The Sacramento Kings will hold a special event later this month to allow fans to bid farewell to the NBA team’s former ARCO Arena, which is set to be demolished.
The arena opened in November 1988 and served as the Kings’ home until 2016, when the team moved to Golden 1 Center. The Kings’ final game at the 17,000-seat arena was a 114-112 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 9, 2016.
In June last year, the Kings, in partnership with the City of Sacramento and California Northstate University, announced redevelopment plans for the site. Under the plans, 35 developable acres of land will be donated to the university for the construction of a medical school and teaching hospital.
Demolition of the arena is set to take place within the next six months and the Kings have announced plans for a farewell event to be held on March 19. The event will be free and open to the public, with fans able to reserve up to four general-admission tickets.
The event will include early access to season ticket members at 12pm and general admission from 2pm to 6pm, with fans to be greeted by a DJ and food trucks. Fans will also be given the chance to visit the inside of the arena and write a farewell message that will be included in the redevelopment construction.
Vivek Ranadivé, owner and chairman of the Kings, said: “As we close the final chapter of the arena in Natomas, we welcome fans to pay one last visit to the old barn. That arena was widely known as the loudest place to play in the NBA, and the memories created there will last forever because one thing that remains consistent is the passion and devotion of our fans.”
Over the course of almost three decades, Arco Arena, which was also known as Sleep Train Arena and Power Balance Pavilion, hosted more than 4,800 events. The arena also served as the home of the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs and hosted various music concerts.
Since the Kings left the arena, it has been used to host a range of events and was activated as an alternate care facility during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image: ray_explores/CC BY 2.0/Edited for size
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