Climate Pledge Arena

Seattle's arena for the Kraken, Storm and Torrent

Climate Pledge Arena is the indoor arena on the Seattle Center campus, just north of downtown, where the Seattle Kraken (NHL), the Seattle Storm (WNBA) and the Seattle Torrent (Professional Women's Hockey League) play their home games. Seattle University's men's basketball team plays here too. It seats 17,151 for hockey, 18,300 for basketball and 17,200 for concerts, and it is Seattle's main arena for touring concerts.

The building is both old and new. Its sloping roof dates to 1962, when the structure opened as the Washington State Pavilion for the Century 21 Exposition, the 1962 World's Fair. A private redevelopment led by Oak View Group, costing about 1.15 billion dollars, kept that landmarked roof and three exterior walls, then dug the seating bowl deep below street level. The rebuilt arena reopened on October 19, 2021.

The schedule runs nearly year-round. Kraken hockey fills October through April, the Storm's season covers late spring through early fall, the Torrent play a winter schedule, and concerts fill the gaps.

Climate Pledge Arena seating chart: lower bowl, Loge and 200 level

Because most of the bowl sits below ground, the arena's levels work in an unusual order. You enter at street level and walk down to most seats. Fan seating guides describe three numbered rings:

• Lower bowl (Sections 1 to 26): the main bowl around the ice or court, reached from the main concourse below the street. Rows are lettered, starting with A at the front.
• Loge level (Sections 101 to 126): a middle ring at street level, closer to the action than its height suggests. The AMEX Club occupies Sections 118 to 123.
• 200 level (Sections 201 to 226): the upper deck, which runs along the sides of the arena and is noticeably steep.

For hockey, the players' benches sit on the side with the Symetra Club (lower Sections 1, 2 and 26), and the penalty boxes sit opposite, in front of the WaFd Club (Sections 13 to 15). The Kraken shoot twice toward the end covering lower Sections 3 to 12, with Sections 7 and 8 directly behind the net, and the Loge sections 105 to 110 above it. The visitors' attacking end is the opposite one, around Sections 16 to 25. Glass-level premium seats called the Cove sit in rows AA and BB.

These section ranges come from a detailed fan guide and are consistent with section listings on seat-view sites; use the arena's own seating map at checkout to confirm a specific section.

Where to sit for hockey, basketball and concerts

Kraken and Torrent games

Lower-bowl corners (Sections 4, 6, 9 and 11) in the middle rows balance a full-ice view with being close to the boards. Fans who want two periods of Kraken attacks should sit at the Sections 3 to 12 end. The best value in the building is often the Loge level behind the Kraken's attacking end (Sections 105 to 110): high enough to see plays develop, low enough to feel the game, and with quick restroom access off the Alaska Airlines atrium. In the upper deck, Sections 201 to 204 on the bench side are the budget pick.

Storm games

For basketball, the court sits in the same footprint, so the sideline sections in the lower bowl and the center sections of the Loge level have the cleanest views. Basketball crowds have topped the listed capacity: the Storm drew a record 18,343 against the Indiana Fever on May 22, 2024.

Concerts

For end-stage shows, floor seats and the lower-bowl sections facing the stage are the premium tickets. Side sections near the stage line can lose part of the production, so watch for listings marked limited or side view.

Seats to think twice about

• 200-level Sections 211 to 217, row F and up: on the press-box side, these rows lose sight of the video boards; the arena installs screens to compensate.
• End seats behind the nets (lower Sections 7, 8, 20 and 21, and Loge 105 to 110): you watch through protective netting.
• The upper deck for anyone uneasy with heights: the steep rake gives good sightlines but tall fans in front block more of the view.

Climate Pledge Arena parking, transit and rideshare

Transit is the default here, and it is built into your ticket. As of fall 2026, every ticket to a public event includes a free transit pass valid on Link light rail, buses and the Seattle Center Monorail. The common route is Link light rail to Westlake Station downtown, then the monorail, which takes about 90 seconds to reach Seattle Center.

For drivers, three garages serve the arena:

• Arena Garage: run by the arena and connected by an underground tunnel, with free electric-vehicle charging.
• 1st Ave N Garage: run by the arena, just south across Lenny Wilkens Way.
• 5th Ave Garage: run by Seattle Center, on the east side of the campus.

The Kraken recommend reserving garage parking ahead through SpotHero. Rideshare drop-offs are spread around the campus, at Republican Street and Warren Avenue N, the MoPOP turnaround, the McCaw Hall zone on Mercer Street and the Pacific Science Center zone on Denny Way. After an event, the pickup point is Thomas Street and Taylor Avenue N. See the Kraken game-day guide for current details.

Climate Pledge Arena bag policy and entry (fall 2026)

As of fall 2026, the arena allows one bag, clear or not, no larger than 14 by 14 by 6 inches, or one small clutch, purse or wallet no larger than 4 by 6 by 1.5 inches. Anything bigger than a clutch goes through X-ray screening at designated bag lines at entries 1, 8 and 11, so fans carrying a bag should head for one of those doors. Check the arena guide for the current policy before you go.

• Doors: 90 minutes before puck drop for Kraken games and 60 minutes before tipoff for the Storm; concert times vary.
• Tickets: mobile only, through Ticketmaster.
• Water bottles: reusable, non-glass bottles up to 32 ounces are allowed if empty.
• Payment: cashless, with Just Walk Out checkout at many stands; a reverse ATM sits on the main concourse near Section 4.
• Re-entry: not permitted.

Orders through GoodSeats include free shipping and guaranteed entry.

The climate pledge behind the name

Amazon bought the naming rights in June 2020 and named the building for The Climate Pledge, its corporate commitment to net-zero carbon. The arena's stated goals include zero-waste events, captured rainwater for the ice and locally sourced food. The free transit pass is part of the same plan, which is why the arena pushes the monorail harder than its garages.

From World's Fair pavilion to KeyArena to today

After the 1962 fair, the city converted the pavilion into the Seattle Center Coliseum. The Seattle SuperSonics played here for most of their history, from 1967 to 2008, and the building hosted the 1978 and 1979 NBA Finals. A 1995 renovation turned it into KeyArena, which hosted the 1996 Finals. After the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City, the city sought a redevelopment that could attract the NHL; the NHL approved the Kraken expansion on December 4, 2018, and work began the next day. Workers held the roof up on 72 temporary steel columns while excavating 600,000 cubic yards of earth beneath it. Foo Fighters opened the new building, and the Kraken played their first home game on October 23, 2021, against the Vancouver Canucks.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Climate Pledge Arena
• Climate Pledge Arena – Arena Guide
• Seattle Kraken – Game Day Guide
• Sound Transit – Climate Pledge Arena
• Sound of Hockey – Climate Pledge Arena seat guide
• A View From My Seat – Climate Pledge Arena Section 21