Barclays Center, at 620 Atlantic Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, holds up to 19,000 people for concerts and other entertainment events, and 17,553 for Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty basketball. The exact number on any given night depends on the stage, court or rink setup and on how much of the seating bowl is curtained off.
Since officially opening on September 28, 2012, the $1 billion arena, designed by SHoP Architects with AECOM as architect of record, has become one of the busiest concert venues in North America. Below is the capacity for every major configuration, how big the building actually is, why people search for “Barclays Arena,” and what to know before you go.
- Brooklyn Nets played here 2012–present. See every Nets arena →
- New York Islanders played here 2015–2020. See every Islanders arena →
Quick Answer
Barclays Center holds up to 19,000 people for concerts, 17,553 for Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty basketball, about 15,795 for hockey, around 16,000 for boxing and MMA, and roughly 6,000 in the curtained Tidal Theater configuration. “Barclays Arena” and “the Barclays” are nicknames for this same Brooklyn building; the official name is Barclays Center.
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Barclays Center Capacity by Event Type
Barclays Center doesn’t have one fixed capacity. The seating bowl is reconfigured for each event, so the number that counts depends on what’s on the calendar.
Concerts and entertainment: up to 19,000, which is the figure the arena and its architects cite for full-house touring shows. End-stage concerts with the stage at one end usually land below the maximum because seats behind or beside the stage are removed, while center-stage and in-the-round setups can come closer to 19,000. Some third-party reference sites round the concert figure up to about 20,000, but the venue’s own published number is 19,000.
Basketball (Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty): 17,553 per the venue’s own About Us page. You may also see 17,732 on Wikipedia and some ticketing or reference sites, which reflects a slightly different count of the same basketball configuration.
Hockey: about 15,795. The New York Islanders played here from 2015 until 2020 before moving to UBS Arena, and the hockey layout was always the arena’s most compromised, with some obstructed-view seats.
Boxing, wrestling and MMA: typically around 16,000, depending on ring placement and how much floor seating is sold.
Tidal Theater: roughly 6,000. Curtaining off the upper bowl turns the arena into a theater-style room for smaller shows, comedy sets and some residencies.
How Many People Can Fit in Barclays Center at Once?
The highest number you’ll see for Barclays Center is its concert capacity: up to 19,000 people. That’s the maximum for the building’s largest configuration, used for sold-out touring shows, the MTV Video Music Awards and similar one-night entertainment events. No other regular use of the arena, including Nets basketball at 17,553 or hockey at about 15,795, fits more people than a full-capacity concert does.
How Big Is Barclays Center?
By building size, SHoP Architects lists Barclays Center at about 675,000 square feet. Its exterior is wrapped in roughly 12,000 uniquely shaped panels of preweathered steel, a nod to Brooklyn’s brownstones, and the main entrance is marked by a large oculus roughly 117 feet by 56 feet over the plaza. The arena also has a 135,000-square-foot green roof, which it describes as the largest ever installed on a sporting venue.
Despite those numbers, Barclays Center is known for a comparatively intimate seating bowl that keeps fans close to the action even at a 19,000 sellout. In concert-capacity terms it sits in the same class as Madison Square Garden, though it’s a newer, more compact building, and it remains the biggest arena in Brooklyn by a wide margin.
Is It Barclays Arena or Barclays Center?
The Brooklyn venue is officially Barclays Center. “Barclays Arena” and “the Barclays” are common shorthand that many people type into search and see on resale sites, but they refer to the same building at 620 Atlantic Avenue.
There’s a separate, unrelated venue officially named Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany, which has carried that name since 2021 after earlier names including O2 World Hamburg and Barclaycard Arena; it holds up to about 16,000 for concerts. If a search leads you to Hamburg listings, that’s the German arena, not this one. Everything on this page about capacity, Jay-Z, the Nets and NYC concerts refers to Brooklyn.
Jay-Z and the Opening Run That Put Barclays Center on the Map
Before the Nets played a game here, Jay-Z, a native of the nearby Marcy Houses, claimed the arena for music. From September 28 to October 6, 2012, he headlined eight consecutive sold-out shows, opening with hometown anthems like “Where I’m From” and “Brooklyn Go Hard,” and Beyoncé joined him for the final night.
That run set the template. Major tours across pop, R&B, rock and electronic music now treat Barclays Center as a must-play New York stop, and the arena has repeatedly ranked among the highest-grossing venues worldwide in Billboard and Pollstar reporting.
Major Events Beyond Concerts
Barclays Center hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in 2013 and 2021 and has welcomed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, NBA Draft nights and All-Star Weekend events, plus regular boxing, wrestling and MMA cards. That mix of uses is exactly why capacity figures swing so much from one event to the next.
Planning Your Visit: Tickets, Seating Charts and Getting There
Tickets for concerts, Nets and Liberty games and family shows are sold primarily through Ticketmaster, with links from the official Barclays Center website, which is the canonical source for current event listings, policies and getting-here details. Prices vary by artist, night and demand, generally rising from upper-bowl seats toward floor, lower-bowl and premium or courtside sections, so it’s worth checking live listings before you buy.
The official site offers separate seating charts for concerts and entertainment, Brooklyn Nets games and New York Liberty games, and it notes that charts can vary by event, so always confirm the exact layout on the Ticketmaster event page. End-stage, in-the-round and Tidal Theater setups all look different from a standard basketball chart.
Getting there is straightforward: the arena sits atop the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center subway hub, which the venue says is served by 11 subway lines, plus the Long Island Rail Road at Atlantic Terminal and multiple bus lines.
Meets most arena and amphitheater clear-bag policies. Hands-free in the pit and quick through the gate.
Water on your back and hidden zip pockets against your body. Built for long festival days in crowds.
Charges fast enough to top up your phone between the opener and the headliner.
Barclays Center capacity FAQs
How many people does Barclays Center hold?
It depends on the event. Barclays Center holds up to 19,000 for concerts, 17,553 for Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty basketball, about 15,795 for hockey, around 16,000 for boxing and MMA, and roughly 6,000 for Tidal Theater shows.
How many people can fit in Barclays Center for a concert?
Up to 19,000 for a full-capacity concert, per the venue’s own published figures. End-stage shows with the stage at one end typically hold a bit fewer because seats near the stage are removed; center-stage and in-the-round setups get closest to the 19,000 maximum.
How many people does the Barclays Center hold for Nets games?
17,553, according to Barclays Center’s own About Us page. Some reference and ticketing sites list 17,732 for the same basketball configuration.
How big is Barclays Center?
The building is about 675,000 square feet, with roughly 12,000 steel exterior panels, a 117-by-56-foot oculus over the main plaza, and a 135,000-square-foot green roof.
Is Barclays Arena the same as Barclays Center?
In Brooklyn, yes — “Barclays Arena” and “the Barclays” are nicknames for Barclays Center at 620 Atlantic Avenue. There’s also an unrelated venue officially named Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany, with its own separate capacity and history.
What is Barclays Center’s capacity for boxing or MMA?
Typically around 16,000, though the exact number shifts with ring placement and how much floor seating is sold for a given card.
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