Honda Center
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA multi-purpose indoor sports and entertainment arena in Anaheim, California, best known as the home of the Anaheim Ducks.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Honda Center is a large indoor arena in Anaheim, California, serving as the home venue of the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks and as one of Orange County's principal locations for concerts, tournaments, family entertainment, and combat-sports events. The facility opened in 1993 after a locally driven effort to establish a major arena in Anaheim. Entertainment attorney Neil Papiano helped originate the project in the late 1980s, while the City of Anaheim, Ogden Corporation, and the Nederlander Organization supported its development. Construction began in November 1990 on a site near Katella Avenue and Douglass Road, and the building was designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum. The venue was initially developed as Anaheim Arena. Its first event was a Barry Manilow concert in June 1993, followed by the first home NHL game of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in October of that year. The franchise had been awarded to The Walt Disney Company, creating the arena's anchor tenant and tying the building to Disney's expansion of professional sports and entertainment in Southern California. A naming-rights agreement with Arrowhead Water gave the facility the name Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in 1993. In 2006, American Honda Motor Co. acquired naming rights, producing the Honda Center name. Honda renewed the agreement in 2020, extending the naming relationship for another decade. The Ducks are the arena's central sports tenant. Honda Center hosted portions of the 2003 and 2007 Stanley Cup Finals, and in June 2007 the Ducks won their first Stanley Cup on home ice. Hockey has remained central to the venue's identity, including the 1999 NCAA Frozen Four and other collegiate and professional competitions. The building has also accommodated basketball, arena football, roller hockey, professional bull riding, badminton, wrestling, mixed martial arts, boxing, and major touring productions. It served as a secondary home for the Los Angeles Clippers from 1994 through 1999 and hosted the Anaheim Bullfrogs and Anaheim Piranhas during the 1990s. As an entertainment venue, Honda Center has hosted artists across pop, rock, R&B, Latin, electronic, and Korean popular music. Notable engagements have included performances by Tina Turner, U2, Madonna, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, AC/DC, Metallica, Shakira, Britney Spears, No Doubt, and many others. The arena has also been used to record or film concert productions, including releases associated with No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, and the Jonas Brothers. Its location near Disneyland Resort, Angel Stadium, and the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center helps it draw from both Orange County and the wider Los Angeles metropolitan area. The venue can be reconfigured from a hockey arena into an amphitheater-style concert layout in approximately five hours. Its primary hockey configuration seats more than 17,000 spectators and includes luxury suites and extensive digital signage. In 2005, it became one of the first American arenas to install two complete 360-degree levels of ribbon displays. A replacement center-hung scoreboard was introduced during the 2015 NHL season. Operations are handled by Anaheim Arena Management, which took over after the bankruptcy of Ogden Corporation. Food and beverage concessions were operated by Aramark until the venue brought concessions in-house in 2013. The COVID-19 pandemic halted the arena's scheduled events in 2020. During the interruption, the site supported blood drives, food-bank distributions, a collective wedding, and drive-through voting for the 2020 United States presidential election. Limited-capacity Ducks games returned in 2021. In 2025, a major renovation associated with the OC Vibe mixed-use project was announced. The reported plans include a new southern entrance, additional escalators and club suites, and expanded parking, with completion targeted before the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Honda Center therefore remains both a sports facility and a major regional live-events brand.
History
The concept for a major indoor arena in Anaheim emerged in 1987 through the efforts of entertainment attorney Neil Papiano. After discussions with city officials and surveys of possible locations, a seven-acre parcel near Katella Avenue and Douglass Road was selected. The project faced competition from a proposed arena in nearby Santa Ana and uncertainty about whether the NBA or NHL would expand into Orange County. Anaheim nevertheless continued developing the facility with financial backing associated with Ogden Corporation and the Nederlander Organization. Designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, the arena broke ground in November 1990. The project was originally known as Anaheim Arena. Its eventual cost was approximately $121 million after additional spending related to an NHL franchise fee and facility improvements. The Walt Disney Company was awarded an NHL franchise in 1992, and negotiations to lease the building established the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as its primary tenant. The arena opened in June 1993, with a Barry Manilow concert serving as its first event. The Mighty Ducks played their first NHL home game there on October 8, 1993, against the Detroit Red Wings. Arrowhead Water purchased the first major naming-rights package in October 1993, giving the building the name Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. The venue was sometimes referred to informally as the Pond, and Disney used related Pond terminology during the period before the Arrowhead agreement. In October 2006, American Honda Motor Co. acquired naming rights and renamed the facility Honda Center. Honda renewed the naming agreement in 2020. During the 1990s, the building broadened its tenant base. It hosted the Los Angeles Clippers as a secondary home from 1994 to 1999, the Anaheim Bullfrogs of Roller Hockey International from 1994 to 1999, and the Anaheim Piranhas of the Arena Football League from 1996 to 1997. It also became a recurring site for professional bull riding and the Wooden Legacy basketball tournament. The arena's event history expanded further through the 1999 NCAA Frozen Four, NCAA basketball tournament regional games, WWE events, UFC cards, concerts, and international sporting competitions such as the 2005 IBF World Championships in badminton. Hockey has remained the venue's defining sport. Honda Center hosted games in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final and several games in the 2007 Final. On June 6, 2007, Anaheim defeated Ottawa to win its first Stanley Cup in front of its home crowd. The arena has also hosted NCAA men's basketball regional rounds in multiple years and began hosting Big West Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments in 2011. Facility operations changed in the early 2000s. Anaheim Arena Management was established in 2003 to assume operation from Ogden Corporation after Ogden's bankruptcy. The arena's concession arrangement with Aramark continued until 2013, when food and beverage operations were brought in-house. Technological upgrades included two full levels of 360-degree LED ribbon displays installed in 2005, upgraded exterior video signage, and a new center-hung scoreboard that debuted during the 2015 NHL season. The arena has also been an important concert venue. It has hosted major tours by international artists including Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, AC/DC, U2, Madonna, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Shakira, Metallica, Britney Spears, and many others. Local and regional connections have been particularly strong: Anaheim's No Doubt recorded concert material at the building, and the venue hosted major homecoming appearances by artists associated with Southern California. Korean acts also expanded the arena's international programming, including the first SMTown Live world-tour show there in 2012. In March 2020, the pandemic eliminated the arena's planned events. Rather than remain solely dormant, the site was used for blood drives, food-bank distributions, a collective wedding, and drive-through voting during the 2020 presidential election. The Ducks returned for the following NHL season, with a limited audience permitted for the final five home games beginning in April 2021. In April 2025, plans were announced for a reported $1 billion renovation connected with the broader OC Vibe mixed-use development. The project is intended to add a southern entrance, escalators, club suites, and parking improvements, with completion planned for 2027. The modernization is designed to prepare Honda Center for continued sports and entertainment use ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in the Los Angeles region.
- 2025
OC Vibe renovation announced
[1]A major renovation was announced, targeting completion in 2027 and adding new entrances, suites, circulation, and parking.
- 2020
Honda naming agreement renewed
[1]Honda renewed its naming-rights relationship for an additional ten years.
- 2020
Pandemic community-use period
[1]Scheduled events were suspended, while the venue supported civic and charitable activities.
- 2015
Replacement scoreboard debuts
[1]A new center-hung scoreboard replaced the original unit during the 2015 NHL season.
- 2013
Concessions brought in-house
[1]Honda Center ended its long-running Aramark concession arrangement and moved food and beverage operations in-house.
- 2011
Big West basketball tournaments begin
[1]The arena began hosting the conference's men's and women's basketball tournaments.
- 2007
Ducks win first Stanley Cup
[1]Anaheim defeated Ottawa at home in the Stanley Cup Final to claim the franchise's first championship.
- 2006
Honda Center name introduced
[1]American Honda acquired naming rights and the facility adopted its current name.
- 2005
Major LED display upgrade
[1]The arena installed two full levels of 360-degree ribbon displays and upgraded external video signage.
- 2003
Anaheim Arena Management takes over operations
[1]Anaheim Arena Management assumed operation of the facility after Ogden Corporation's bankruptcy.
Products and positioning
A major Orange County sports and entertainment arena positioned around the Anaheim Ducks, high-capacity touring events, and flexible multi-sport programming.
Professional ice hockey · 1993
Anaheim Ducks home games
Honda Center's core recurring offering is the home schedule of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. The arena is configured for more than 17,000 spectators in its primary hockey layout and has hosted regular-season games, playoff contests, and Stanley Cup Final games.
Music and touring events · 1993
Concerts and live entertainment
The venue presents large-scale touring concerts and entertainment productions across pop, rock, R&B, Latin, electronic, and Korean popular music. Its flexible configuration allows conversion from a sports arena into an amphitheater-style concert setting.
Collegiate and professional sports · 1993
Sports tournaments
Honda Center has hosted NCAA basketball regional games, the Frozen Four, Big West basketball tournaments, professional bull riding, badminton championships, roller hockey, arena football, and other competitions. This diversified calendar reduces reliance on the Ducks schedule.
Combat and sports entertainment · 1999
Combat sports and wrestling
The arena has staged UFC, Bellator, boxing-related programming, Affliction events, and major WWE productions including WrestleMania and Royal Rumble events. These programs use the building's large floor area and spectator bowl for high-capacity event presentation.
Venue hospitality · 1993
Premium hospitality
The facility offers luxury suites, club areas, premium seating, concessions, and event hospitality. Planned renovations associated with OC Vibe are intended to expand club and premium-space capabilities.
Brand decisions
2025
Approve a major arena renovationStrategyBackground
The facility is being integrated into the larger OC Vibe mixed-use development and is being modernized for continued regional sports and entertainment use.
Action taken
Plans called for a new southern entrance, additional escalators and club suites, and expanded parking, with completion targeted for 2027.
Aftermath
The renovation is intended to improve circulation, premium hospitality, and the arena's integration with surrounding development before the 2028 Los Angeles-area Olympic Games.
Reported renovation investment. Approximately US$1 billion (Announced April 2025)
2013
Bring concessions in-houseStrategyBackground
Food and beverage service had previously been provided by Aramark.
Action taken
Honda Center shifted concession operations to an in-house model.
Aftermath
The change gave venue management greater direct control over food, beverage, and event-service operations.
2006
Change the arena's naming-rights partner to HondaStrategyBackground
The previous naming-rights period ended as the arena sought a new long-term commercial identity.
Action taken
American Honda Motor Co. purchased naming rights and renamed the facility Honda Center.
Aftermath
The Honda Center name became the venue's primary public identity and was renewed in 2020.
Naming-rights agreement value. US$60 million (2006 agreement covering 15 years)
1993
Adopt the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim nameOtherBackground
The newly opened arena required a commercial naming partner after its initial development and opening period.
Action taken
Arrowhead Water acquired a ten-year naming-rights agreement, resulting in the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim name.
Aftermath
The name established the arena's early identity and led to the enduring local nickname The Pond.
Naming-rights agreement value. US$15 million (1993 agreement)
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