The Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks, has a rich history in the community, hockey, World Wrestling Entertainment, Arena Football, concerts, and so much more. The red brick hockey arena lights up the 5 freeway at night among the shadows of palm trees and the sound of the events behind its doors.
About the Honda Center
Address: 2695 E. Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92806
Seating Capacity: 18,336
Phone: (714) 704-2400
Website: https://www.hondacenter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hondacenter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hondacenter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hondacenter
On November 8, 1990, Anaheim broke ground on the 18,336 seat arena that is home of the National Hockey League team, the Anaheim Ducks. The spark of this California arena is so much more than the hockey team that was once owned by Disney and based on the Disney movie trilogy, The Mighty Ducks, it’s about Anaheim entertainment. Anaheim’s deep love of Disney still rings true even now, over a decade since the company sold the franchise. Fans of the Ducks franchise since the early days endearingly still refer to the Honda Center as The Pond – the facility was known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim from 1994 through 2005. Outside the arena on the South Entrance sits the bronze Mighty Ducks sculpture which still defends The Pond at all times.
The arena’s deep roots in the community first began at a sold-out Barry Manilow concert on June 19, 1993. In 2006, the organization changed its name from the Mighty Ducks to the Anaheim Ducks, and the arena was changed from Arrowhead Pond to the Honda Center. The Anaheim city-owned arena is managed by Henry and Susan Samueli of Anaheim Arena Management, giving them the freedom to schedule events.
Find Out What’s Happening Now at the Honda Center!
Honda Center Tickets
Tickets for the Honda Center are managed through Ticketmaster. Here is the Honda Center Seating Chart.
Each fixed section begins with Row A at the bottom and continues up the section alphabetically. Seat number 1 is on the right aisle as you are seated in a section facing the floor or stage. Most rows have 14 seats, some have 15 or 16.
Event tickets are digital and available on guests’ mobile devices.
Box Office Hours: M-F 10:00 am – 5:00 pm & Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Will Call opens an hour and a half before events
Parking
There are three ways to enter the Honda Center.
- Enter Douglass Rd via Katella Ave
- Enter Douglass Rd via Cerritos Ave (Cerritos curves into Douglass)
- From Ball Rd follow the “Event Parking” signs on Phoenix Club Drive
Complimentary bicycle parking is located near the northwest corner of Honda Center,
Honda Center Amenities
- Restaurants
- Brewery X Biergarten
- Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Club (available to Club & Suite Holders)
- The Wine Cellar
- Concessions
- The Kitchen/Go Mango Bar/Melissa’s at TCL entrance
- Anaheim Pizza Co. 203)
- CPK (210)
- The Classics (212, 219, 307, 321, 402, 424)
- Burger Bistro (217)
- Outlaws Smokehouse (224)
- Wahoo’s Fish Taco (228)
- Club Level Lounge (325-301)
- Express Eats (411)
- Sweet Sensation (430)
- Greatest Hits (434)
- Anaheim Chile (443)
The Puck Drop Patio
Available at Ducks games (pre-game or in-game) for live music, prizes, unique food truck fare, the latest Ducks merchandise, photo booth and a large selection of beverages including beer, wine, and cocktails. Located outside of the arena’s North Entrance and is open 90 minutes before puck drop until the end of the second intermission
JT Schmid’s is located directly across the street from the Honda Center and is a great option for dinner and drinks prior to the event.
Honda Center Tips for Visiting
- Join the Encore Club and receive exclusive presales, special offers and all the latest announcements for events.
- There is a no bag policy
- Single pocket clutches and wallets smaller than 5 in. x 9 in. x 1 in. are permitted
- Guests who require a diaper bag or purse/bag for items medical in nature, such as prescription medication, breast pumps, and other special medical equipment, are permitted as long as they are within 16 in. x 12 in. x 12 in.
- Cashless payments are only accepted everywhere. Cash is no longer accepted.
- No Re-entry
- No smoking/vaping
- All entry doors at Honda Center are now outfitted with new state-of-the-art walk-through metal detection systems
- No outside food or beverage is allowed in the building during an event
- Each fixed section begins with Row A at the bottom and continues up the section alphabetically
- Service dogs only as permitted by the ADA. No other pets allowed.
- Signs are allowed as long as they are not derogatory, obscene, do not block the view of other guests and are not attached to a pole of any kind.
Honda Center Concerts
While Honda Center’s neighbor, the Staples Center, is well known for appearances by Hollywood superstars, the Orange County arena does not fall short of its own down-home and big-league talent. While Honda Center’s first performance was Barry Manilow, the superstars don’t stop there. Anaheim native, No Doubt performed for the first time here in 1996 as the opening act for Bush and the Goo Goo Dolls. They reappeared a year later with Grammy nominations to boot headlining shows. In 2002 and 2005 they reappeared alongside Jay-Z and Linkin Park.
Country music greats such as Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brooks and Dunn, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, and Jimmy Buffet have performed at the Honda Center as well. Icons such as Bowie, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, the Eagles, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston have all performed here, just to name a few.
The Honda Center continues to boast star-studded line-ups and has expanded its reach by including Latin American favorites such as Luis Miguel, Pepe Aguilar, Los Tigres Del Norte, Gloria Trevi, Alejandra Guzmán, and Los Rieleros.
Hockey
Over the course of 25 years of Ducks hockey, the team, management, and the arena have changed. But one thing remains: Southern California hockey. Since day one the Ducks have fought and struggled to make a name for themselves.
The original team, branded by Disney, sported jade and eggplant jerseys with a cartoon-like hockey mask logo. The team’s mascot, Wild Wing, debuted October 8, 1993, in a perfect 90s over the top performance that featured a Disney flare with Wild Wing propelled from the rafters. For the next two seasons, the Ducks struggled to find their rhythm, until center Paul Kariya brought direction and leadership to the team.
In 1997 and 1999, the team made Stanley Cup appearances and began to gain popularity beyond their Disney affiliation. In 2003, with the help of winger, Teemu Selanne, and goalie Jean Sebastien Giguere, the team made a fairytale run in a playoff series but lost against the New Jersey Devils in seven games. After this point, the team became close-knit, however, in 2005 Disney sold the franchise to the Samuelis who changed their name to the Anaheim Ducks and rebranded the arena the Honda Center with Honda paying $60 million for 15-year naming rights. Many fans look at the 2006-2007 season fondly because it was the first time in franchise history when the team won the Stanley Cup with the help of Ducks “royalty.” That season the team played its 1,000th regular-season game and brought Lord Stanley home. Since then, the team has had more playoff runs than ever and made the sport more popular in the region.
Honda Center Events: PBR, WWE, Harlem GlobeTrotters & Basketball
Honda Center brings diverse sporting events to the region. The ice takes between five to six hours to melt and can be refrozen thanks to ten miles of piping on the concrete floor. When the Ducks do not have a game, the floor can be transformed into a stage, cage, dirt rodeo, or arena. Professional Bull Riders have been hosted at the Honda Center since 1998 which draws cowboys and rodeo clowns to Orange County in droves.
World Wrestling Entertainment has hosted numerous events at the arena, including Wrestle Mania XII, Royal Rumble 1999, Monday Night Raw, and SmackDown to name a few. Ultimate Fighting Championships have been held here as well, including UFC 59, UFC 63, UFC 76, UFC 157, UFC 214, UFC 241, and UFC 270.
The basketball exhibition team the Harlem GlobeTrotters has performed at the Honda Center for years, entertaining across ages and varying levels of interest in basketball. The NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regional tournament draws the college crowd to the Honda Center for the first and second rounds of the tournament and has since 1998. During basketball tournaments, the building can amass 18,336 spectators from across the West.
The Future of the Honda Center
With the building being over 25 years old, it has become necessary in recent years for updates and renovations, some of which include a 15,000-square-foot-indoor/outdoor terrace on the club level that offers members a high dining experience that was completed for Ducks games and special events in 2013, along with the expanded team store that was completed at the same time. A wine cellar sponsored by sub-zero was completed in 2019 and offers 240 wine options to the club level. In 2019, the Samuelis purchased 18 acres to expand the Honda Center further.
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