Welcome to the UK's largest community owned theatre
Your Visit To The Hippodrome
Your Visit
We hope that if you are visiting us you will have a wonderful experience. All our performances are staffed entirely by volunteers who give their time freely to keep the Hippodrome alive and well for your enjoyment and entertainment. We look forward to welcoming you through our doors. Hopefully you will find the information below a useful guide.
On The Day
Please refer to your ticket for details on opening times. For most performances, the main doors will open 30 minutes before the show start time. Our bar and kiosks serve a selection of drinks, refreshments and confectionary. We try to stock local produce where we can, including a range of beers brewed right here in Todmorden.
​
Please note that all bars and kiosks will be closed during the performance.
How To Find Us
By Public Transport
The Hippodrome Theatre is situated in the centre of Todmorden, on the main A649 road. Todmorden Railway station is just 5 minutes walk away with excellent connections to Manchester, Leeds and onward to the rest of the UK. For information on train routes and times please visit the National Rail website. A number of local bus services stop close to the theatre including services from Halifax, Burnley and Rochdale. For information on bus routes and times, please visit the First website.
By Car
The Theatre is approximately 35 minutes drive from Halifax, 25 minutes from Rochdale, 25 minutes from Burnley and 30 minutes from junction 21 of the M62. There are a number of car parks close to the Theatre, including a number of free parking bays on the road directly outside. The town centre car parks are all pay and display but free after 6pm. The nearest and largest of these car parks is situated at Bramsche Square. For a full list of council car parks in Todmorden please visit the Calderdale website here
Please note that the large car park opposite the theatre, outside the Calderdale NHS building, is privately owned and parking is prohibited even outside of surgery hours. Parking here may result in a fine.
Accessibility at the Hippodrome Theatre
​
The Hippodrome Theatre, an Edwardian gem, is dedicated to ensuring that everyone can enjoy the magic of live performance. Providing Access for All is at the heart of our mission, and we continually strive to make our theatre as welcoming and inclusive as possible. As the UK's largest volunteer run theatre, resources are often limited but we have an ongoing program of improvements to enhance accessibility throughout the theatre, and future fundraising efforts will enable us to expand these services even further. If you can support our future plans to make the Hippodrome accessible to all, please visit our Raise The Roof Page
​
-
Mobility Access: For patrons with mobility issues, we recommend seating in the stalls, which offer level access from the main entrance without any steps. Please note that the circle seating requires navigating two staircases, and each row in the circle is stepped.
​
-
Concessions for Additional Access Needs: We provide concessions for patrons with additional access needs where a carer, friend or colleague is needed to make it possible for you to attend an event. For more information or to discuss your specific requirements, please contact us at enquiries@todhip.org or use the contact form.
​
Our goal is to ensure that every visitor has an enjoyable and comfortable experience at the Hippodrome. If you have questions or suggestions about how we can further improve accessibility, we’d love to hear from you.
Together, let’s make the Hippodrome a space where everyone can feel welcome and fully immersed in the world of theatre.
Wheelchair Access: There are 4 wheelchair spaces in the Main House and 2 for Foyer Productions; these spaces require the patron to remain in a wheelchair. There is a ramp giving wheelchair access to the main entrance of the theatre and there is an accessible toilet in the Foyer. There is level access from the main entrance to the Foyer and again from the Foyer into the Stalls. Please be aware that there is no wheelchair access to the Circle. For TAODS and HYT events, the wheelchair space ticket also includes a free ticket for a carer, friend or colleague to attend with the wheelchair user. ​
​
Infrared Assistive Listening System: We have an infrared assistive listening system available to help visitors with hearing loss or anyone who finds it difficult to follow speech in larger spaces. The system delivers clear sound directly from the stage to a personal receiver, helping to reduce background noise and improve speech clarity.
How to use the system
-
If you wear hearing aids or cochlear implants: We provide receivers with neck loops. Simply switch your hearing aid or implant to the 'T' (telecoil) setting to receive the audio directly.
-
If you do not wear hearing aids: You can borrow a receiver and plug your own wired headphones (with a standard 3.5 mm jack) into the receiver.
-
Adjust the volume: Each receiver has simple volume controls, allowing you to set a comfortable listening level without affecting other audience members.
​​
Our assistive listening receivers are available free of charge from our Front of House team. If you would like to use the system during your visit, please speak to a member of staff when you arrive and they will be happy to help.
​
Audio Description, Signed and Captioned Performances: Guide dogs are welcome, and we can provide a 'dog-sitting service' but we would need to know about this in advance; water bowls are available. We recommend booking seats on the front row of the Stalls or aisle seats on the right hand side of the Stalls if you wish to keep your guide dog with you during the performance. Unfortunately, we cannot currently provide audio described, signed or captioned performances although we hope to be able to do this in the future.