Barclays Center
Location: 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
The Barclays Center Brooklyn is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Brooklyn which opened on September 21, 2012. The arena is part of a $6 billion future business and residential complex known as Pacific Park. Pacific Park is a mixed-use commercial and residential development project that will consist of 17 high-rise buildings, in Prospect Heights, adjacent to the Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene neighborhoods. As of spring 2017, construction on the residential component of the project has already resulted in the opening in November 2016 of the world's tallest modular apartment building, 461 Dean. The development of Pacific Park is expected to be completed in 2025.
The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association, and the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. The arena also hosts concerts, conventions and other sporting and entertainment events. It competes with other facilities in the New York metropolitan area, including Madison Square Garden in Manhattan and Prudential Center in Newark.
The arena experienced significant hurdles during its development. Its use of eminent domain and its potential environmental impact brought significant community resistance, especially as residential buildings and businesses were to be demolished and large amounts of public subsidies were used, which led to multiple lawsuits. The global recession of 2009 also caused financing for the project to dry up. As a result, construction was delayed until 2010, with no secure funding for the project having been allotted. Ultimately, groundbreaking for construction occurred on March 11, 2010, and the arena opened on September 21, 2012, which was also attended by some 200 protesters. It held its first event with a Jay-Z concert on September 28, 2012.
Barclay Center concerts have included the following artists: Jay Z, Beyonce, Barbara Streisand, Rush, Justin Bieber, The Who, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, The Smashing Pumpkins, Coldplay, Green Day, The Killers and many more! In addition to many concerts, the center hosted the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards bringing the show to a New York City borough other than Manhattan for the first time.
Barclays Center capacity for a concert is 19,000, for an NHL hockey match 15,795 and 17,732 for an NBA basketball game 17.732.
The building features the mural Diary of Brooklyn by painter Jose Parlá, which measures 10 feet wide and 70 feet tall. According to Parlá, the painting is all about language; the painting contains words and phrases such as "immigration," "Brooklyn is" and "Big Daddy Kane." The piece was commissioned in 2012 and took six months to complete.
Find out about upcoming Barclays Center events and check out Barclays Center seating info. It’s always a good idea to get tickets in advance, so find out more out the Barclays Center schedule here.
You can see the Barclays Center on our daily Brooklyn tour!