Petersen Events Center Seating Chart
Home of the Pitt Panthers, the on-campus arena opened in 2002 on the Oakland hillside above the University of Pittsburgh. Built partly into the slope, the steep bowl puts the Oakland Zoo student section right on top of the action for ACC basketball games.
Sections at Petersen Events Center
The Petersen Events Center chart lists 5 main sections, and the one on your ticket does most of the deciding — price, distance, and view included. Scan the list before you buy, keeping in mind that the event type reshuffles the room: concerts, games, and private buyouts each open different parts of the house.
- Lower bowl 100s — full ring closest to the floor
- Oakland Zoo — student section behind a baseline
- Club level — center sideline premium
- Upper bowl 200s — second deck
- Suites — perimeter premium boxes
Best seats at Petersen Events Center
Center-court lower-bowl sideline seats around midcourt are the marquee tickets with a clean read of both ends. The lower rows near the Oakland Zoo are the loudest spot for a ranked ACC night.
Tips before you go
The arena is built into the Oakland hillside, so entrances arrive on different levels — check your gate before climbing. Campus and Oakland parking is tight on game nights; the city buses up Forbes Avenue beat circling for a spot.
How to read the Petersen Events Center seating chart
Start with the shape of the room: 12,508 seats in a bowl that wraps a central court, rink, or stage, split into 5 sections — Lower bowl 100s, Oakland Zoo, Club level, Upper bowl 200s, 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.
What actually separates one Petersen Events Center seat from another comes down to three things: how close you are to the floor, whether you face the action square on or from a baseline, and how high you sit. Compare Suites and Lower bowl 100s on the chart and you'll see the spread — a different level, a different price, sometimes a different side of the Pittsburgh room. The best-seats notes above narrow it down for Petersen Events Center; before buying, check the official map against your exact section, row, and seat.
Sizewise, Petersen Events Center holds 12,508, which puts it 11th of 23 Pennsylvania venues in this guide: The Mann Center (13,500) is the next size up, Giant Center (10,500) the next size down.
Building a seating chart for an event at Petersen Events Center
Hosting a suite night, a group outing, or a private event near Petersen Events Center? Work from the same layout shown on the chart above — sections like Lower bowl 100s and Suites and the tiers around them — and map your party onto tables that mirror it. Assign each guest a spot and export a PDF the Pittsburgh event-services team can set up from. Petersen Events Center runs to 12,508 at full configuration, but a private block is usually a club, a suite, or an adjacent banquet room — a fraction of that, and exactly the scale the maker below handles: rounds for the dinner, rows for the program, and head tables placed where you want them.
Hosting a private event at Petersen Events Center?
Build a seating chart for your Petersen Events Center event — banquet rounds for the dinner, rows for the program, head tables wherever the format calls for them. The maker handles layouts up to 500 seats and exports a print-ready PDF you can hand the Pittsburgh venue's event team.
Open the seating chart generatorFrequently asked questions
- How many seats does Petersen Events Center hold?
- Petersen Events Center holds 12,508 at full configuration. The usable count shifts with the event — a concert may open or close sections a daytime event keeps as-is — and a private buyout uses only the sections you book, often a club, a suite, or a section or two out of the 5 on the Pittsburgh chart.
- What are the best seats at Petersen Events Center?
- Center-court lower-bowl sideline seats around midcourt are the marquee tickets with a clean read of both ends. The lower rows near the Oakland Zoo are the loudest spot for a ranked ACC night.
- What sections does Petersen Events Center have?
- Main sections include: Lower bowl 100s — full ring closest to the floor; Oakland Zoo — student section behind a baseline; Club level — center sideline premium. Full breakdown in the sections list above.
- Where is Petersen Events Center located?
- Petersen Events Center is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Confirm the street address, parking, and transit near sections like Lower bowl 100s on the official venue site before you go; Pittsburgh venues handle gates, lots, and rideshare pickups differently.
- How do I plan a private event at Petersen Events Center?
- Open the maker below and work from Petersen Events Center's actual geography (Lower bowl 100s and Suites and neighbors). Drop tables where your event sits, assign each guest, and export the PDF the Pittsburgh event-services team will set up from.