More fans will be able to see each Carolina Hurricanes hockey game, NC State men’s basketball game and concerts at Lenovo Center beginning next season.
The Raleigh arena is adding more seats as part of its ongoing $300-million renovation projects, pushing total capacity past 21,000 depending on the configuration of the arena for various events and shows.
The Centennial Authority board approved Thursday the purchase of new seats for the entire lower bowl and select other areas of the arena. The new seats will cost more than $4.1 million. The plan is to install the new seats during July and August when the arena will go dark for eight weeks to allow for construction.
The renovation project will reduce the number of aisles in the lower bowl, allowing for more additional seats. The size of the seats (19 inches) will not change. A smaller number of seats will be added to certain parts of the 300 level.
The renovation project was expected to reduce capacity in the arena thanks to new features like a view bar on the 300 level. Instead it will grow.
“I can’t tell you how important that is to the touring events,” said board chairman Philip Isley.
Basketball capacity is expected to grow by approximately 663 seats to 20,450. Hockey capacity is expected to grow by 694 seats to approximately 19,606. And concerts or touring events would see a jump of more than 700 seats with exact amounts depending on the configuration of the arena. Events that use the entire arena would have 21,266 seats.
Lenovo Center is set to host the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the 2028 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Construction is ongoing on the view bar, concourse changes, new suites on the floor level and a new multi-purpose room. The individual projects that will be included in the next phases of the $300-million plan are expected to be announced in February.
The renovation is separate from the planned development of an entertainment district around the arena.