Cardiff International Arena

Lizbinim

Great location! 4th September 2008

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With the CIA being right in the centre of Cardiff and being easily accessible by public transport, it is an ideal location for the many musical events that happen here. From classical music to rock music, this location has it all. The staff are friendly, and the venue is spacious. Also, the staff who stand at the front of the stage are always very generous with giving out water and helping people out of the crowd who wish to get out of the heat of it. I have enjoyed many a concert here, and hope to enjoy many more!

emmalouisestar

4th September 2008

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The CIA is a great venue. I have been here many times for concerts, gigs and also craft and wedding fayres. Everything I have been to in there has been very well organised and the staff have been very accomodating. The prices of the tickets have always been fair but many things do sell out quiet quickly so I would suggest you go on the website and check what is on. You can view well into next year. They have seated and standing facilities. Everythime I have been there it has been well manned and there were no saftey issues. They also hold a lot of chids shows there which is worth looking at. If you have any problems such as a disability the staff are more than willing to help. All you need to do is ask. Very easy to access by train and bus.

iantojones

Fab venue.... 3rd September 2008

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This is a great concert venue smack bang in the middle of Cardiff City Centre.

It is starting to show its age a bit now, but that does not stop it being great for gigs.

In Arena standards the CIA is pretty small, so that allows for a great view pretty much whereever you manage to get a seat. Even if you were standing right at the back you will be happy with the view.

The CIA does attract amny great bands and International artists. Over the years I have seen Pulp, Blur, Oasis, Take That, Sugababes, Westlife, Torvill and Dean, Meatloaf and Tom Jones to name but a few!

The CIA is not far from Queen Street and just a short walk from Queen Street station. It also has the Psrk In and Big Sleep hotels right opposite if you need accommodation.

SuicideCommando

Review. 25th August 2008

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I've been here many times to see my favourite bands live, and have never left this place feeling unhappy. The venue is amazing, and has such a spectacular feel to it.
The loud sound, the mass of people - Wow! At first you enter, and show your ticket where the friendly staff will guide you through to the queue indoors, you then open the doors and see the huge arena, and you dash to the front, to end metres in front of your ideal. And it’s not only just one genre of band, either. From opera, to death metal, the C.I.A show everything. The prices for the shows range from £20 – expensive prices, and the amount of time they sell out by all depends on the band playing. If I were you, I’d spend as much money as you can and get your tickets quickly because this could definitely be the time of your life.

dbuk44

Cardiff International Arena 22nd August 2008

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Firstly the CIA is smack bang in the middle of Cardiff and is very very easy to get to, it is a short walk from the central train station and is situated around the corner from a NCP car park which is handy but is expensive and you can be queing up for ages to pay for you ticket and then you have to get out of the car park but hey thats another story.(Car parking fees are costly in Cardiff generally)!

The CIA is home to many events such as concerts and shows. Generally i have only been to concerts there so I can not comment on any other event that happens there.

When you first enter the CIA there are some charming people on the door waiting to check your tickets ect. Honestly they are not the most cheerful people i have ever met but then would you be with hundreds of giggling and excited women coming through the door?

When entering the main arena you will notice that it is all seated (it was on my concert) and there are 3 blocks on the ground leve and then there is seat around the sides.

During the build up you have staff selling refreshments again and programs that are costly as well but i think that is more to do with the band than the CIA so we cant blame them for that!

Most importantly there is a bar in the CIA again i think that it is overpriced but then most convinent bars are so its not unsual for Cardiff to charge a fortune for anything.

The one thing i did fond was that staff were quite miserable and not smily at all but then it may just be that they are fed up of the same show night in night out i guess we will never know.

Overall i would say that the CIA is a fairly large venue for an event and bands such as Westlife have sell out concerts there i know thats mainly the band but the venue muct also be good as they keep coming back to Cardiff!
From what i can remember all emergency exits are clearly marked and they have stewards floating around that help people out if they are needed. Disabled people are also catered for as there is disabled seating and lifts to take the less mobile up to the higher levels. definatly suitable for all, and safety is there main concern NO STANDING ON SEATS!