Music brings people together, and PineCone is committed to making our concerts and programs welcoming and accessible to all people, and to eliminate barriers to participation related to aging and disabilities. In-person or online, we will work with you to remove barriers to participation and to ensure that you have an enjoyable, meaningful experience.
Many of our programs are free to attend or pay-what-you-can/suggested donation. Your questions, concerns, and suggestions can help us ensure that you will have the best experience possible at our events. PineCone does not own a venue; instead, our programs take place in a variety of venues in and around Raleigh.
Event-specific accessibility information is available on the event pages within this website, and general accessibility information about the venues where we regularly offer programs is also available on this website under venues.
Additional questions
If you have additional questions, comments or would like to join the general conversation about accessibility in the arts, please contact us. You can speak with David Brower or Tray Wellington by calling PineCone at 919-664-8333 or by e-mail: david@pinecone.org or tray@pinecone.org.
The earlier you can alert us to your access needs, the easier it will be to facilitate. Some services require as much as a month to arrange. However we fully understand that last minute needs may come up. Please ask regardless of the timing and we will do everything we can to accommodate your needs.
Website — PineCone Accessibility Statement
We have tested the PineCone website with assistive technologies, including screen reading and magnification software.
We are committed to working with venues that have wheelchair-accessible entrances, seating, and restrooms. For our free concerts, seating is general admission. We can reserve seats or seating areas for anyone using a wheelchair or motorized scooter and their guests. For our ticketed Down Home Concerts, which have assigned seating in the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, please call our box office at 919-664-8333 so a staff member can work with you to ensure that your tickets are in an accessible area that will best meet your mobility needs (examples: wheelchair, aisle seating, no stairs, etc).
Seating close to the stage: If you would like to sit close to the stage due to low vision, we can reserve accessible viewing areas PineCone events. At free concerts, seating is general admission, and space is limited and is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Service Animals: We welcome service animals at all PineCone events and venues. (Service animals are trained to perform a task that is directly related to the handler’s disability.)
Sighted Guides: For people who are blind or have low vision, you may request to be paired with a sighted guide who will help you navigate ANY PineCone events.
We began training sighted guides in connection with IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC (formerly Wide Open Bluegrass), and we have expanded to include guides to assist people during other World of Bluegrass events, too, including the IBMA Business Conference, Bluegrass Ramble, and the IBMA Awards Show. Please contact us at 919-664-8333 to learn more.
PineCone has assistive listening devices (ALDs) available at all of our concerts, including T-coil neckloops. They are free to borrow from our information table, or at the ticket counter at the Martin Marietta Center. You will be asked to leave an ID to ensure that the device is returned at the end of the event. We also have information sheets available thanks to the help of the Wake County Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of North Carolina.
Seating Close to Stage: If you would like to sit close to the stage for lip reading, we are happy to reserve seats for you and your guests. Please make these requests at least three (3) weeks before the event.
American Sign Language interpreters can be requested. Please submit your request for sign language interpretation at least three (3) weeks before the event.
PineCone has pre-visit guides available for our Down Home Concerts at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.
If you or a member of your group needs to step outside for some quiet space, you are welcome to do so; we only request, when you re-enter the hall, that you wait until between songs to return to your seats.
In 2019, the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts partnered with KultureCity to provide sensory friendly spaces and sensory kits available at all events. This initiative should provide an accommodating and positive experience for all guests and fans with any sensory concerns who visit the Martin Marietta Center. The certification process entailed the staff at the Martin Marietta Center being trained by leading medical professionals on how to recognize guests and fans with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. Sensory bags, equipped with noise canceling headphones (provided by Puro Sound Labs), fidget tools, and verbal cue cards (produced in conjunction with Boardmaker) will also be available to all guests who may feel overwhelmed by the environment.
Prior to attending an event, families can download the free KultureCity App (available on iPhone and Android devices) where one can view what sensory features are available and where they can access them. Also on the App is the Social Story, which will provide a preview of what to expect while enjoying a performance at the Martin Marietta Center.
At PineCone's outdoor concerts, the atmosphere tends to be more relaxed, with space to run around and clap along.
How to Request an Accommodation
for a PineCone Program
Tickets
Accessible seating is available for you and your companions for any PineCone event with reserved seating (Down Home Concerts at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts; IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC at Red Hat Amphitheater).
When you reserve your tickets by phone (PineCone Box Office: 919-664-8333), you can speak directly with a PineCone staff member to request accommodations.
When you reserve your tickets online (via Ticketmaster.com for our Down Home Concerts), you will have the option to select accessible seats, and you will be prompted to confirm that you need the features of the seats you have selected. Please note that online orders are subject to Ticketmaster's per ticket fees.
When you reserve your tickets in person (at the Martin Marietta Center box office, located in front of the building at 2 E South St), you can speak directly with a Martin Marietta Center staff member to request accommodations.
Please note that ticket orders cannot be processed by e-mail. Tickets must be purchased online, by phone, or in person.
Youth Programs
PineCone supports access to programs for participants with disabilities by offering reasonable and appropriate resources. Resources may include, but are not limited to: supportive/adaptive materials, program/site specific accommodations, and/or additional staff support. If you or your young musician needs an accommodation to help them participate fully in camps or other programs, you will be able to indicate that information when you register for the program. If you would like to discuss any specific requests or concerns, please call David or Tray at 919-664-8333, or you can contact them via e-mail: david@pinecone.org or tray@pinecone.org.