Madison Square Garden New York Tickets

Madison Square Garden events across four buildings

Madison Square Garden events span Knicks basketball, Rangers hockey, concerts, comedy, boxing, UFC and family shows at the arena billed as "The World's Most Famous Arena". Today's Garden is the fourth building to carry the name.

From Barnum's hippodrome to 49th Street

The first Garden stood at 26th Street and Madison Avenue, where P.T. Barnum opened a roofless hippodrome in 1874. Renamed Madison Square Garden in 1879, it was replaced on the same corner by a second Garden in 1890.

Garden III, on 49th Street at Eighth Avenue, opened on November 24, 1925, with a six-day bicycle race. Promoter Tex Rickard had it designed for boxing and bike racing, and its blueprints left out an ice plant. Hockey arrived anyway: the Canadiens beat the Americans, the arena's new NHL tenant, 3-1 in the opening game on December 15, 1925. Hockey historian Stan Saplin credited the Garden's success with persuading Chicago and Detroit to build big arenas of their own.

The Old Garden also hosted President John F. Kennedy's 1962 birthday party. The Knicks began playing there in 1946, but circus bookings sent their three consecutive NBA Finals appearances to the 69th Regiment Armory. Its last event was the 1968 Westminster Dog Show.

Garden IV above Penn Station

In 1961 the Garden Corporation obtained the air rights above Pennsylvania Station. Charles Luckman designed the new arena, 425 feet in diameter and 13 stories high, with four entrance towers over 100 feet tall.

It opened on February 11, 1968; the Rangers have called it home ever since, and the Knicks played their first game there three days later. A three-year Transformation, completed on October 25, 2013, reworked every part of the arena, from the first row to the last.

Madison Square Garden seating plan

The official seat map groups the Floor with the 100s and 200s, pairs the 300s with the Hyundai Bridge, and lists the 400s, suites and lounges separately. MSG uses one seating chart for Knicks and Rangers games, concerts, boxing and UFC, but stage set-up and seat configuration vary by event, so a concert floor plan can differ from a basketball or hockey layout. The map can also highlight accessible seating. Check the official seat map for your event before choosing a section.

The separate Theater at Madison Square Garden operates alongside the arena, so confirm that a listing is for the arena itself.

Getting to the Garden

The arena's address is 4 Pennsylvania Plaza in Manhattan, and Penn Station lies directly beneath it. MSG's visit page sets out public transport and driving options.