Location accessibility

Pique takes place at the Arts Court, which is accessible by entering at 10 Daly avenue. The entrance has ramp access from street level and powered automatic doors. Once inside, attendees can access all spaces and stages throughout the building.

Access to multiple floors

All venues/stages are accessible by elevator B or C, except for the Atelier and Courtroom, which are accessible via elevator A (near the Arts Court front desk on Level 1).

Bathrooms

Wheelchair-accessible, gender-neutral washrooms are available throughout the building.

Cost of entry

Tickets to Pique are pay-what-you-can. The suggested price range is listed on our ticket page and includes taxes and fees.

For those without the means to purchase a ticket within the suggested range, register here for subsidized tickets. Once registered, ticket buyers will receive an email with instructions on how to access their subsidized ticket, which will allow them to choose their own price.

All tickets are General Admission and offer the same access to Pique.

Getting here/parking

Arts Court is a three minute walk from the Mackenzie King Bridge/Rideau Centre bus stop, and located between the UOttawa and Rideau LRT stations. To plan your route, you can use the OC Transpo travel planner or Google Maps.

Para Transpo drop-off entrance is at 10 Daly Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6E2. The Daly entrance is between Waller and Nicholas on the south side.

Parking - The Arts Court building is located around several parking lots; the Rideau Centre parking lot located on Nicholas Street, Les Suites Hotel parking lot located on Daly Avenue, and Novotel Hotel parking also located on Daly Avenue. There is also metered parking that is free on the weekends. Unfortunately there are no free accessible parking spots at the Arts Court.

There are several bike rings on Nicholas Street and two bike racks in front of the steps on Daly Avenue as well as bike racks at the Mackenzie King entrance of the Ottawa Art Gallery.

In/out policy

Attendees are able to leave and re-enter the event as needed. Smoking is not permitted in the SAW Courtyard or OAG Terraces, and must be done on the sidewalk outside the event.

Inability to attend/refund policy

Refunds are available for any reason related to illness or flare-up. Otherwise, refunds are not granted for ticket purchases.

Tickets for personal support workers

Debaser offers free tickets for personal support workers or care attendants. Please email hello@debaser.ca in advance of the event to arrange a ticket for an attendant, or ask the volunteer working at the box office when you arrive.

Jump the line policy

Disabled attendees are able to “jump the line” or bypass the lineup at the event entrance/box office as needed. Please notify the security and volunteers that you are requesting to jump the line for accessibility purposes.

Scent-free policy

Scented products can cause allergic reactions and respiratory distress. Attendees and participants are encouraged to wear or use non-scented products while attending Pique.

Access/support animals

Access/support animals are permitted at Pique.

Flashing lights or content warnings

Please note that if any performance or program contains flashing lights or content that might not be suitable for all audiences, organizers will post a warning on the relevant artist page and inside the venue entrance.

On-site support

General support is available from volunteers and staff who wear Pique t-shirts. Harm reduction support is available from our EQUIPE harm reduction team, who wear lime green t-shirts.

Harm reduction supplies

Harm reduction supplies, including naloxone, first aid supplies, and face masks, will be available at EQUIPE booths located throughout Arts Court, as well as each box office, merch table, and bar.

Childcare/child minding

Not available at this time.

Beverages and food

Water refill stations are available around the Arts Court and at the Club SAW bar. A reusable cup can be purchased at each bar to fill at a refill station, or you can bring your own refillable water bottle. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase at each bar.

Food will also be available for purchase at Pique. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.

Documentation

Please note that Pique is documented by various authorized photographers and videographers. Photos and video documentation are used for internal and external use, and sometimes photos or videos of attendees are posted on Debaser social media. If a photo posted of you is published, you can email hello@debaser.ca to request to take the photo down.

Selected stages at Pique are documented, and video documentation will be posted on our Youtube channel following the event.

Venue/room accessibility

Club SAW

Getting there - Level 0 (ground floor)
Doors - Automatic. Typically only 1 door is held open, and the second can be opened upon request.
Door width - 35-70"
Bathrooms - there are two gender-neutral bathrooms, both with stalls containing toilets. One bathroom also has urinals, indicated on the door. There is a wheelchair accessible bathroom with a powered door, safety bar, and adult-size change table.
Service area - the bar inside Club SAW is at a height not accessible for everyone, however there is a lowered part at the bar entrance area where bartenders will serve anyone who cannot access the rest of the bar.
Seating options include “high-top” bench and chairs without armrests.
Face masks - encouraged
HEPA filter - yes
Audio - amplified sound, louder bass music near the end of the night
Visuals/lighting - projections, some flashing lights
Fog/haze - yes

Artengine

Getting there - Level 0 (ground floor)
Doors - non-automatic
Door width - 35-70"
Seating options - limited chairs available.
Bathrooms - none in space. The closest bathrooms are located in the hallway outside of the space, and are gender neutral and wheelchair accessible.
Face masks - encouraged
HEPA filter - no
Audio - amplified experimental sound
Visuals/lighting - gallery lighting
Fog/haze - no

Courtroom

Getting there - Level 2A. Take elevator B to Level 1, switch to elevator A and take it to Level 2.
Doors - not automatic, and will be propped open for the evening.
Door width - 35"
Seating - Some seating available. To arrange chair seating and/or accessibility to seating, please email hello@debaser.ca with your request.
Bathrooms - none inside venue. The closest bathrooms are located in the hallway on level 2A, and are gender neutral. The closest wheelchair accessible bathroom is located on Level 3 near the Sky Lounge bar.
Face masks - encouraged
HEPA filter - no
Audio - limited amplified audio
Visuals/lighting - n/a
Fog/haze - no

Theatre

Getting there - Level 3. Take elevator B.
Door width - 30-60"
Seating - there are 150 seats, most of which are raised on risers other than those in front row. Wheelchair accessible seating areas can be arranged upon request - please email hello@debaser.ca with your request.
Bathrooms - none inside venue. The closest bathrooms are located in the 3rd floor hallway, and are gender neutral but not wheelchair accessible. The closest wheelchair accessible bathrooms are located on level 3 near the Sky Lounge bar.
Service area - none inside venue. The closest service area is located in the hallway between the Theatre and Studio. The bar is at an accessible height.
Face masks - recommended
HEPA filter - yes
Audio - ambient and experimental amplified sound
Visuals/lighting - projections, some flashing lights
Fog/haze - no

Studio

Getting there - Level 3. Take elevator B.
Doors - non-automatic, and will remain open throughout the evening.
Door width - 30-60"
Seating - Limited seating available. Seating can be reserved for accessibility purposes upon request - please email hello@debaser.ca with your request.
Bathrooms - none inside venue. The closest bathrooms are located in the 3rd floor hallway, and are gender neutral but not wheelchair accessible. The closest wheelchair accessible bathrooms are located on level 3 near the Sky Lounge bar.
Service area - none inside venue. The closest service area is located in the hallway between the Theatre and Studio. The bar is at an accessible height.
Face masks - encouraged
HEPA filter - no
Audio - ambient sound
Visuals/lighting - low lighting
Fog/haze - no

Alma Duncan

Level 3. Take elevator B in the Arts Court or the OAG elevator to Level 3.
Doors - automatic, propped-open during the event hours.
Door width - 36-72"
Seating - limited seating available on floor level and on risers.
Bathrooms - none inside venue. The closest bathrooms are located down the hallway off of the Sky Lounge, and are gender neutral and wheelchair accessible.
Service area - none inside venue. The closest service area will be in the OAG’s Sky Lounge outside of the venue. The bar is at a height that is not accessible for all audience members, but attendees can also go to the side of the bar for service.
Face masks - encouraged
HEPA filter - yes
Audio - amplified sound, bass heavy music
Visuals/lighting - projections, some flashing lights
Fog/haze - no

Prevention of COVID-19 and airborne viruses

The health and safety of audience members, artists, volunteers and staff are priorities for organizers of Pique.

Pique is a large indoor event, and attendees may be at risk of exposure to airborne viruses including COVID-19. Attendees are welcome to wear face masks to better protect themselves from airborne viruses. Free KN94 masks will be available to audience members while supplies last at each Box Office entry point and EQ.U.I.P.E. booth.

If you are concerned about exposure to airborne viruses, we encourage you to adhere to the following health and safety measures in order to reduce your risk of illness:

Wear a mask. Free KN94 masks will be available to audience members while supplies last.
Wash and sanitize your hands often. Hand sanitizer will be placed at all box offices, bars, merch tables, food vendor areas, and in large supply around the event.

In order to protect others, please do a self-assessment of your health before arriving at the event location. Are you experiencing symptoms of any communicable virus or illness? If yes, please stay home and do not come to Pique. Refunds are available to ticket holders for reasons related to illness.

Pique organizers will also be taking the following measures to prevent the spread of infection:

HEPA air filtration units designed for larger rooms will be placed in Club SAW, the Theatre & Alma Duncan.
For any artist or worker who must cancel their participation in the event due to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, Debaser will honour 50% of their agreed-upon payment. If there are any artist cancellations related to COVID-19 or another infectious illness, we ask that audience members keep in mind our policy to honour 50% of payments when considering making a refund request.

Safety and harm reduction

Harm reduction is supported at Pique by the EQ.U.I.P.E. (Equity and Unharm Initiative for Pique Enjoyment), led by nightlife harm reduction specialist Willow Cioppa, in partnership with MAX Ottawa. This volunteer-powered group supports safer spaces at Pique by keeping an eye out for attendees with the goal of supporting harm reduction and bystander-driven assault prevention. They are equipped with harm reduction and care supplies for free distribution to attendees in need, and work closely with our security team to monitor safety and well-being. EQUIPE volunteers can be distinguished by their green t-shirts.

Security guards are present throughout the event to support safety. You can find a security guard at any box office, and posted at each of the event’s venues and stages.

All Pique staff and volunteers are trained in harm reduction and bystander intervention practices by Willow Cioppa at our quarterly infosessions. Security and facilities staff must adhere to Debaser’s code of conduct while working a Pique event.

Attendees are expected to respect one another. Violence, aggression, oppressive behaviour or language, or bullying will not be tolerated. If you are currently implicated in an accountability process, please ensure you are respecting the space and well-being of those your actions have affected before joining this space virtually or in person. If Debaser's staff and/or Board are made aware of any behaviour that violates our safety policy, the person(s) perpetuating this behaviour will be asked to leave immediately. We reserve the right to intervene and/or remove ANY person(s) in the space who are creating or contributing to an unsafe environment.

Privacy policy

A phone number is posted up around the event to call for support or harm reduction.

If you text or call this number, please note:

you are consenting to receive messages from Pique staff
your personal info will not be shared with third parties for marketing purposes
we will only text or call you back in order to respond to an incident. We will not contact you for any marketing or sales reasons.
you may reply STOP to opt-out of future messaging
you may reply HELP for more information
message and data rates may apply

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