Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Michigan)

Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Construction began on April 24, 2015, following a formal groundbreaking ceremony on September 25, 2014. Opened on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, succeeded both Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the homes of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), respectively.

The arena features a unique, glass-roofed concourse connecting it to offices and shops surrounding it. It anchors a new $2.1 billion 650,000-square-foot (60,000 m2) sports and entertainment district in and around downtown Detroit that will include mixed-use neighborhoods with new residential and retail outlets located around the Cass Corridor, Ford Field, and Comerica Park.

General information

Arena capacity: 20,491 spectators

Address: 2645 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201, USA

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 42°20′28.22″N 83°3′17.68″W

Year of construction: September 5, 2017

Construction cost: $862.9 million

Seating plan of the Little Caesars Arena

Legends Club

Located at the front of the second tier Mezzanine level and behind the north basket, the Legends Club offers a premium all-inclusive experience for Pistons home games. The viewing angles are not the best due to the positioning behind the basket, but fans will enjoy the complimentary food and beverage and unique seating which is comprised of wider plush seating in rows 1 and 2, and barstool seating with a table ledge in row 3.

Players and West Club

Along the west sideline in sections 121-123, basketball fans will have two club seating options to choose from at Little Caesars Arena. Located closer to the floor and the team benches is the Comerica Players Club (found in rows 1-4), while the West Club seats are located higher in the sections at rows 5 and higher.

Those lucky enough to score a Players Club seat will not only stay impressively close to all the action in the first four rows, but will also have some of the best amenities in the arena. Ticket holders here are treated to all-inclusive food and beverage, and will have access to the Players Club lounge where you can watch the teams as they move between the benches and the locker room.

West Club seats will be a more affordable option compared to the ultra premium Players Club, and still offer great amenities which provide an upscale feel. Fans in the West Club will enjoy complimentary draft beer and house wine, as well as upscale dining options available for purchase inside the luxurious West Club lounge.

East Club

Regardless of which row you are sitting in, a ticket in either section 108, 109, or 110 will have you a part of the East Club during Pistons basketball games at Little Caesars Arena. These seats are further from the team benches compared to the premium options on the west sideline, however ticket holders are still treated to impressive amenities.

Fans in the East Club seats will enjoy an all-inclusive experience inside the largest of the club lounges at the arena, which is touted as one of the best spots for socializing during a Pistons basketball game.

VIP Courtside

Fans in the VIP Courtside seats are sure to have a memorable experience thanks to the unbeatable proximity to the floor, and are also treated to premium club style benefits for Pistons home games.

All Courtside ticket holders are treated to an all-inclusive experience, but your club lounge access will vary depending on which floor section and row is printed on your ticket. Fans in all rows of Courtside sections AA and FF, as well as those in Row 1 of Courstide sections A-F, will be able to access the incredibly exclusive Comerica Players Club lounge. All other Courtside seats will get you access to the East Club lounge, which is the largest of any premium lounge at Little Caesars Arena.

North End Club

Located on the upper seating tier at the north end of the arena (sections 201-205), the North End Club offers fans one of the most affordable premium seating options at Little Caesars Arena for a Pistons basketball game. Ticket holders here will be able to access a two story club lounge (also known as the Labatt Blue Club) which offers a great spot for socializing throughout the course of a basketball game.

Sideline Club

Sideline Club seats are found near the center of the court on the Mezzanine level, and are a great option for combining excellent viewing with a premium atmosphere at a reasonable price point.

You won’t have the extravagant bells and whistles which come with the premium options on the lower level, however fans in the Sideline club sections (Mezzanine 9-13 and Mezzanine 26-30) will still be treated to a private bar area with lounge style seating located just above the seats.

Recommended Seats for Impressing a Guest

Sections VIP Courtside AA and VIP Courtside FF:

• As close as it gets to the floors and the players;
• All-inclusive experience with access to the Players Club (Pistons games).

Rows 1-4 in Sections 121, 122 and 123:

• Excellent views along the sidelines and near the action on the court;
• Food and beverage included;
• Watch the teams move to and from the court from the Players Club lounge.

Rows 14-18 in Sections 109 and 122:

• Excellent views right at center court on the lower seating tier;
• No more than 5 rows from the entry tunnel;
• Premium club amenities (Pistons games).

Recommended Seats for Great Views of the Court

Rows 10-18 in Sections 107, 111, 120 and 124:

• Good combination of viewing height and proximity to the court;
• Desirable sideline viewing angles;
• Close to the entry tunnels and fewer seats per row.

Rows 10-18 in Sections 108, 109, 110 and 121

• Excellent sight lines near mid court;
• Great viewing height above floor level and close to the entry tunnels;
• Premium club access (Pistons games).

Rows 2-5 in Sections Mezzanine 10, Mezzanine 11, Mezzanine 12 and Mezzanine 13:

• Optimal viewing height from the second tier Mezzanine level;
• Smaller seating sections with easy access to and from;
• Desirable viewing angles near mid court.

Rows 2-4 in Sections 211, 212, 226 and 227:

• Great viewing angles near center court;
• Close to the entry tunnels located at row 2.

Where to buy tickets?

The Little Caesars Arena XFINITY Box Office is off Woodward Avenue, adjacent to the Chevrolet Entry Northeast.

Free 20 minute parking for the XFINITY Box Office will be located on the street level of the Little Caesars Arena garage located at 165 Sproat. Parking will only be valid during XFINITY Box Office hours, excluding event times.

Address: 2645 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201.

Normal Hours: 9:30am – 6:00pm (closing time varies on event days). Closed on non-event Sundays.

Sunday: Open only on game and event days from 9:30am – 30 minutes before end of event.

Event Days: 9:30 a.m. through 30 minutes before the event conclusion.

Please note: Venue box offices will be closed in observance of the following holidays: New Years Day; Martin Luther King Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day; the day after Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve; Christmas Day. If there is an event on one of the listed holidays, please see the respective venue event day box office hours.

As far as compared to other major sports, the NBA remains one of the better bargains.  Tickets can be found on the primary market for as little as $14 and can go up to $275.  As with other teams and leagues, ticket prices will fluctuate for various dates and visiting teams.  For example, the cheapest ticket available for the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors when they come to Little Caesars Arena is $75.

Both concession and parking prices are on the expensive side. Fans will find the experience at the Pistons enjoyable, and for the most part feel that they received their monies worth. However, rapidly rising costs across all sports is becoming a significant impediment and should not be discounted when questioning the lower than expected attendance numbers.

How to get there?

Little Caesars Arena is located immediately north of I-75, the Fisher Freeway, between Highway 10 and I-375. It is immediately north of Downtown Detroit proper, in Midtown.

The Fisher Freeway is a sunken highway with a few streets that cross over the highway. The downtown part of Detroit, south of the highway, can get very congested also, especially if there are events at the theatres, Comerica Park or Ford Field. All of this adds to a very congested drive to the arena from the south. There is parking on both sides of the highway, but it can be very pricy.

Although, parking is not too difficult to find, there are ads all over the arena to pre-book and pre-pay for parking. There is a lack of private lots outside of the large garages and during a busy day it is very conceivable that fans who have not planned appropriately will have difficulty finding parking. Parking is expensive and will range from $25 to $40 and above.

Olympia Development operates 32 parking facilities within The District Detroit, all within a 10-minute walk to Little Caesars Arena. Little Caesars Arena is partnering with ParkWhiz to help you find the best parking for games and events in The District Detroit. ParkWhiz is an e-parking service that allows users to book a guaranteed parking space before reaching their destination.

Hours of Operation

• Parking hours differ based on the individual garage or surface lot, and based on the event.
• Free sports predictions 24 hours a day.
• Parking facilities open a minimum of three hours before the scheduled event and are open two hours after the conclusion of the event.

General Information

• Parking capacities are subject to change based on the size and type of the event.
• As you approach Little Caesars Arena, there will be highway, street level and variable message signs directing you to parking lot options.
• Find out which bookmaker you can get a sign-up bonus from.
• To ensure safe and efficient travel throughout Downtown Detroit, please follow the direction of the traffic and parking staff.
• Illegal parking on area roadways, medians and hooded meters is prohibited. Violators will be ticketed by local law enforcement and/or towed.
• We make dozens of free sports predictions every day.
• Oversized vehicles are not permitted in Olympia Development lots.
• It is recommended that ticket holders give themselves plenty of time for arrival to our events. Ticket holders are encouraged to enter the arena early to become familiar with the routes to their seats, restroom locations, concession stands, retail locations, etc.

For fans who require public transit, there are buses that travel Woodward Ave as well as light rail, the QLine. Fans can check the QLine and Detroit Department of Transportation websites for fares, maps and schedules. There is also a shuttle bus that heads to the arena from the Greektown Casino.

Ticketing windows are best found in the Chevrolet Plaza, which offers a great deal of space.  Security and entry into major sports stadiums and arenas is in a constant state of flux.  When heading to an event at Little Caesars Arena, it is highly recommended that fans consult the Detroit Pistons and Little Caesars Arena websites to find out the most current security procedures.

The concourses in Little Caesars Arena are fairly wide and getting around the arena is not too difficult. The washrooms are adequate for the arena size.

Where to eat?

In any new arena, or arena that has a significant renovation, concessions seems to be front and center, and Little Caesars arena is no different. Upon entering the arena it is not hard to find an LCA staff member that is willing to show the different concession options on the arena map that they carry with them. Little Caesars Arena offers a few larger concession areas as opposed to many small stands.

The Classics concession has all of those arena options that fans would expect including hot dogs ($4.75), popcorn ($4.50), pretzels, brats and nachos. Other concession areas fans may consider include the Coop, which features a variety of chicken options, Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit, Mike’s Pizza Bar, Mac & Cheese and of course Little Caesars Pizza ($6.75). One of the most popular spots is the District Market, which offers a variety of different stands in an urban market type of setting.

There are a variety of craft beer selections available at Little Caesars Arena. The traditional, Budweiser and Bud Light as well as Blue Light can be found but Bell’s and Goose Island products are also easily found as well as Founders’ All Day IPA. Beer is found from $9.00 to $11.50.

Other cocktails and daiquiris can be found throughout also. Soft drinks feature Coca-Cola products ($6/$7.25) and bottled water and hot beverages are also available. One of the great parts of the Little Caesars Arena concession scene is that there are great concession options on the upper level as well as the lower level, which is not necessarily commonplace.

Atmosphere

Little Caesars Arena attempts to meld a modern arena with something from a different era. The exterior of the Little Caesars Arena attempts to bring you back to old Olympia Arena in Detroit, which the Pistons and Red Wings shared. A healthy mix of glass and brick, the exterior of Little Caesars Arena is very attractive. The west side of the arena features the Chevrolet Plaza which has a huge video screen and is a terrific meeting spot between the arena and parking garage.

There are also a number of restaurants around the arena, one of which, curiously, features a large outdoor patio which would not be used during either hockey or basketball seasons. The exterior is filled with LED screens which change content based on the event being held. For Pistons games, the exterior looks much more like the home of the Pistons than for other events.

On the inside of Little Caesars Arena, there is a distinct clash of styles. The exterior is an old school Detroit warehouse feel, similar to Ford Field. The use of brick and very high open ceilings along with large windows to allow natural light in gives the arena a whole different feel. The details are significant with large pictures of key athletes and displays of historic memorabilia, right down to the manhole covers that honor specific Pistons or Red Wings athletes.

The feel of walking through a promenade or outdoor mall is strong when walking through the concourses. The interior is far different, with a significantly modern feel. Around the seating bowl, the use of lighting is very strong, blue or red for the exterior of the seating bowl. The upper concourses retain a view of the lower concourses giving the arena an open and airy feel.

Inside the seating bowl, fans are immediately greeted with the massive, crystal clear video board and the sheer volume of banners hanging from the rafters. Piston greats Chauncey Billups, Chuck Daly, Ben Wallace, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Isiah Thomas, Vinnie Johnson, Bob Lanier, Dave Bing, Richard Hamilton, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Davidson and Jack McCloskey are all honored and have banners hanging with the 1989, 1990 and 2004 NBA Championship banners.

The arena floor is in a north-south orientation and that perfect picture of the court will come from the east side of the court. The seats in Little Caesars Arena are large and padded with red leather.

The Pistons put together a solid show as part of their game day experience.  The Pistons do a phenomenal job of using their new LED light technology as part of the show, not the least of which is creating an LED colored ceiling which changes for different events.  The Pistons Entertainment Team helps entertain the crowd with the Pistons Dancers performing at breaks and welcoming fans as they enter the arena.

The Pistons Drumline plays as part of the pregame intros welcoming the teams and the mascot Hooper makes his way around the arena and flies the Pistons flag at the beginning of the game.  Upon exiting the arena at the end of the evening or afternoon, the Pistons Drumline plays in the concourse to hopefully send off the Pistons faithful back to their transportation happy.  Pistons PA announcer John Mason is now a local legend with his call, especially his “Deee-Troit Bas-ket-ball” when the Pistons get the ball on a side out.

Neighborhood

Little Caesars Arena is located north of the Fisher Freeway, I-75, in an area of Detroit that is still undergoing some significant gentrification. Both Comerica Park and Ford Field are on the other side of the highway, well within walking distance, in an area that has been better developed over a significant period of time. The whole area is now being referred to as District Detroit.

Technically, the arena is at the south end of the Midtown neighborhood. There are a number of options for fans for both pre and post game fare. Some options include the restaurants that are in Little Caesars Arena as well as Harry’s, Detroit One Coney Island, the Detroit Beer Co, Cheli’s Chili Bar and the infamous Hockeytown Cafe.

Little Caesars Arena is located near the Greektown neighborhood, which features the Greektown Casino. Other entertainment options nearby include the Fox Theatre, the Fillmore Detroit and the Detroit Opera House. Other sporting options nearby include the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, which share Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Tigers of MLB who play at Comerica Park and the Detroit Lions of the NFL who play at Ford Field.

All are in walking distance. Traditionally, Ford Field hosts the Quick Lane Bowl on December 26th and features NCAA football teams from the Big Ten, ACC and or MAC. The closest NCAA basketball venue is Calihan Hall, which is the home of the Detroit Mercy Titans of the Horizon League.

Fans who require accommodations near Little Caesars Arena may want to consider The Inn at 97 Winder, the Hilton Garden Inn or the Greektown Hotel.

Fans

At one point in time, Detroit Pistons fans were the cream of the crop. Recording over three hundred consecutive sell-outs across the eighties and nineties, The Palace was rocking and a rough place to play as an opponent.  Tough economic times throughout Michigan and Detroit would take its toll on the Pistons and attendance began to fall off from the regular 22,000 fans to around 15,000. Unfortunately with the move to Little Caesars Arena the attendance figures have not really improved.

Considering that at the time of this review, the Pistons were greatly improved from the previous season, holding down a top four playoff spot and playing in a brand new building, this is definitely a disappointment. Curiously, attendance for Red Wings games are as strong as ever.

Design

Golden 1 Center reflects the fabric of Northern California by utilizing regionally sourced materials that range from glass to recycled aluminum to potentially precast concrete, composed of sand from San Benito and rocks of Sierra limestone that reflect the colors of the region. Additionally, Golden 1 Center utilizes only FSC-certified wood, an international standard of quality and responsible forest management.

A rooftop solar array, installed by Solar Power Inc. at a cost of $2.5 million, generates up to 1.2 megawatts, augmented by an 11 megawatt solar field in nearby Rancho Seco operated by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Installing solar power is part of the Sacramento Kings ownership’s goal to have its new sports and entertainment center be the most technologically advanced arena in the country, and that includes being efficient and using renewable energy. The arena earned LEED Platinum certification.

Along with the architectural design, a number of artworks were permanently installed, with works from local artists such as Phil America and Gale Hart and internationally recognized artist Jeff Koons.

Technology

The main videoboard, to be hung over center court, is 84 feet (26 m) long, 10 feet shorter than the basketball court below. Developed in partnership with Panasonic Corp. of North America, it consumes more than 6,100 square feet (570 m2) and is currently the largest screens in the NBA. The main screens are 44 feet wide by 24 feet tall, crowned by 6-foot-tall message boards. The screens broadcast in what is known as “4K Ultra HD”.

In addition to the main scoreboard, two 25-foot-tall video screens welcome fans as they walk through the arena’s main entrance facing the public plaza, and another 600 HD displays broadcast the game to fans gathered in concourses, clubs and suites, Over 1,500 feet of LED ribbon boards were installed throughout the arena bowl.

According to a Kings news release, the arena is “the world’s most connected indoor sports and entertainment venue” as the result of a multi-year deal with Comcast to provide “fully redundant transport facilities and two 100-gigabit ethernet dedicated internet circuits” at the facility. Free wi-fi connections at the arena will be 17,000 times faster than the average home network. The connection will extend into the plaza surrounding the arena. As an example of its bandwidth, the team said the network will be able to handle more than 225,000 posts on Instagram every second.

A rooftop platform with light pipes can be programmed by local artists and used to convey events in the arena to the public through visually appealing light shows.

History

Construction began October 29, 2014. Turner Construction, known in the Sacramento area for having built Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport and other projects, was the construction manager for the new arena.

The Kings’ previous owners, led by the Maloof family, proposed a downtown arena. The arena’s estimated cost was $391 million. The City of Sacramento would have paid $255.5 million, the Kings would have contributed $73.25 million, and AEG was going to contribute $58.75 million.

The Kings decided to name the street leading to the front door of the arena in honor of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, whose persistent, decades-long efforts helped keep the franchise in Sacramento. Officially, the address of the Golden 1 Center is 500 David J. Stern Walk.