Ford Center Seating Chart
The Ford Center is downtown Evansville's arena, home to the ECHL Thunderbolts and University of Evansville basketball. Opened in 2011 with a brick-and-glass facade, it draws regional concert tours and family shows and helped anchor the ongoing redevelopment of the city's riverfront downtown district.
Sections at Ford Center
Ford Center's seating bowl is organized into the following main sections. Section layout differs by event — a sports configuration and a concert configuration of the same arena are not the same chart.
- Lower bowl 100s — full ring around the floor and ice
- Suite level — premium boxes ringing the mid-tier
- Upper bowl 200s — second deck wrapping the bowl
- Glass seats — boards-level rows for hockey
- End-stage floor sections for concerts
- Standing-room rails on the concourse
Best seats at Ford Center
For hockey and basketball, lower sections along the sidelines near center give a clean view at a fair price. For concerts, the 100-level facing the stage stays close, while center upper rows keep the whole stage in frame.
Tips before you go
Downtown garages on Main and Sycamore are a short walk from the doors. The compact bowl keeps every seat near the floor, and arriving early lets you enjoy the riverfront dining district before the post-event traffic clears out.
How to read the Ford Center seating chart
Ford Center seats 11,000 in a bowl that wraps a central court, rink, or stage, so reading the chart starts at center and works outward. The lower bowl rings the floor closest to the action; a club or suite level sits in the middle; the upper bowl climbs above for the widest view. Lower-number sections sit nearest the action, and whether you are along a sideline or behind a baseline changes the view as much as the level does.
Three things decide an Ford Center seat: how close you are to the floor, whether you face the action square on or from a baseline, and how high you sit. For an arena this size, the value sweet spot is usually the first few rows of the upper tier at center — close enough to read the play, cheap enough to justify, and high enough for the full picture. For a concert the stage usually sits at one end, so cross-check the official Ford Center map against your ticket before you buy: a seat that's perfect for a game can sit behind the stage for a show.
Building a seating chart for an event at Ford Center
Hosting a suite night, a group outing, or a private event in the Evansville area? A seating chart keeps the group organized before you ever reach the gates. Map your party onto tables that mirror the suite or section layout, assign each guest a spot, and export a PDF so everyone knows where they sit. For a private event in a banquet space near Ford Center, the same tool lays out rounds, banquet tables, and head tables, then prints a chart the venue's event-services team can work from. Capacity at Ford Center runs to 11,000 for its main configuration, but most private events use a fraction of that in a club, suite, or adjacent hospitality space — exactly the scale the maker below is built for.
Hosting a private event at Ford Center?
Build your own seating chart for the event — banquet rounds for the dinner portion, theater rows for the program, whatever the format calls for. The Seat Chart App maker handles layouts up to 500 seats and exports a print-ready PDF to share with the venue's event team.
Open the seating chart generatorFrequently asked questions
- How many seats does Ford Center hold?
- Ford Center has a capacity of 11,000 seats. Capacity varies by event configuration — a concert may use floor seating that a basketball game doesn't, and a private buyout uses a different count than a public event.
- What are the best seats at Ford Center?
- For hockey and basketball, lower sections along the sidelines near center give a clean view at a fair price. For concerts, the 100-level facing the stage stays close, while center upper rows keep the whole stage in frame.
- What sections does Ford Center have?
- Main sections include: Lower bowl 100s — full ring around the floor and ice; Suite level — premium boxes ringing the mid-tier; Upper bowl 200s — second deck wrapping the bowl. Full breakdown in the sections list above.
- Where is Ford Center located?
- Ford Center is in Evansville, Indiana. Check the venue's official website for the exact address, parking options, and public transit access closest to your seat section.
- How do I plan a private event at Ford Center?
- For private events, build a seating chart that maps to the venue's section layout using the Seat Chart App maker below. Drop tables to match your event's footprint within the venue's space, assign guests, and export a PDF to share with the venue's event-services team.