Nationwide Arena Columbus Tickets

Nationwide Arena events in downtown Columbus

Nationwide Arena opened in September 2000 with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Soul 2 Soul concerts. The Columbus Blue Jackets followed into their new home for the inaugural 2000-01 NHL season, establishing the arena as the city's major-league hockey venue.

The building stands at Nationwide Boulevard and Front Street, on land formerly occupied by the Ohio State Penitentiary. Its arrival helped create the surrounding Arena District, where restaurants, entertainment venues, businesses and homes now share a downtown neighbourhood.

A bowl built for different performances

The arena accommodates hockey, basketball, ice shows and concert productions. Its published layouts include end-stage arrangements, centre-stage concerts and a theatre configuration. For an end-stage show, the performance is concentrated at one end of the floor; a centre-stage production places the performance within the surrounding seating bowl.

A club-level concourse and luxury suites form part of the building's hospitality areas. The Blue Jackets also offer the Diamond Cellar Club as a named premium setting. These spaces sit alongside the regular seating bowl, giving the arena several distinct ways to host an audience.

The attached OhioHealth Ice Haus is another defining feature. Nationwide Arena describes it as the NHL's first attached practice facility, connecting the main event venue with a separate ice-sports space. Its presence reflects the arena's role as both a touring-event destination and a working hockey home.

Blue Jackets history on home ice

The arena's first Blue Jackets exhibition game was against Detroit in September 2000. Its first regular-season game followed against Chicago in October. Those opening games began a hockey history that later included the 2007 NHL Draft and the 2015 NHL All-Star Game.

In the 2019 playoffs, Columbus swept Tampa Bay in the opening round, one of the club's landmark postseason achievements. The arena has also served wider national sporting audiences, hosting the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four and the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Concerts and a downtown evening out

The opening country concerts established an entertainment role that continues alongside the Blue Jackets' schedule. Family shows, ice productions and NCAA competitions all feature in the venue's event history. For music at other venues, explore concerts on TixChoice.

Nationwide Arena's address is 200 West Nationwide Boulevard. Its position within the Arena District places the building among the neighbourhood's restaurants and other entertainment destinations, making the surrounding streets part of a visit as well as the arena itself.