Barclays Center Food, Seating, and Parking Guide
Barclays Center is an indoor arena located in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The facility is home to the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Islanders, and hosts concerts, conventions and other events throughout the year. Following the 2009 recession, construction of the arena was delayed and it finally opened in 2012, making it a relatively new venue that boasts a capacity of 19,000 seats. According to Billboard magazine, Barclays Center passed Madison Square Garden as the highest-grossing venue in the U.S. for concerts and family shows, not counting sports events.
Check out our insider’s guide on everything you need to know about Barclays Center, including compiled information reported from guests. You’ll be fully prepared to experience the next big game or concert!
Barclays Center Fast Facts:
| Owner: | Mikhail Prokhorov, Brooklyn Events Center |
| Founder: | Bruce Ratner |
| Architects: | AECOM (Ellerbe Becket), SHoP Architects |
| Construction cost: | $1 billion |
| Seating capacity: | 19,000 |
| Opened: | 2012 |
| Home To: | Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders |
| Address: | 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 |
Barclays Center Ratings:
| Yelp: | 3.5 |
| Trip Advisor: | 4.5 |
| Google: | 4.4 |
Barclays Center Features:
- A diverse selection of food and drink concessions, including the Corona Beach House Bar, Parm Italian Restaurant, 40/40 Club, Winc Counter, and many more!
- Premium seating options, such as the Billboard Lounge, Loge Box Seats, and Suites
- Partnership with the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge located 1.3 miles from the arena for package deals on tickets
- Diary of Brooklyn painting by Jose Parla, which contains words and phrases such as "immigration," "Brooklyn is" and "Big Daddy Kane."
- Easy access to/from subway, bus, or railroad
- Large oculus with a view of the LCD screen inside the venue
Barclays Center Local Points Of Interest
Directions To Barclays Center
From Manhattan:
Take the Brooklyn Bridge to Tillary Street, continue onto Adams Street and take a left on Atlantic Avenue.
The arena will be on the right.
You can also take the Manhattan Bridge, and continue onto Flatbush Avenue Extension.
From there, continue onto Flatbush Avenue, and turn right on 4th Avenue.
Take the first left onto Atlantic Avenue and the venue should be visible on the right.
From Staten Island:
Take the I-278/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to Exit 27 and merge onto Atlantic Avenue.
The arena will be on the right.
From Queens/Long Island:
Take the I-278/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to Exit 29B and merge onto Tillary Street.
Turn left onto Flatbush Avenue Extension, and then continue onto Flatbush Avenue.
Turn right onto 4th Avenue, then take the first left onto Atlantic Avenue.
Barclays Center Parking
Because of its location in a major metropolitan area, parking at the Barclays Center is very limited. The facility offers parking spots through ParkWhiz, which allows you to pay for a parking spot online before you go to the event. The spaces are spread out around the area and prices can range from $5-$50 depending on location.
Other Ways to Get To Barclays Center
Since parking is hard to come by, we suggest exploring other options to get to the Barclays Center. The center has drop off and pickup sections for ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft, or taxis and limos. Lyft is the official ridesharing partner for the venue.
Drop off areas:
- Calvin Klein VIP Entrance located on the Eastbound shoulder of Atlantic Ave between Flatbush Ave and Ft. Greene Place Ave.
- The Lyft zone on the northbound shoulders of Flatbush Avenue between 5th Ave and Atlantic Ave.
Due to heavy traffic, this section gets closed off approximately one hour before the event ends, so make sure you plan accordingly!
Pick up areas:
All ridesharing services should go to the Lyft zone on the northbound shoulders of Flatbush Avenue between 5th Ave and Atlantic Ave.
Note that there is limited space for the drop off/pick up sections, so we encourage public transportation as the smoothest way of coming and leaving the venue.
If taking the Subway, the following lines will take you to the Barclays Center:
- From Atlantic Terminal-Barclays Center Station (located on Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue): Take the Red 2, Red 3, Green 4, Green 5, Orange B, Orange D, Yellow N, Yellow Q, Yellow R
- From Lafayette Avenue Station (located on Fulton Street and South Portland Avenue): Blue C
- From Fulton Street Station (located on Fulton Street and Fort Greene Place): Blue G
If hopping on the bus, there are eleven bus lines that stop near the Barclays Center: B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B63, B65, B67, B69, and B103
You can also take the Long Island Railroad by taking the LIRR to Atlantic Terminal, located across the street from Barclays Center. On game days, there will be four additional branch-specific LIRR Trains arriving and departing from Barclays Center.
You can also opt to take a charter bus like Best Trails Travel, the official partner of the Barclays Center. The company offers 10% off for all groups traveling to the center. You can visit their site, call 212.206.6974 or email reservations@bttny.net to book your spot.
Barclays Center Security
Security at Barclays Center has been reported to be disorganized and lengthy when passing through the gates on big game days. They are very thorough with their process to ensure the safety of guests. Be sure to arrive earlier to account for the delay, especially if you are bringing a bag that needs to be checked.
Are Bags Allowed in Barclays Center
Patrons who do arrive with bags larger than 18”x14”x6” will be required to have it screened and checked in at the Dean St. Entrance. If you’re bringing a bag smaller than 18”x14”x6”, you’ll need to go through a security screening at the Dean St. Entrance to be allowed inside with it.
Those without bags will be permitted to enter through express lines in the main entrance.
Barclays Center Prohibited Items:
- Lighters
- Bags larger than 18" x 14" x 6"
- Backpacks
- Professional cameras, audio/visual recording devices
- Signs, flags, banners larger than 11" x 17"
- Outside food or drinks
- Tripods/monopods, selfie sticks
- Laser pointers, flashlights, noise makers
- Illegal substances, weapons
- Skateboards, rollerblades
- Pointed-tip umbrellas
- Fireworks
- Pets
- Laptops and tablets
Barclays Center Seating
The arena is relatively new with clean, comfortable seats, but they can be a bit on the small side. It has a layout that suits basketball and concerts more than it does hockey, which has problems with obstructed seats and ice quality. For concerts and basketball games, visitors reported great visibility from any seat in the house.
If you don’t want to risk having a lousy seat, you can look into premium seating options offered by the Barclays Center. These include VIP, Billboard Lounge, Loge Box Seats, and Suites with memberships for access to free drinks, music, discounts, and private amenities.
Barclays Center Food Policy
Although no food or drinks are allowed inside the venue, Barclays Center offers a wide variety of concessions, including gluten-free and kosher options. Just like most venues, guests have stated that the prices are higher than normal, with water bottles costing $6, for example. Whether you’re in the mood for burgers, pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, desserts, tacos, or wings, you’ll find something to much on while watching the game. Chase your food down with a drink sold at one of the three bars throughout the facility.
The Barclays Center Experience
According to visitors, the restrooms are plenty and are kept clean.
The sound quality is clear and magnified but the screens can sometimes be obstructed or turned off. People have also stated that there are not enough screens to watch the action.
Fans have stated that their overall experience was excellent and they would thoroughly recommend the Barclays to anyone who wants to experience a major American sporting event in a very comfortable arena. The building design, layout, and atmosphere are top-notch.
10 Closest Hotels to The Barclays Center
Holiday Inn Brooklyn Downtown
300 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
0.5 milesFairfield Inn & Suites By Marriott New York Brooklyn
181 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
0.6 milesEVEN Hotels Brooklyn
46 Nevins St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
0.6 milesUnion Hotel, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member
611 Degraw St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
0.6 milesHoliday Inn Express New York-Brooklyn
625 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
0.8 milesNU Hotel
85 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
0.9 milesHilton Brooklyn New York
140 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
0.9 milesRed Lion Inn & Suites Brooklyn
279 Butler St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
1.0 milesMisdemeanor
85 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
1.0 milesHotel Le Bleu
370 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
1.1 miles
