After 34 years, it’s finally time to say goodbye to ARCO Arena — gosh, does it feel good to call it that again.
The Sacramento Kings are hosting a Farewell to ARCO Arena event on Sat., March 19, despite having not played there since 2016. The venue — currently known as Sleep Train Arena — hosted the Kings for 28 years before the team moved to the Golden 1 Center.
ARCO Arena (as it will forever be known in our hearts) is set to be demolished within the next six months to make way for the Innovation Park project, which includes a new, probationary-accredited California Northstate University Medical Center Campus. The campus is set to include a college, dorms, a child care center, senior living facilities, along with other commercial and residential spaces, with the centerpiece being a 14-story, 730,000-sqft hospital.
ARCO Arena had more than its fair share of memorable moments, from inspiring a song by Sacramento’s own Cake (which would later be sampled by Jay-Z and Lenny Kravitz), to acting as the backdrop for a Bell Biv DeVoe music video. At one time, it even held the Guinness World Record for loudest indoor crowd roar (sadly broken by the University of Kentucky in 2016).
Plus, so many locals have an unforgettable memory from ARCO Arena. City Editor Jordan here — I have many stand-out memories of ARCO, but watching Gnarls Barkley get booed offstage at 106.5’s Twisted Christmas ~15 years ago takes the top spot. Does that make me crazy?
While a NBA championship banner never hung from its rafters, ARCO Arena will forever be a championship stadium in the heart of our city.
Do you have a memorable moment from ARCO Arena? Reminisce with us.
