Kohl Center Seating Chart
The Kohl Center is the home of Wisconsin Badgers basketball and hockey on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison. The 1998 arena seats over 17,000 for hoops, with a steep, loud bowl and a famous student section that makes it one of the Big Ten's toughest home courts.
Sections at Kohl Center
Kohl Center breaks down into these 6 main sections. The one printed on your ticket sets your price, your distance, and your view, so read it against this list before you buy — and note the layout can shift between a game, a concert, and a private buyout.
- Floor — concert general admission and chairs
- Lower Bowl — 100s
- Club / premium level
- Upper Bowl — 200s
- Student Section — the Grateful Red
- Suites
Best seats at Kohl Center
Lower-bowl center sideline sections give the best Badgers basketball view. The arena is steep, so even the 200 level stays close to the floor — sit on the side opposite the student section to face the energy.
Tips before you go
The Kohl Center sits on the UW campus near State Street, so park in the nearby garages and walk through downtown Madison before tip-off. The student-section noise peaks for ranked Big Ten games — arrive for warmups to feel the full bowl.
How to read the Kohl Center seating chart
Start with the shape of the room: 17,287 seats in a bowl that wraps a central court, rink, or stage, split into 6 sections — Floor, Lower Bowl, Club / premium level, Upper Bowl, Student Section, and Suites. Your ticket names exactly one of them, and that name is worth reading twice, because neighboring sections can differ by a full level, a price tier, or which side of the room you face from.
Every Kohl Center seat is really the sum of three choices: how close you are to the floor, whether you face the action square on or from a baseline, and how high you sit. Put Suites and Floor side by side and the gap shows up immediately — in level, in price tier, and often in which half of the Madison room you land in. The best-seats notes above settle it for Kohl Center; just verify section, row, and seat on the official map before you pay.
Some context on size — Kohl Center's 17,287 capacity places it 7th among the 10 Wisconsin venues in this guide; Fiserv Forum (17,500) is the next size up, Miller High Life Theatre (4,087) the next size down.
Building a seating chart for an event at Kohl Center
If your event lands at or near Kohl Center — a corporate block, a reception, a team dinner — start from the venue's real geography: sections like Floor and Suites and the tiers around them set the footprint. Rebuild that footprint in the maker with rounds for the dinner, rows for the program, and a head table where the format wants one, then assign guests and export a PDF for the Madison event-services team. You won't need anywhere near the full 17,287-seat configuration; private blocks live in clubs, suites, and adjacent banquet rooms — exactly the scale the tool handles.
Hosting a private event at Kohl Center?
From dinner rounds to program rows to head tables, lay out your Kohl Center event the way the room will actually run. The maker supports up to 500 seats and exports a print-ready PDF for the Madison venue's event staff.
Open the seating chart generatorFrequently asked questions
- How many seats does Kohl Center hold?
- 17,287 at full configuration. In practice the number depends on the event — sections open and close between a concert and a daytime show — and a private buyout uses just the sections booked, usually a club or a suite out of the 6 on the Madison chart.
- What are the best seats at Kohl Center?
- Lower-bowl center sideline sections give the best Badgers basketball view. The arena is steep, so even the 200 level stays close to the floor — sit on the side opposite the student section to face the energy.
- What sections does Kohl Center have?
- Main sections include: Floor — concert general admission and chairs; Lower Bowl — 100s; Club / premium level. Full breakdown in the sections list above.
- Where is Kohl Center located?
- You'll find Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Check the official site shortly before the event for the street address, parking, and the closest transit to sections like Floor — gate assignments, lots, and rideshare zones vary across Madison venues.
- How do I plan a private event at Kohl Center?
- Map it in the Seat Chart App maker below: start from Kohl Center's own layout — sections like Floor and Suites — drop tables to match your event's footprint, assign guests, and export a PDF the Madison event-services team can set up from.