Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

5-MINUTE EXPERT:

Your guide to T-Mobile Arena

Wayne Newton and Shamir

Steve Marcus

An exterior view of the T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

Designed to “transcend the marketplace,” T-Mobile Arena is a bona fide fortress of entertainment. With a capacity of 20,000 for its biggest events, the arena is meant to lure the first major pro-sports team to the Strip, says Mark Faber, senior vice president of global partnerships at Anschutz Entertainment Group, which co-owns the venue with MGM Resorts. But if a full-time team doesn’t work out, the arena still will host over 100 events a year, including concerts, UFC bouts, college basketball games and professional bull riding. And with lounges and luxury suites, caviar and cocktails and five acres of amusement just outside its doors, T-Mobile screams Las Vegas as much as any Strip venue to date. Here’s your owner’s manual.

Where to park

• New York-New York, Monte Carlo: $10

• Planet Hollywood, Aria, MGM Grand, Paris, Bally’s: free

Alternative ways to get there

• Las Vegas Monorail: $5 per way general; $1 Nevada residents; free for children 5 and younger

• Uber/Lyft: $5-$10 from the Strip; $12-$16 from downtown

• Taxi: $8-$20 from the Strip; $25-$30 from downtown

Vital stats

• Cost: $375 million

• Construction: 23 months; opened April 6

• Acres: 16

• Square feet: 650,000

• Levels: 5

• Video monitors: 820

• Events: 100-150 annually

Amenities

• 62 restrooms

• 14 refreshment stands

• 12 elevators

• 10 escalators

• 3 ATMs

• 1 2,500-square-foot merchandise store

• Unlimited free Wi-Fi

• Balconies on all levels offering views of Toshiba Plaza, the Park and the Strip

Upcoming events

• WWE Presents Money in the Bank, June 19

• Garth Brooks World Tour, June 24-25; July 2-4

• UFC 200, July 9

• Dixie Chicks, July 16

• Barbra Streisand, Aug. 6

• Gwen Stefani, Aug. 19

• Coldplay, Sep. 1

• George Strait, Sep. 9-10

• Drake, Sep. 11

• Keith Urban, Oct. 21

• Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown, Oct. 28

FOOD

Main concourse:

• Pizza Forte – The New York-style joint offers wood-fired slices, whole pizzas, sausages, sub sandwiches, hot dogs and a variety of gelato.

• Shake Shack – The third Las Vegas Shake Shack serves burgers, hot dogs, shakes, frozen custard and beer to those looking to pair “good tunes with good tastes.”

• Gastro Pub – Duck-fat fries, sausages and salads in a lounge setting, with to-go service so guests can take dishes back to their seats.

• Silver SmoQue – Mobile, barbecue-style carts throughout the arena offering dishes made with smoked meats.

• eNVy Pizza – From Italian beef to pesto margherita, pizza by the slice.

• The Loaded Chip – The Mexican-themed concession stand features nachos loaded with fresh ingredients.

Upper concourse:

• Specialty carts – Mobile services of everything from personalized poke to fresh-sliced pork banh mi.

• Neon Eats – Inside Neon Alley, the restaurant serves arena classics such as burgers and grilled specialty sausages.

Outside the arena, at the Park:

• Beerhaus – A beer garden with bar games like giant Jenga, pingpong and shuffleboard includes a menu with sausages, sandwiches, fries and snacks made with hormone-free meat and locally sourced produce.

• Bruxie – The Orange County-based chicken-and-waffle joint features made-from-scratch waffles used as buns for fried chicken, mushrooms and even goat cheese.

California Pizza Kitchen – The fifth California Pizza kitchen in the valley offers hand-tossed pizzas, a full bar, sandwiches, pasta dishes and dessert.

• Sake Rok – Servers doubling as entertainers serve sushi, sake and other traditional Japanese delights. Guests are advised to “expect the unexpected,” including restaurant-wide sake bombs, impromptu dance parties and lip-sync serenades.

• Kiosks – Four stations selling general merchandise, including healthy snacks, protein bars, fresh juice, water and sundries.

LOUNGES

While upper-level lounges are open to the public, the event-level, main-concourse and suite-level VIP lounges are reserved for premium seat and luxury box holders. Regular ticket holders for individual events can only enter the VIP clubs if given a ticket by a premium seat-holder.

Event Level: Patron VIP Lounge, Optum VIP Lounge

Main Concourse: Jack Daniel’s VIP Lounge, Bud Light VIP Lounge

Suite Level: Goose Island VIP Loge Club

Tower Level: Hyde Lounge, Grey Goose Nest, Stella Artois Loft

SUITES, BOXES, SEATS

• Event-level suites (8): Under each side of the arena bowl, these exclusive suites feature a private area with room for up to 24 guests, and access to up to 16 premium seats on the lower level of the arena. MGM Resorts spokesman Scott Ghertner said prices are negotiated individually with potential suite buyers.

Benefits include 4 VIP parking passes on the fourth level of the New York-New York parking garage and access to the arena’s four VIP entrances; flat-screen TVs with in-house cable and satellite programming; catering from arena vendor Levy Restaurants, from lobster and caviar to a variety of cocktails, provided at an additional cost; cccess to the arena’s five VIP lounges and clubs; private bar and restroom; 55-inch TV

• Luxury suites (44): Between the upper and lower bowls, these suites offer first-class amenities for groups and businesses. Forty-two are sold annually, with prices ranging from $170,000 to $235,000. The other two are sold on a by-event basis.

Benefits include 3 VIP parking passes on the fourth level of the New York-New York parking garage and access to the arena’s four VIP entrances; 12 tickets to events, and the opportunity to buy up to four additional tickets per suite; access to the arena’s five VIP lounges and clubs; catering from arena vendor Levy Restaurants, from lobster and caviar to a variety of cocktails, provided at an additional cost; refrigerator, coat closet, ice machine; 2 55-inch TVs

• Arena Grand Opera Boxes (6): Box owners receive four tickets to publicly ticketed events for an annual cost of $100,000; positioned directly across from the arena stage during concerts; access to Goose Island VIP Loge Club

• Opera Boxes (22): Box owners receive four tickets to publicly ticketed events for an annual cost of $75,000; in-seat drink service; access to Goose Island VIP Loge Club

• Terrace Tables (14): Tables overlooking the arena floor can be purchased as seats for the events. Owners receive table seating for four guests for an annual cost of $40,000; access to Goose Island VIP Loge Club

• Event Level Membership: 250 total lower-level seats on each side of the arena for an annual cost of $5,000; membership holders have access to two event-level lounges: Patron VIP Lounge and Optum VIP Lounge

• Club Level Membership: 1,500 total tickets on the main concourse level of the arena for an annual cost of $3,500; access to Bud Light VIP Lounge and Jack Daniels VIP Lounge directly behind club seats; priority pre-sale access to also buy lower-level seats for public events

THE PARK

Located between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, the Park is a 3-acre walking and dining area with restaurants and kiosks as well as over 200 trees, stonework and other natural elements representing the desert surrounding Las Vegas.

TOSHIBA PLAZA

A 2-acre open-air public square that connects the Strip, the Park and T-Mobile Arena, Toshiba Plaza offers flexible space for events like outdoor basketball, volleyball, farmers markets, public concerts and press conferences. It has three outdoor stages: an elevated overhead arena plug-and-play stage on the face of T-Mobile Arena, a 950-square-foot north-plaza stage with Monte Carlo and the Strip in the background, and a 2,900-square-foot south-plaza stage sitting between New York-New York and T-Mobile Arena, allowing easy access to outdoor concerts.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy