Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs

The Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs programme is a captivating companion to our Lightroom show. Enjoy essays, anecdotes and behind-the-scenes photography exploring the creative process behind bringing these ancient creatures to life – £10

An easy kids’ lunch option with a choice of sandwiches (vegetarian options available) – £6.50

Enjoy a dinosaur shaped cake pop and hot chocolate (swap for tea, coffee or juice) – £6.50

Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.

You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.

Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.

The entrance to the Warehouse is by lift or stairs from the Social. Two lifts and a staircase to the Warehouse are located in the Social opposite the bar.

The entrance to the Andrew Law Hall is by lift, escalator or stairs from one side of the Social beside the brick arches. There is only one escalator, and this will take you up to the Andrew Law Hall before the show, and will be reversed so that you can travel down at the end of the performance.

The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.

The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.

Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.

We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.

There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.

Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.

Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.

The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.

You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.

Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.

If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).

There is step-free access to all areas of the venue, with lift access to the North Warehouse from the Social. The experience is step-free and there is access for wheelchair users throughout. The rooms have been designed with wide doorways and clear pathways.

The exhibition is suitable for all ages. Younger children need to be supervised in the space and we ask that parents are considerate of the experience for all our guests.

The show runs in a continuous loop, with no fixed beginning or end. One complete loop is around 50 minutes long. You can enter at any time, and are welcome to stay as long as you like, unless you are attending the final showing of the day.

Projection is used for the duration of the show and is on all four walls of the Warehouse, with occasional projection on the floor. There are bright lights and patterns used during some parts of the show. While the show contains no flashing images (in the 16-25Hz range) it does contain high contrast moving patterns.

Sound is constant during the show, and consists of both orchestral music and a recorded voiceover. The sound level does vary during the show, with some sections quieter or louder than others.

Open captions are built into the show and are visible at all times. The captions are located at the top of the projection.

All tickets are general entry and do not come with a seat allocation. Busier shows may incur limited seating and therefore we cannot guarantee seating during your visit. We do have some priority seating available – please enquire with our Visitor Experience Team if seating is full and you require assistance.

The Lightroom space is designed to be enjoyed from all angles, and we encourage you to move around the space during your visit.

There will be audio-described showings of Prehistoric Planet on the following dates:

Monday 14 December: 10am

Sunday 20 December: 5pm

There will be relaxed showings of Prehistoric Planet on the following dates:

Friday 11 December: 10am

Saturday 2 January:  2.30pm

There will be BSL-interpreted showings of Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs on the following dates:

Sunday 20 December, 7pm

Monday 4 January, 12pm