Honda Center

Anaheim's arena for Ducks hockey and arena tours

Honda Center is a city-owned indoor arena on Katella Avenue in Anaheim, and it has been the home of the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL since the building opened in 1993. It seats 17,174 for hockey and 18,336 for basketball, and concert capacity runs from roughly 13,800 to 18,900 depending on how the stage is set. Between hockey dates it books arena concert tours, family shows, college events and combat sports.

The building sits across Katella Avenue from ARTIC, the regional train station, and a short distance from Angel Stadium. The district around it is being rebuilt as OCVIBE, a large mixed-use development, so parking and traffic patterns are changing from season to season.

• Ducks hockey: the NHL regular season runs from October into April, with playoff dates possible after that.
• Concerts: year-round, with heavy weekend booking in spring and summer.
• Other events: family shows, college basketball and wrestling or fight cards appear throughout the calendar.

Honda Center seating chart: levels and section numbers

The bowl has three seating tiers wrapped around the floor, plus suites. Section numbers tell you the level at a glance:

• Floor (100s): for end-stage concerts, the arena floor is mapped as sections numbered from 101 upward (orientation guides list 101 through 106). For hockey there is no floor seating.
• Plaza level (200s): the lower bowl, closest to the ice. Most Plaza sections have fewer than 20 rows, usually lettered A through S, and for hockey row A is the glass row. Orientation guides list the range as 201 through 226 or 228, depending on the map consulted.
• Club level (300s): a shallow middle tier with club amenities, listed as roughly 301 through 325. The Ducks' gameday guide notes in-seat food service for All-Event Club Seats in sections 302–309 and 318–325.
• Terrace level (400s): the upper tier, listed as roughly 401 through 443, and the arena's value level.
• Suites: the building has 84 luxury suites between the tiers.

For hockey, seating guides place center ice at sections 208 and 222 on the Plaza level, and the Ducks shoot twice toward the end around sections 214–216. Section numbers on this page come from independent seating guides rather than the venue's own map, so confirm your exact section on the seat map at checkout.

Best seats for hockey and concerts, and seats to skip

Ducks games

The best overall view is the Plaza level between the blue lines, centered on sections 208 and 222, in rows roughly 8 through 15. That height lifts you above the glass and lets you follow plays at both ends. Rows A through C put you against the glass, which is exciting during board battles but makes the far end of the rink hard to read.

Fans who want to watch the Ducks attack should sit in the end around sections 214–216, where the home team shoots in the first and third periods. Corner Plaza sections are a reasonable compromise: they usually cost less than center ice and still keep you low.

On the Terrace level, the center-line sections give a clean, full-rink view, and many regulars prefer the first several Terrace rows over the last rows of a Plaza corner.

Concerts

For an end-stage show, the best seats are the front floor sections and the Plaza sections on the long sides angled toward the stage. Avoid the seats behind or beside the stage: seating guides note that section 214 sits behind or to the side of the stage for most concerts. Upper Terrace seats on the far end look straight at the stage but are the most distant seats in the house, so they suit fans who want to be in the room more than close to it.

What each level looks like from the seat

• Plaza: close and steep enough that the glass is the only real obstruction, and only in the first few rows. Low rows behind the nets have the most distortion through the glass and netting.
• Club: a shallow tier, so even the back rows feel close. The trade-off is the price premium for the amenities.
• Terrace: a classic upper-bowl view. You see systems and line changes clearly, and the overhead videoboard and the two levels of 360-degree ribbon boards fill in the replays.

Parking, ARTIC trains and rideshare

As of the 2026–27 season, the venue lists the Katella Garage and the Cerritos Garage for general parking and the River Garage for premium parking that must be bought in advance. The venue says general parking is included with tickets for events marked that way on its events page; check your event listing to see whether that applies. Because OCVIBE construction is reshaping the area, the arena asks guests to arrive at least 60 minutes early, and Douglass Road between Katella Avenue and Stanley Cup Way is permanently closed. For Ducks games, parking gates typically open one hour before doors.

• Train: ARTIC, at 2626 E. Katella Avenue, sits across the street. It is served by Amtrak and Metrolink, which makes rail a practical option from Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego for evening events.
• Bus: OC Bus routes 50, 53 and Rapid 553 serve the area.
• Rideshare: the designated drop-off and pickup zone is at ARTIC, entered from Douglass Road.

Postgame, the garages empty slowly onto Katella Avenue. Walking to ARTIC or a restaurant across the street and waiting out the first wave usually costs less time than sitting in the garage queue.

Honda Center bag policy and entry rules (as of October 2026)

Honda Center runs one of the stricter bag policies in the NHL, so plan before you leave home. As of October 2026, the arena's Know Before You Go page lists these limits:

• Ducks games: bags and purses no larger than 4 by 6 by 1.5 inches, including clear bags. The Ducks' own gameday guide lists a 5 by 9 by 2 inch limit, so the two published sources disagree; pack to the smaller size to be safe.
• Other events: one bag no larger than 5 by 9 by 2 inches.
• Backpacks: not allowed at any event.
• Medical and diaper bags: allowed up to 12 by 12 by 12 inches with additional screening.
• No bag check: the arena does not store bags, so an oversized bag goes back to the car.

Other rules worth knowing: the building is cashless, every ticket is digital in the Honda Center + Ducks app (screenshots and printouts of the QR code are not accepted), the arena and its grounds are smoke- and vape-free, and there is no re-entry once your ticket is scanned. Doors for Ducks games typically open 90 minutes before puck drop. Check the venue's current policy at Honda Center's Know Before You Go page before you go.

Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee, including guaranteed entry.

From the Pond to Honda Center: a short history

The arena opened on June 17, 1993, designed by HOK Sport (now Populous). It was built for about 123 million dollars and opened as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, a name local fans shortened to "the Pond." The Mighty Ducks played their first NHL game there that October. The Los Angeles Clippers used the building as a part-time home from 1994 to 1999.

Honda bought the naming rights in 2006. A year later, on June 6, 2007, the Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators 6–2 on home ice to win the Stanley Cup, four years after the club's first Final run in 2003. The arena has also hosted WrestleMania 2000 and the 1999 Frozen Four. In 2005 it became the first U.S. arena with two full levels of 360-degree ribbon displays.

In April 2025 a renovation of roughly one billion dollars was announced, with completion targeted for 2027. It adds a new south entrance, escalators, club suites and more parking as part of OCVIBE, so expect construction detours and changing entrances while the work continues.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Honda Center
• Honda Center – Know Before You Go
• Honda Center – Parking and Transportation
• Anaheim Ducks – Gameday Guide
• RateYourSeats – Honda Center Section 214
• A View From My Seat – Honda Center sections