Accessibility projects

Making the Paris Opera Accessible to All

Taking disability into account in how audiences are welcomed to performances and how they access online content is a major accessibility and inclusion priority for the Paris Opera. In 2022, the Paris Opera appointed an accessibility officer to structure and strengthen its policy. Since then, steering committees have been held every three months to report on progress in accessibility and inclusion.

Recent developments

In 2025/26, the Paris Opera is expanding its pricing policy by offering audiences with disabilities and their companions a 50% discount—up from 30%—on seats reserved for people with reduced mobility, “Relax” performances, and shows with audio description.
During the 2025/26 season, 9 productions—7 operas and 2 ballets—at the Opéra Bastille will be presented with audio description, for a total of 27 performances, i.e., 9 more than in the 2024/25 season (La Bohème, Aida, Tosca, Un ballo in maschera, Carmen, Rusalka, La Traviata, Notre-Dame de Paris, Roméo et Juliette).
During the 2025/26 season, 3 Paris Opera performances will be offered as “Relax sessions,” making it easier for people whose disability may lead to atypical or unpredictable behaviors during the performance to attend the theatre.
In 2024, a performance simultaneously delivered in French Sign Language and featuring a deaf performer made it possible, for the first time, to offer vibrating vests (Subpac) to deaf spectators upon reservation.
In 2024, the partnership with the Valentin Haüy Association, serving blind and visually impaired audiences, continued to facilitate access to the Midis musicaux—chamber music concerts performed by the Orchestra in the main auditorium of the Palais Garnier on four Sundays throughout the year.
In 2024, the Paris Opera continued adapting its buildings, with two new wheelchair-accessible seating spaces installed in the auditorium.
A virtual tour of the Palais Garnier led by a tour guide is now available in French and English, making it easier to explore this architectural masterpiece.
The Opera also reaches out to those who cannot come to its theatres, notably by visiting hospitals as part of the Serment d’Opéra program, with artists from the Academy and dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet. The program brings lyrical and choreographic arts into everyday hospital life. In partnership with Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, the Sainte-Anne hospital group, the 15-20 National Vision Hospital, and the Atelier Cognacq-Jay, the Academy organizes discovery pathways for patients and caregivers, including artistic workshops, theatre visits, and access to performances.

Prospects for further development

Continue adapting the theatres to better accommodate people with reduced mobility, in particular by improving restroom facilities at the Opéra Bastille.
Ensure the long-term continuation of “Relax” sessions and performances with audio description, and further develop specialized mediation tools such as surtitling glasses, vibrating vests for use during performances, and tactile models designed for blind and visually impaired visitors, enabling them to explore the architectural and decorative features of the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille through touch.
Support off-site artistic and cultural education initiatives reaching audiences who are unable to visit the theatres, particularly in hospitals as part of the Serment d’Opéra program.
Pursue efforts in digital accessibility to make online services and streaming content more user-friendly for people with disabilities.

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