Music and Sports Venues

Spectrum Center

333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202

The Spectrum Center is located in the heart of uptown Charlotte. It opened in 2005 as the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, then became Time Warner Cable Arena in 2008 and has been known as the Spectrum Center since 2016. The Charlotte Hornets call the Spectrum Center home (sometimes referred to as the “Hive”). The scoreboard is one of the largest in the league and consists of high definition LED video screens. The décor shows off the Hornets colors with a lot of teal and purple throughout the building. It has a seating capacity of 19,000 for basketball. The layout of the venue was well planned with the wide concourses that can easily handle the large crowds. The concession areas are set up like food courts helping to keep the lines shorter.

The Spectrum Center also serves as host to many different events including college basketball tournaments. It has hosted regional games in the NCAA tournament in 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2018. It has also accommodated the men’s ACC Basketball tournament in 2008 and will again in 2019. The men’s Southern Conference basketball tournament was held there in 2010 and the CIAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments have been played at the Spectrum Center every year since 2006. UNCC Charlotte (49er’s) also play some of their bigger games there. The Democratic National Convention was held in the arena in 2012 and the NBA All-Star game is scheduled to be played there in 2019.

The Spectrum Center is also the primary concert venue in Charlotte and has attracted many big names in the music industry over the years. Depending where the stage is located the seating capacity for concerts ranges from 13,000 to 18,500. Whether you are attending a basketball game or a concert seating in the Spectrum Center was designed to bring everyone closer to the action. There are several different seating configurations for concerts although the stage is typically set up at the end.

The location of the Spectrum Center is convenient to many restaurants and bars. The Epicenter is just across the street and it has a variety of restaurants, bars and entertainment to choose from. There are many other restaurants in the area so you can find just about anything you are looking for. Arrive early and enjoy dinner and stay late to join in the fun.

There are also lots of hotels in the area. So if you’re coming into town for an event you can easily stay within walking distance of the venue. You won’t have to drive anywhere for food or lodging unless you choose to do so.

If you are driving, access to the arena is easy because of the roads and interstates close by. Coming from the north you can travel from I-85 to I-77 to I-277 and if you are travelling from the south I-77 and I-485 (Charlotte outerbelt) make getting to the Spectrum Center convenient for everyone. There is plenty of parking around the venue. It doesn’t have an onsite parking lot but there are parking lots and garages surrounding the arena and some can be found for as little as $10.

If you don’t want to drive into town, you can park and ride Charlotte’s LYNX light rail system right to the venue. It starts at I-485 (south of the city) and runs 9.6 miles into uptown with 15 stops including 7 park and ride locations along the way. The light rail stops at the Spectrum Center for easy access.

Plan to attend an event at the Spectrum Center and enjoy the setting.

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