Ulster Hall — Attraction in Belfast

Health & Safety risk at the Ulster Hall

Do not attend a standing gig at the Ulster Hall if you suffer from a respiratory illness, asthma or have cardiac problems. This venue is an accident waiting to happen!

With almost 2,000 people attending the Anastasia 25yr anniversary European tour, you would imagine in the 21st century that you would be able to breathe air at the venue.... NOPE! This would not be the case at the Ulster Hall!

The Grand Hall was like a sauna with the doors closed.

'NO AIRCON in the building' we were repeatedly told by staff. Plus, security refused to open the side doors to try and ventilate the room despite numerous pleas. The audience had to cool off in the toilets and outside the front door. Everyone was complaining that they couldn't breathe. If this can happen from clapping, what must it be like if people are dancing? Staff refused to heed the warnings.

Sure enough, before 10pm the Paramedics had to be called to help a woman who had collapsed. She was lying on the floor against a wall in front of the bar. No screen, no first Aiders on site, clearly no designated first aid room. What a shambles!

It's hard to believe with Health and Safety regulations that this is permitted. Why is this unsafe environment for the audience allowed to continue? Have BCC carried out a risk assessment? Are they waiting for someone to have a cardiac arrest and die before they do something? It doesn't take a medical professional to see that if 2,000 people can't breathe, then there will inevitably be a problem!

The night was spoilt for a lot of people. I won't be rushing back to the Ulster Hall...

Not a venue for a standing audience. No ventilation. No air conditioning.

Numerous complaints on the night, regarding the lack of air in the main hall, during the Anastasia concert on 23 April 2025. The grey uniformed staff were warned in advance (20.45hrs) that the hall was becoming dangerously lacking in air after the warm up act. At this stage I believe they were already radioing for a seat for a young lady that had left the hall feeling faint. I was told that there was nothing they could do as the building was old and there isnt any air con. They had opened the rear doors (stage end) of the corridors that run alongside the hall, to allow more air into the building but this was all that could be done. Problem was - this cool air couldn't filter through to the main hall, as they insisted on keeping the double doors leading to the main hall closed. By 22.10hrs there was an unconscious lady lying on the corridor floor, being attended to by paramedics. The staff were warned this would happen. They didn't take action. This was not a rock concert. The audience was middle-aged. The dancing was modest. There was clapping and swaying. There was absolutely no excuse for an audience member to end up unconscious. Lack of air caused this problem. Where was the duty of care? I have been to numerous seated events at The Ulster Hall and have never had any problems. Audience numbers obviously increase when an event allows standing. I will never attend a standing event again...

I just want to express my utter dissatisfaction with the behavior and incompetence of your staff during my recent visit. Agnieszka, in particular, had absolutely no idea where our seats were located. I had specifically booked Row A3 to ensure I was close to the stage, but not too close.

Despite this, Agnieszka directed us to Row A3, which turned out to be the third row from the stage. After sitting there for ten minutes, she rudely approached us and claimed we were in the wrong seats, then pointed us to the front row directly in front of the stage.

When I explained that these were not the seats I had booked online, she threatened to involve a manager if we didn’t move. Her behavior was unprofessional and aggressive. I fail to see how involving a manager would have resolved anything, as I am not an employee and have no idea what authority they thought they could wield over me.

To make matters worse, I spoke to another staff member, who was equally clueless. She insisted that Rows A1 and A2 didn’t exist, claiming that the front row was A3. However, the Ulster Hall website clearly shows that A1 is the front row, directly contradicting what I was told.

This entire experience was an absolute nightmare. I expect a full explanation as to why your staff were so poorly trained and unprepared to handle a situation as straightforward as seat allocation. This level of incompetence is...