and two seats, and reach checkout.
2. Try to book a wheelchair space and a companion seat without using the mouse.
3. Check you can always see where focus is and close any pop-up with Escape.
4. From the show page, can you find out in under a minute whether that performance has captions and where the step-free entrance is?
5. Zoom to 200% on a laptop and check the date, price and ticket button still fit.

Our keyboard test and screen reader test walk you through it. Avoid relying on an overlay widget instead of real fixes; see overlays vs real fixes.

What a scan can and can't check here

Our scan is automated, so it finds only part of the barriers on this page: missing alt text, unlabelled fields and buttons, low contrast and similar code problems on the pages it visits. It can't buy a ticket, use a third-party seat map, judge whether your access details are accurate, or test your building, which is why the 15-minute check matters. Related: wedding and event venues, tour and activity booking websites, nonprofit and church websites.

This is general technical guidance, not legal advice, and it doesn't certify compliance with the ADA or any law.

Want the fixes written for you?

Start with a free homepage snapshot. The $149 Fix-Pack scans up to 10 pages and gives copy-paste fixes for your platform within 48 hours, with a 14-day refund promise. See a sample report first.

This is general technical guidance, not legal advice, and it does not certify compliance with the ADA or any law.

Related guides

• Pharmacy website accessibility: refill forms, prescription transfers and store details
• WCAG 2.2 explained for small-business websites
• Squarespace accessibility fixes: alt text, contrast, forms and more
• Wix accessibility fixes: a practical checklist

All guides

This guide is general technical information, not legal advice. Following it does not certify ADA or any legal compliance. Automated checks find only part of accessibility barriers.