A fans guide to Climate Pledge Arena
By Jayd Serdy, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge can be a bit intimidating with all the entrances, the different levels, clubs, etc. So, CSS Kraken and Mariners writer Jayd Serdy reached out to quite a few fans and asked for their must know places to eat, tips for navigating and any other fun facts. Here’s a working and changing guide to how to access the home of the Seattle Storm, Seattle Kraken, and many other events throughout a calendar year.
To start this off, let’s take a look at the history behind Climate Pledge Arena. Before it was Climate Pledge Arena, there have been quite a few names since opening in 1962, Washington State Pavilion, Washington State Coliseum, Seattle Center Coliseum and most notably, KeyArena at Seattle Center. Climate Pledge opened on October 19, 2021, after operating under the KeyArena name from 1995-2018. (The following blurb is from Wikipedia) “Alaska Airlines was announced as the naming sponsor of the south atrium in January 2020. On June 25, 2020, Amazon purchased the naming rights; the arena would be branded as Climate Pledge Arena to promote Amazon's partnership with the environmental advocacy group Global Optimism and its "Climate Pledge", under which companies sign up to make their operations carbon neutral by 2040. The renovated arena received carbon-neutral certification, uses rainwater for its hockey ice, and aims to source 75% of food locally, divert 95% of waste from landfills, donate unused food, and switched from plastic to compostable containers.” In 2018 the NHL approved an expansion team for Seattle and in 2020, the Kraken were born. This is where the history of Climate Pledge comes in handy because during the renovation, Oak View Group had to make the floor 15 feet lower to accommodate the ice needed for an NHL arena. The Kraken played their first game at Climate Pledge on October 23, 2021.
So now that we have a bit of the history of Climate Pledge covered, we’ll get into the fun stuff.
Guest Services
Guest services is located on the main concourse near Section 24 and in the Alaska Airlines Atrium on the West side of the Upper Concourse. During events, guests can also text (206) CPA-HELP. During non-event hours, guests can call (206) 752-7200.
There are 11 entrances to get into Climate Pledge
Entry 1 is one of the main public entrances on the southwest corner off of 1st Ave N.
The press entry is on the west side of 1st Ave N, for credentialed press and media access.
Entry 3, or the American Express Hall ADA Entry is on the west side of the arena near KEXP.
Entry 4 or the American Express Hall Entry is next to entry 3.
Entry 5 on the northeast side of the arena, facing the Seattle Center.
Entry 6 on the east side of the arena facing the east plaza
Entry 7 or the Space Needle Lounge, located on the east side of the arena this entry provides more streamlined access to the Space Needle Lounge
Entry 8 is one of the main public entrances, located on the southeast corner of the arena near the Alaska Airlines Atrium.
Entry 9 is located on the southeast corner of the building; the elevator and stairs offer access to the Arena Garage.
Entries 10 & 11 are next to each other and are located on the south end of the building facing Lenny Wilkens Way.
Bag Policy
Climate Pledge, like most venues, has a strict bag policy. You are not permitted to bring in a non-clear bag larger than 4” w x 6” h x 1.5” d (Circling Seattle Sports offers a great arena approved bag!) If you are bringing in a clear bag, it can’t exceed 14” w x 14”h x 6” d.
Various Policies at CPA
Climate Pledge is a cashless facility
Door times vary by event, but for Kraken games, they open 90 minutes prior to puck drop.
Climate Pledge offers a free public transit ticket to and from the arena with each game ticket purchased. See guest services for more details.
As with most hockey games, Climate Pledge guests are asked to remain at the top of the aisle while the puck is in play, once play has stopped, they may return to their seats. This ensures the safety of each guest in Climate Pledge.
There is a phone charging station near Section 11 on the Main Concourse.
Navigating Climate Pledge
There are two main levels inside of Climate Pledge.
The LL2 Main Concourse, where you will find the lower bowl seats- sections 1-26. There are quite a few food and beverage options on this level, along with The Jack Daniels bar, The WaFdBank Club, The Symetra Club, and The Hennessy bar. The Lair, which is the main team store at Climate Pledge is also located on this level.
To access the suite level, you’ll need to take the LL1 elevator. However, entry to the suites or clubs is restricted. There are 40 pitchbook suites and this is the same access level for the AmEx Hall at the north end of the building.
The Upper Concourse is the street level concourse and is where you will find the easiest access to the 100 and 200 sections. There are plenty of food and drink options on this level as well as access to the Space Needle Lounge from the south end of the building and is ‘S’ in the elevator.
Level LL3 in the elevators is a restricted level, except for if you are looking for Lost and Found, which is accessed through Entry 9 on the east side of the building.
The Event Level is accessed via LL4 in the elevator and is how you navigate to the Tunnel Clubs and Coves, this is where the Verizon Lounge is located.
There are elevators, stairs and escalators to help navigate between the two levels of Climate Pledge.
Don’t forget to check out the living wall inside of Climate Pledge, near the WaFd Bank Club, between sections 11-17. The 1,700 square foot living wall is one of my favorite things about Climate Pledge. It is sustained by a material called Growtex, a geotextile made from recycled plastic water bottles. The wall displays 25-30 various plants that are native to the Pacific Northwest. The living wall is a must-see every time I visit Climate Pledge.
Food and beverage options inside of Climate Pledge
Climate Pledge Arena has a wide variety of food and beverage options for fans to partake in once inside the venue! You can only purchase mixed cocktails at the Hennessy, Jack Daniels, Symetra Club, WaFd Bank Club, Space Needle Lounge, or the Verizon Lounge. All of these locations are 21 plus and do require an ID to enter. There are a handful of restaurants within the arena that people highly recommended, the first is Barrio Bowls in sections 1 and 14. These are Latin American inspired burrito bowls and the most popular option is the Al Pastor Bowl.
Another very popular recommendation are Bristol Bay Chowder and Bristol Bay Wild Market, both available in section 7. These are both seafood focused restaurants and the most popular options is the Quinoa Salmon Bowl. One of my personal favorites is Noodle Nirvana located in section 4. Their pork belly yakisoba is phenomenal.
In addition to some of these options, Climate Pledge offers various dining options for under $15! Here are a few of them:
Select canned beer
Mercer Mac N Cheese in sections 23 & 107
1st Ave Nacho in sections 5 & 109
Bavarian Meats Cart in section 3
Coors Light Market Place in section 112
Impossible Test Kitchen in section 10
Hempler’s Market Place in section 124
Bristol Bay Portable in section 116
Molly D’s Burgers in section 8
Sound Pizza in sections 20 & 117
Big Chicken in sections 22 & 103
Dumpling House in section 4
Byte Coolers near The Lair Team Store.
Food and beverage options outside of Climate Pledge
There are many food options near Climate Pledge to grab a bite, or a drink before the game starts. My personal favorites are the Queen Anne Beerhall on W Thomas St and 2nd Ave W and the Agave Cocina & Tequila on 1st and W Republican. A few nearby places that others love are Cashew Thai Cuisine, the Bar at Chihuly, Asean StrEAT Food Mall at Westlake, Cairde Public House, and Some Random Bar which tends to be open later than other surrounding bars for after game activities and snacks!
Transportation to and from Climate Pledge Arena
There are various ways to get to Climate Pledge but I highly suggest public transit, traffic leaving the game can take quite some time to get out of and parking is pricey close to the arena. All guests of events at Climate Pledge receive a free public transit pass with their ticket. The Sound Transit Light Rail has expanded from Angle Lake in SeaTac all the way up to Lynwood and is the easiest, most direct way to get to and from the arena. The only caveat is that when you leave Climate Pledge after an event, you do have to walk to the Seattle Center Armory to take the Monorail to the Westlake center.
Climate Pledge Arena is also surrounded by extensive bus service routes, click here to to use a service provided by King Country Metro to play your route to and from the arena.
If you do choose to drive to an event, there are three Climate Pledge owned and operated garages nearby.
The Arena Garage is accessed via underground Climate Pledge.
The 1st Ave N Garage, located across Lenny Wilkens Way south of the arena.
5th Ave Garage, a Seattle Center operated garage located on the east side of the campus.
There are a handful of other parking lots that are not owned or operated by Climate Pledge or the Seattle Center near the arena as well.
Lyft Rideshare is another option, and they are the official rideshare partner of Climate Pledge Arena. They offer a few pick-up and drop-off locations nearby.
Republican St & Warren Ave N
MoPOP turnaround
Mercer St – McCaw Drop Off Zone
Denny Way – Pacific Science Center Drop Off Zone.
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Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports Bluesky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️
Check out our previous articles on the Seattle Kraken here.
Check out our previous articles with writing by Jayd Serdy here, and follow her on twitter here.
Cover photo by Rio Giancarlo. Check out our previous articles with photos by Rio Giancarlo here, and his portfolio here.
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