Best Seats at Climate Pledge Arena – Seating Chart Map

I grew up in Missouri watching the St. Louis Blues, so when we got a Seattle hockey team, I couldn’t have been more excited! Though I don’t have season tickets to the Seattle Kraken, my friends do and have been kind enough to take us to a few games. That has given me an inside track on the best seats at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, and I’m happy to share a breakdown of the Climate Pledge Arena seating chart, including where to sit for different events! In addition to Kraken hockey games, I have gotten Climate Pledge Arena tickets for live events like Cirque du Soleil and the Dude Perfect tour. Read on for inside information on where to sit for a Kraken game, the best food at Climate Pledge, how to get to Climate Pledge, and more.

The Basics of Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle

Climate Pledge Arena, located in downtown Seattle, calls itself “the most progressive, responsible, and sustainable arena in the world.” It is committed to achieving zero waste and fighting climate change and has incorporated a variety of green elements, including rainwater harvesting, which fills a 15,000 gallon on-site cistern to resurface the ice at Kraken hockey games, and a living wall that contributes to the 12,500 trees and plants on site.

It is located at 334 1st Ave N. Seattle in the downtown neighborhood and sits within Seattle Center coliseum, which also houses Chihuly Garden and Glass, MoPOP museum, the Space Needle, and more. All of these venues make an appearance on our sister site’s list of the best Seattle photography spots, so if you’re in the area, bring your phone or camera!

Climate Pledge Arena opened on October 22, 2021 after a total overhaul. The roof is a historic landmark built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair (as was the Space Needle!), but the venue inside is now completely different. Amazon purchased the naming rights to the arena and named it Climate Pledge Arena in honor of The Climate Pledge, of which Amazon is a founder.

Climate Pledge is the home to several sports teams, as well as playing host to a lot of events (200 per year!) like live music concerts, theater, and more. Which sports teams play at Climate Pledge Arena? Climate Pledge is home to the Seattle Kraken NHL team, with an NHL capacity of 17,100 visitors. It is also home to the Seattle Storm WNBA team and has a basketball capacity of 18,100 visitors. Its concert capacity is 17,200.

The Best Seats at Climate Pledge Arena

The best seats at Climate Pledge depends on the event you are attending and your personal preferences. That said, there are some areas and seats universally considered to be excellent. Whether you’re going to a Climate Pledge Arena concert or looking for theater tickets, knowing which different seating chart you will encounter will help you make the best choice for your needs.

Premium Seating at Climate Pledge

Moet & Chandon Imperial Lounge – Best All-Inclusive Seats at Climate Pledge

The highest-end seating option at Climate Pledge Arena is the Moet & Chandon Imperial Lounge. Imperial Lounge boxes (for season ticket holders) get you 4 “Opera box” seats and 2 underground VIP parking passes. In addition, you get access to Climate Pledge’s all-inclusive private restaurant with a buffet dinner, snacks and dessert, and drinks, including domestic beer and house wine. There are 17 boxes in this section, holding a total of 68 guests.

You likely won’t see Imperial Lounge tickets coming up for sale on any of the ticket resellers, because reselling tickets are forbidden as part of the purchase contract. However, I’ve heard of tickets occasionally being offered in the Seattle Kraken Hockey Ticket Exchange Facebook group. At an eye-popping $803/seat per game face value ($131,620 for the 2023-2024 season for a block of 4 tickets and 2 parking passes), it’s hard to see the value, especially when you can get an equivalent experience at the Seattle Mariners for half that price. If you’re not looking for hockey specifically but rather an upscale live sports experience, I can’t recommend holding out hope for Imperial Lounge tickets.

Pitchbook Suites – Best Seats for Luxury and Convenience

The Pitchbook Suites are the upper-level suites that ring the arena, above the lower bowl and below the upper bowl loge seats. Pitchbook Suites seat 18-20 people, with both an indoor gathering area and outdoor 3-level seating. Seats are large and padded, with excellent seat views. The indoor area has couches, armchairs, a private bathroom, and even bartenders to aid with the catering package. Pitchbook Suites 1-20 are on the same side WaFd Bank Club, and suites 21-40 are on the Symetra Club side.

If you’re parking in the venue parking underground, there is direct access from the garage elevators to the suite level, making it a convenient way to access the arena and your seats without experience the crush of people in the main areas.

Tunnel Club Suites – Best Seats for a Behind-the-Scenes Look

Tunnel Club Suites are located just behind Cove seats on the main level, as close to the action as you can get! Look for Tunnel Club Suites in sections TS1 to TS19 on the main concourse. These are a perfect mix of having excellent view seats (on your side of the ice) with the privacy and amenities of a suite. Additionally, Tunnel Club suite seats have a view of the players as the exit the locker rooms and walk through the tunnel onto the ice or court, depending on the Climate Pledge Arena schedule. Photos are not allowed in this area to prevent distracting the players as they warm up and move throughout the arena.

It’s a bit of a confusing experience, as you are walking through the lower level of the arena and in areas that are mainly used by employees and players, but it can be quite a special experience. It is possible to get resale Tunnel Club tickets for certain sporting events, though the suite itself will be closed if you aren’t attending with a suite owner. You do, however, get access to the Verizon Lounge, which is located on the lower level and often has complimentary snacks, though drinks are for purchase. Aside from the Verizon Lounge, the food options are hard to get to, requiring you to go up an elevator to the main concourse level and bring food back down. Despite food being hard to get, the seats themselves are great – larger than normal and generously padded, making them super comfortable for any upcoming events.

At Climate Pledge, suites have an indoor area with plush couches and armchairs and a kitchen area for catering. Suites typically hold 18-20 people, and catering will run you $2000-$4000 for an event. Ticket prices for the seats alone will run you several hundred dollars, up to $400 a seat during the playoffs. Though an interesting behind-the-scenes look at a game, I can’t say this would be my top choice for Climate Pledge Arena events.

Symetra Club and WaFd Bank Club – Best Mix of Value and Amenities 

Of all the various sections at Climate Pledge, the Clubs are my favorite for a regular event. My friends have their season tickets in the WaFd Bank Club, which gives access to a private food hall with a giant wrap-around bar, several food choices, and private bathrooms. Club seats are located in the middle of the main concourse, giving them the best views on the lower level. WaFd Bank Club seats are in sections 13, 14, and 15, while Symetra Club seats are on the opposite side of the arena in sections 26, 01, and 02. The clubs are mirror images of each other. 

What does club seating get you at Climate Pledge? At a high level, club seating gets you fewer crowds at food and drink venues, private bathrooms, premium view seating, and food hall communal tables for enjoying your purchases. Crucially, the club and suite sections are the only places you can get hard liquor or specialty drinks. Anywhere else in the arena, you will be getting beer, wine, or canned seltzers.

Food and drink is available for purchase in the Clubs – there is no buffet or included food and drink. What I do like a lot about Club seats is that there are communal standing tables throughout the concourse, giving you a place to eat before you go into the event. This can be a bit of a free for all, with tables getting taken up quickly and sharing with strangers, but it’s a big upgrade from the main seating choices, where you just need to carry your food to your seat.

Visitors should be prepared to have their tickets scanned again in order to gain access to the club, even after they have entered the arena.

Here’s a Climate Pledge Arena seat view from the WaFd Bank Club, section 14. I had a great view of the ice for a Kraken game, and enjoyed the club hospitality as well. 

The bathrooms in the Club were decently sized but not especially clean. There is a long wait just before an event begins, and at intermission/halftime/breaks in the event, but you don’t have to wait especially long and certainly not as long as in the main concourse.

Space Needle Lounge – The Best Seats at Climate Pledge for Avoiding the Crowds

Visitors 21+ with seats in sections 206, 207, 208, or 209 get automatic access to the Space Needle Lounge, named for its view of the icon of the Seattle skyline. Keep in mind that this is not the section for you if you’re bringing kids to the game. To access the Space Needle Lounge, you need tickets in sections 206-209, or you need an add-on ticket that gets you access to the Lounge. These add-on tickets are occasionally offered as an upsell during the checkout process.

There are 2 full bars in the Space Needle Lounge but only light snacks. Visitors wanting to eat at the arena will want to pick up food before entering the Space Needle Lounge to prevent a long walk to and from the lounge. 

Inside the lounge, there are couches, armchairs, and small tables. It is also how you access the balcony where they honor visiting celebrities, do fan announcements, and perform the national anthem, so you may have a chance at a celebrity sighting if you pick a Space Needle Lounge seat! 

The seats themselves are larger and more comfortable than the standard seat, and even though they are high up, they definitely do not have a limited view. Sight lines are excellent!

The Lounge is located on the upper level on the south end of the arena.

Cove Seating – The Best Seats at Climate Pledge for Being in the Action

Kraken Cove seats are often considered to be the best seats at Climate Pledge Arena because you cannot be closer to the action than Cove seats. There are 4 Cove seat sections, 4 and 24 on the player benches side and 11 and 17 on the penalty box side. There are 2 rows in each section, AA (front row) and BB (second row). These seats are directly behind the glass and butt up against both the penalty box and the player benches, meaning you get to see both the action and the players super up-close.

Cove Seats also have the benefit of in-seat food and beverage ordering, which is a nice convenience, though the food and drinks are not complimentary.

American Express Hall

Previously known as Mount Baker Hall, the seats in sections 118-123 are now part of the American Express Hall. Visitors in these sections have access to a private entrance on 1st Ave N, which any American Express cardholder can also use to benefit from shorter lines than the main entrance. Visitors with tickets to seats in 118-123 can enter directly into the American Express Hall, which has a variety of exclusive food vendors, a gorgeous plant wall, high-top bar tables, and excellent seat views from the north end of the arena.

Pro tip: American Express cardholders receive benefits throughout the stadium, including 10% off food and beverage purchases except for the Just Walk Out food venues. If you have an AmEx, it’s worth making that your default card in Climate Pledge.

Lower Bowl Seats

Lower Bowl seats are sections 3-12 and 16-25. These are standard seats, with rows denominated with letters and seat numbers denominated with numerals. Guests in these seats have access to food and beverage options in the main concourse and shared bathrooms.

For concert configurations, the first row of the lower bowl is an excellent place to sit. You are elevated off the floor enough to see everything with an unobstructed view, yet you are not paying floor seating prices. Being in the front row gives you flexibility on sitting or standing, and is still close enough to pop up the concourse for food and drinks as needed. 

Here’s the view from Section 17, Row C, Seats 1-4 at the Dude Perfect event (concert? live show? hard to classify this event…) in 2023. I was super happy with these tickets, and we could see a lot more from our seats than the floor level guests could see.

Upper Bowl Loge Seats

Seats in the 1XX sections, 101-117 and 124-126, are upper bowl loge seats. These are standard seats but with long high-top tables and bar stools at the back of the section, providing semi-private seating. Upper bowl loge seats are above the suite level and below the Upper Bowl.

Upper Bowl Seats – Best Cheap Seats at Climate Pledge Arena

If you’re on a budget, Upper Bowl seats are for you. These seats are the highest in the arena, but as a small arena, you still aren’t that far from the action. You will find the cheapest seats here, which spans sections 201-204, 211-217, and 224-226. 

The Best Seats for Food at Climate Pledge

Climate Pledge Arena offers leveled-up stadium food, including northwest-favorite Din Thai Fung (section 06) and two restaurants featuring plant-based meats, the Impossible Test Kitchen in section 108 and the Impossible Market in sections 11/12. 

If you have a Club ticket or an American Express Hall ticket, don’t miss Ballard Pizza Company by Ethan Stowell, where you’ll find delicious pizza and a cookie big enough to feed a group. Called How to Wolf a Cookie (a play on his restaurant named How to Cook a Wolf), this cookie will keep you fueled up for the entire game. Other notable options include fish and chips (section 21), bbq (sections 24 and 107), and poke (section 04). Upper bowl visitors have just one food option at section 203, the Big Chicken Market, but they can visit the vendors on the main floor as well.

Four of the restaurants use Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, where you scan a credit card to enter the grab-and-go market and the technology tracks what items you pick up and put back. It intelligently tracks your purchases and when you’re done, you…just walk out. Your card is charged for the items you selected.

How to Get to Climate Pledge Arena

Public Transportation

Climate Pledge sits conveniently near several public transportation options. 

Seattle Center Monorail

The Monorail, another vestige of the 1962 World’s Fair, runs between Seattle Center and Westlake Center along an elevated track that follows 5th Ave. The ride takes just 3 minutes and is the fastest (and most fun) way to get from downtown to Climate Pledge Arena. From exiting the monorail, visitors will have a 5 minute walk through Seattle Center to reach Climate Pledge. Tickets can be purchased at either station or riders can use their rechargeable Orca transit cards.

Bus

There is a bus stop at 1st Ave N and Republican St that lets off at the corner of Climate Pledge. It’s a quick 3 minute walk to get to the entrance.

Additionally, there is a bus stop at 5th Ave N and Broad St, across from the MoPOP museum. From here, it is an 8 minute walk through Seattle Center to reach Climate Pledge.

Parking at Climate Pledge

There is a parking garage underneath Climate Pledge that offers the most convenient parking option and has the added benefit of keeping you out of the elements in bad weather. You can buy parking through ticket resellers.

There is also an underground garage at the Seattle Center 1st Ave N Garage, directly across the street from Climate Pledge. There is an uncovered lot at Memorial Stadium, a 7 minute walk from Climate Pledge, and a well-managed and well-lit garage at 5th Ave N, an 8 minute walk. Street parking is very limited.

How Early Should You Get to a Kraken Game?

Doors at Climate Pledge open 90 minutes prior to puck drop at Kraken games, though unless you are enjoying a premium seat, you won’t need that much time. Lines at food venues can get quite long, but Climate Pledge is a relatively small venue, and you shouldn’t need more than 30 minutes after you enter the doors to use the bathroom, get food, and find your seat.

What Do You Wear to a Kraken Hockey Game?

As with any standard sports stadium, fans at a Kraken hockey game dress casually, in jeans, comfortable shoes, and gear supporting their favorite team. Dressing in lightweight layers is recommended. Even though this is an ice hockey game, the stands themselves are not particularly cold, and you will regret having to manage a large or long coat. If you are concerned about being too cold, bring a pair of lightweight gloves and an ear muff or stocking hat, and consider wearing a lightweight base layer under your regular clothes to keep you extra warm without the bulk.

Climate Pledge Arena Bag Policy

Remember the clear bag policy at Climate Pledge. Visitors may bring

•One clear bag that does not exceed 14”wx14”hx6”d in size OR
•Small clutches/purses/wallets that do not exceed 4.5”x 6.5” in size

Visitors may bring in a reusable non-glass water bottle no larger than 32 ounces and empty upon entry. 

The clear bags I have and use frequently are these: 

12×12 tote – we use this one most frequently for going as a family

Small purse – for when it’s adults-only and I want to look cute

Cross-body bag – practical and still holds a lot

Prohibited Items

The following items are not allowed at Climate Pledge:

• Professional Cameras, detachable lenses or external flash units, or recording equipment (aside from smartphones) for audio, image, or video recording purposes
• Weapons including guns, firearms, knives of any size, stunguns/tasers, bats or poles
• Martial arts weapons, night sticks, nunchucks, billy clubs, self-defense sprays to include mace & pepper spray
• Noisemaking devices of any kind including whistles, air horns, vuvuzelas, and cow bells
• Laptops and tablets
• Any other item deemed inappropriate or dangerous by Climate Pledge Arena and its league affiliates, in their sole discretion

So what do you think? Will you be taking in any events at Climate Pledge Arena?