TD Place — Attraction in Ottawa

Saw the Trevor Noah show here last night. I was returning from Montreal and had to drive straight to the venue.

Access from Bank was very slow but this was during rush hour. I parked a little over an hour and a half before the event and walked around the shops to find something to eat. The eating options were all sitdown places except for a burger place that had a lineup of thirty people. I decided to eat something at Whole Foods. I had to grab a seat in their cafe because the eating area was packed.

My wife took an Uber to join me. She hit bank and chamberlain around 7:00 and traffic was still so bad that google showed that it would take 24 min to drive down six blocks. She took O’Connor and got off at Holmwood.

It was now 15 min before showtime so we hustled over to TD place to find a lineup outside the doors. Things moved slowly and I was surprised at how inefficient they were at moving the crowd.

The venue itself was the hockey arena. The seats were cramped and the layout was a bit confusing. We actually watched the opening acts in the wrong section before the people who had our seats showed up. We had to move just as Trevor Noah came on stage.

Leaving was just as slow. The show had started late and we were now exiting just as the next show was slated to begin. Once again I was suprised at how poorly managed it was. No one was directing flow and it was just a barrage of people heading in opposing directions.

We got to my car in the underground parking and I realized there wasn’t a pay kiosk in the stairwell we came down in. I hunted around and came across one with a lineup out the door. My fellow captives and I commented on how traffic wasn’t moving. The same white Hyundai had been stopped outside the kiosk for ten minutes.

When I finally got to the kiosk it wouldn’t read any of my cards. I had twenty dollars in my pocket so I fortunately had the option to use cash. I didn’t stick around to see if anyone else had the same issue.

I finally got to the parking gate forty-five minutes after the show ended. There was an attendant holding the gate open and manually taking tickets. Outside police were directing traffic on Queen Elizabeth.

Trevor Noah himself was excellent but the logistics surrounding the entire evening were terrible. The venue is built specifically for large gatherings but the supporting infrastructure is inadequate. I would definitely recommend that you always take public or professional transportation to this venue and anticipate long lineups. If you want to eat beforehand you should make a reservation as the numerous onsite restaurants all seemed...

My partner and I went to see Michael McIntyre at TD Place arena, Tickets were expensive and in American money. Parking is scarce in that area but they have underground parking and you can buy prepaid tickets ahead of time. However each time I tried (weeks ahead) the message was always lot was full try later. When we got to TD Place we could see cars going into the underground parking that was marked $25. for event. Here there was plenty of space to park however next time I will park close to an exit as it takes a while to get out after the show. Pay on the way out at the gate have your ticket and credit card ready. The arena seating is very tightly packed so be prepared to get squeezed. To watch a show all is good if they have big screens to watch unless you are in the front row. Michael certainly has a worldwide group of fans that love to see him entertain with his quick wit and delivery. He certainly had the Ottawa crowd laughing and enjoying his jokes and stories. However he lost a lot of my respect by delaying the start of his show then have Jake Lambert fill in some of Michael's stage time. Now Jake put on a great performance and had the crowd relaxed and laughing. It was a good introduction to this comedian. The problem was after his act, Michael did not appear until 1/2 hour later upsetting many audience members as we listened to poor audio quality songs and a flashing screen of Michael the Magnificent. Once he finally did arrive on stage, he put on a good performance but not one that I would be willing to attend again due to his disrespect to the paying audience. In future I will just watch him on...

April 19 ,2023 was the Chris De Burgh concert. I attended with a very close friend of mine. My friend is an amputee missing a leg and has difficulty walking let alone climbing stairs. It was very difficult time climb the front cement stairs as there was no wheelchair ramp. My friend managed to climb the stairs very slowly but was exhausted entering the front door. The ticket line was just inside the doors and due to my friends time needed to recuperate, people jumped in front of us and we had to try to get back in line. Once inside we found out that our seats were down a flight of 20 stairs with no handrails to hold onto. My friend had to get the help of guests in the centre to lift him down the stairs, I'm sure it made him feel very small. At the end of the concert , my friend had to literally crawl up the stairs to get out as everyone wanted to leave in a hurry and had forgot about my friends needs. I cannot understand why every other business is mandated to be wheelchair and handicapped equipped, yet this place has nothing in place and doesn't even provide extra attendant's to help the patrons. Something must be done to better accommodate people with mobility issues that want to visit and...