Nationwide Arena Seating Chart
Nationwide Arena anchors the Arena District in downtown Columbus and is home to the NHL's Blue Jackets. The bowl is known for its cannon celebration after Blue Jackets goals and serves as the city's primary big-concert venue.
Sections at Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena'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 ice
- Club seats and loge boxes
- Upper bowl 200s — second deck
- Cannon-end student and supporter areas
- Suites
Best seats at Nationwide Arena
Lower bowl sections 119-122 near the cannon end give you the celebration up close when the Blue Jackets score there. Upper bowl center sections 207-210 are a strong value with a clean full-ice view.
Tips before you go
The Arena District is walkable with bars and restaurants right outside the doors, so park once and stay for the night. Garages on Nationwide Boulevard and Neil Avenue feed in directly; there is no rail, so arrive early downtown.
How to read the Nationwide Arena seating chart
Nationwide Arena seats 18,500 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 Nationwide Arena 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 Nationwide Arena 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 Nationwide Arena
Hosting a suite night, a group outing, or a private event in the Columbus 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 Nationwide Arena, 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 Nationwide Arena runs to 18,500 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 Nationwide Arena?
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 Nationwide Arena hold?
- Nationwide Arena has a capacity of 18,500 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 Nationwide Arena?
- Lower bowl sections 119-122 near the cannon end give you the celebration up close when the Blue Jackets score there. Upper bowl center sections 207-210 are a strong value with a clean full-ice view.
- What sections does Nationwide Arena have?
- Main sections include: Lower bowl 100s — full ring around the ice; Club seats and loge boxes; Upper bowl 200s — second deck. Full breakdown in the sections list above.
- Where is Nationwide Arena located?
- Nationwide Arena is in Columbus, Ohio. 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 Nationwide Arena?
- 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.