This was my first time to Golden 1 arena to see our beloved local NBA team, the Sacramento Kings. The Building from the outside does it no justice. It's quite a large building, if your not keeping a close eye on your ticket #, you could possibly get lost easily. The two seats my spouse & myself had were adjacent to the front enterance on the top floor. We found our seats to be quite cramped for the amount of each ticket. Here's my pro's & Cons: Pro: It felt safe with the amount of security & law enforcement presence. Pro: plenty food concession stands with over priced food & expensive AF budlight Con: The Kings Con: Parking
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Parking was expensive close to the arena ($25 for across the street), but the experience in the arena was fantastic. Sat in a loft for the Kings vs. Sixers game, which was spacious and clean. Snacks and drinks were plentiful. Truly a premium experience. Security was quick, and staff was friendly and helpful.
Rating based on value, service, food and amenities.
The single star is for the stadium itself as it is fairly easy to navigate and the restrooms are adequately clean for a sports venue.
0 stars for everything else. The security to get in gives off the impression that Sacramento is extremely dangerous and the security has been ordered to confiscate anything metal with a sharp edge. I saw them repeatedly take small keychain nail files from women as well as keychain mini tools from men. I personally lost a Leatherman squirt because of the 1 & 1/4" knife on it and while I appreciate the fact they want to keep people safe, a little common sense would go a long way.
The value is simply NOT there as food and drink are priced far higher than other venues in major cities with teams far better than the Kings. Domestic Beer $15 Hot Dogs $10 for what they call a "Jumbo" which is literally 1/2 the size of a Costco $1.50 hot dog (that comes with a drink btw). Even today's Superbowl commented that a hot dog and soda combo were going for $5.00 (just to give some perspective).
Speaking of food and hygeine, I got mild food poisoning from either the hot dog itself (definitely tasted funny), or possibly the community shared condiments (onions, relish, etc.) and was ill Sat night and Sunday as well.
I think the saddest part is the overall message the price of seats and overpriced food and drink sends the fans, which I am most definitely not, but there were many at the game who I am sure are spending their hard earned money to see their home team play. If you are going to charge $120 for adequate seats (high row, lower level behind the net) then at least offer reasonable food and drink for people and don't make them sick.
For me it was my second time going and I will not spend another penny at Golden 1 Center again and at this point I wouldn't even go back if it was free. Simply awful.
It's new, so it's very well maintained for now. The seats are sufficiently comfortable and give the appearance that they are easy to clean. Entrance security tends to be appropriately staffed, enabling entry with a minimal but appropriate wait.
Most surrounding parking structures offer online advanced space reservation, so you can shop ahead for a birds eye view of prices.
I want to point out that the seating staff is very helpful and accommodating, but there are issues with the building in general that need to be addressed. Got tickets for hell in a cell. Nosebleeds which is what I chose. My fiancee had a panic attack due to the angle of the high seating. The staff allowed us to go to the bus light section but the view is obscured in several different ways. The speakers block the screen to watch the event and the seating infront of the bud light section infringes on the action. On top of this they need a refill line. I spent extra on bottomless drinks, but you are still waiting 15+ minutes in line to get a refill. All in all, I don't think I will come back unless the next event is a big event. Not worth the trip or the costs
Saw Elton John for my first concert at this venue and FANTASTIC staff, communication with fans, security, total all around ambience was right on point!
I've been to a lot of event centers in the Bay Area & Fresno. This was my first experience in Sac and it will definitely be my last.
My mom has trouble walking and an attendant outside offered to get a wheel chair for her to help her get into the building (which either has a lot of steps or a steep, long ramp). We said sure, especially since it was pouring down rain. After 10 mins of standing in the rain & the attendant a no show, we decided to get in the even longer entrance line. We finally see the attendant and I asked him what happened to the wheel chair. He acted annoyed and he said he was still looking. Yeah, sure you were! I get the attendants are busy but don't promise to go looking for a wheel chair and then act like it's my fault because you got interrupted and forgot.
Since they made me dump my unopened Costco water in the trash, I bought one inside. They told me that I couldn't have the cap. I was astounded! WTH!! I was told that people throw the caps on stage! Well, that would have been pretty hard to do from my nosebleed seats and I'm an adult, seriously, I can't have a cap on my water. Given the limited amount of space at the seats, spilling the bottle was a constant worry & annoyance.
Lastly, the pitch of the upper level seats is ridiculous. I'm not afraid of heights but this was just crazy steep making it very difficult to get by people already in their seats and once I sat down, my feet touched the seat in front of me with zero room to move my legs the entire night. If heights bother you or you are tall, the upper sections are not the place to sit!
One of the cool things about this arena is being able to see the game, even if you're sitting in the nosebleed section. The Clippers won, I'm sure to the dismay of all the King's fans in the building. I was stoked to see Me. Leonard and Mr. Rivers in person. The first time I came I ate yummy chicken nachos, however, this time I ate Greek fries sans the beef and lamb (I generally don't eat red meat) and a healthy Greek salad. Looking forward to my next's game dining experience!
If there's a show you want to see then go see it. It's not the show's fault. It's the arena. First you have to get through the downtown traffic. Then you have to find a parking garage. That's the trick really. They only have one entrance to this thing so no matter where you're sitting you have to walk all the way around it. Even if you picked seats at the entrance, that's because you approach the backside of the building from the street and they force you to walk around it past all the shops to get to the front. So if you want to save some time walking around downtown streets, and most parents with small children do, find a close parking garage and pay a premium. Your arms, if you have a toddler, will thank you. It's not over once you get in. The seating is extremely uncomfortable for an adult. I'm 5 foot 6 and I couldn't sit in my seat with legs straight. Not joking. Sitting in row A, second level. I was a pretzel and walked out of there hurting. We went to see a monster truck show and they were struggling with the damn place too. They had semi trucks parked in the street and there's only one way to get into the arena so there was always a bottleneck at the entrance to get onto the track. I could tell they weren't liking the place. Personally, I think this place horrible. Everyone would have a much easier time and better experience at the old arena but since there's a contract to not run anything over there, this is the only place in town for your traveling shows. So if there's a show you want to go see, go see it. You'll like the show but you've been warned about the arena experience. My wife is 5 foot, look at her knees. I hate to sound negative but I really hate this place. We look at where else we can watch shows trying to avoid Golden 1 Center but sometimes it's the only place that works out. We've gone to stockton arena for "on ice" shows. San jose and Oakland for concerts. Anything to try and avoid Golden 1 center.
Best arena in the united states! Its amazing..i have been hete for concerts and kings games and i have never been disappointed except for the fact that a $3 beer cost $15 but i understand they invested a lot of money in the arena..so its understandable. I love how it puts sacramento on the map and its just so dope overall.
The kings are an average team, however, they have an amazing arena. So I'll keep coming back. Parking is also crazy so just take the regional transit rail to the game saves you money and get you out of the area without hassle.
Amazing place to go to everybody very helpful their showed us for the rest before they were very clean restrooms the seats were very clean no trash know where fruits good they're great seeing a matter where you say we went for the monster jam show is very very good well taken care place
I have been to Golden 1 Center for many events over the years. Comfortable, clean with great seats no matter where you are. If you are in the area, pack a lunch or plan on spending bank to get a meal.
This arena has it all, a wide selection of food from local restaurants, fun atmosphere, great sound and lighting system, but most of all, I am impressed with the arena's ability to transform in order to accommodate different events. I have seen basketball games, monster truck shows and bull riding here. It is amazing to have this arena in our backyard!
Parking was one block away, didn't have to fight crowds like I always had to do at Arco, seats were great with good sight lines. Game was terrific, food was fair, employees were very friendly. Lots of places to dine at after the game.
We went for the Monster Jam and we had a blast. There didn't seem to be a bad seat in the entire arena. Food was expensive but it's to be expected at a venue like this.
This is a modern facility at the highest level. For a concert or basketball game you are guaranteed entertainment. The score board is the best in the business. The sound is perfect. The restaurants are top and the liquor is top shelf. Enjoy that Domain Carneros Champagne and toast to a fantastic time.
Awful !! Parking is rediculously high ! $25 for two hours . Food was way over priced and don t get the nachos they made my stomach upset for a two days !!! Everything over priced !! Won t ever go back !! Was a awful experience !
Hard liquor can get crazy expensive for very little but all alcohol is pretty expensive and there are no cupholders if you sit in the 200 hundred sections so i usually try to sit in the 100s anyway. Fairly clean and easy to navigate arena. Parking is a hassle if you dont know the area well and dont want to spend a lot in the arena parking.
What kind of a numbskull builds a stadium/convention center/concert hall right downtown with a scarcity of parking & a bunch of 1-way streets with almost invisible name signs? Bah. I'll not go there again.
I can only speak on the top floor seats. The top floor is kind of scary, it seems like you're always slightly slanted forward. Wouldn't recommend catching a buzz up there. Otherwise the arena is nice. GO KINGS
It s a really nicely designed arena, very open inside but the seats in front of you are very close. The old arco arena you would be able to just pull your legs back for someone to walk by. This arena I had to stand to let people by. A variety of food options options, and a nice outdoor area. Except for the piglet. This would have been better if it was builtin the old rail yard.
well thought out and i am impressed , i was againist the project originaly ; but time will see how it is maneged . i personally would like to be a part of setting the arena to a profitable future . D.G.Pifer
Golden 1 Center has Very poor sound acoustics to hold any music concerts at! Due to excessive reverberation! I've been to 2 concerts their, one being Sir Paul McCarthy & the other being Neil Diamond. Both concerts were great with the only exception being the quality of the audio. It's sad when the venue detracts from the quality of the prefromers!
"Very Clean, Safe, Comfortable, and Exciting Complex!!!" "The many shops are awesome with different items, So One MUST stay focused, as not to miss the actual Event!!" "Don't forget to Eat and Have a Awesome Time!!!!"
The concert itself was great but the organization at Golden 1 was absolutely horrible. Arrived an hour early and still didn't get in in time. Everything from trying to enter to getting to our seats was way too slow and poorly managed. I've never given a review on anything ever but this was so bad I had to write a review on how poorly of a job the staff management was. Never again at Golden 1.
