Features
New Edmonton Arena Opens
The long-awaited opening of Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton, Alberta, finally happened Sept. 8 after years of debate and construction.
Photo: Jason Franson / The Canadian Press via AP
Rogers Place Arena is the new home of NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in Alberta, Canada. The facility expects 50,000 visitors for its open house Sept. 10 and hosts its first concert with Keith Urban Sept. 16.
The new home for the NHL Edmonton Oilers boasts 819,200 square feet with a seating capacity of more than 18,000 for hockey and more than 20,000 for concerts. The venue can also accommodate small concerts in the 4,000-5,000 range.
The facility had 50,000 free tickets claimed for its open house Sept. 10. The venue features 1,200 TVs, Wi-Fi access, HD scoreboards and a Rogers Place app.
Other highlights include gourmet food, wide seats and open concourses. The arena houses 52 percent of its seats in the lower bowl and 48 percent in the upper bowl. In between the bowls sits the executive suites, theatre suites and loge seats.
To solve security concern, Oilers Entertainment Group staff will be within the building at all hours and will operate a 24/7 security control room.
They have also hired 300 security officers and the Edmonton police added 33 new officers to its downtown division, which doubles its prior police presence in the area, Global News reported. The $613.7 million, city-owned arena will be operated and maintained by Edmonton Arena Corporation. The company will also receive all the revenues.