Originally named theAnaheim Arena during construction, it was completed in 1993 at a cost of US$123 million. Locally basedArrowhead Water paid $15 million for thenaming rights over 10 years in October 1993.[5] In the short period of time after theMighty Ducks franchise was awarded and before the naming rights deal with Arrowhead, Disney referred to the Arena as thePond of Anaheim.[6] In October 2006,Honda, whose American headquarters are based inTorrance, paid $60 million for the naming rights over 15 years,[7] and renewed the deal for another decade in 2020.[8]
A panorama of Honda Center's exteriorPanorama of Honda Center's interior before a 2007 playoff hockey gameHonda Center in its basketball configuration before an NCAA basketball gameThe New Scoreboard at Honda Center as seen from Section 438 during the 2016 Stanley Cup Play-offs on April 27, 2016
The idea for a large indoor arena in Anaheim emerged from entertainment attorneyNeil Papiano, who in 1987 randomly selected two of the city's councilmen from the telephone directory to sell them his idea. They approved of the concept, and one year later following location surveys, the placement was chosen at a seven-acre parcel at Douglass Road and Katella Avenue, that at the time was owned by the German social group Phoenix Club. Papiano also managed to get financial backing from two New York-based firms,Ogden Corporation andNederlander Organization.[9] Even if there was a dispute to build an arena inOrange County with aSanta Ana project led bySpectacor, and there were discussions of feasibility of the arena given theNational Basketball Association andNational Hockey League were at the time unwilling to expand to the area,[10] the city of Anaheim pushed forward to build theHellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc.-designed arena,[11] which broke ground in November 1990.[9] A tenant was found in 1992, asthe Walt Disney Company had just been awarded an NHL franchise for Anaheim, entering negotiations to lease the arena.[12] Once the deal was broken, the arena's final cost ended at $121 million, as $18 million were added to finance hockey franchise fees and facility improvement.[9]
The arena opened on June 19, 1993, with aBarry Manilow concert as its first event.[13] The then-Arrowhead Pond's first NHL game was also theMighty Ducks of Anaheim season opener on October 8, 1993, against theDetroit Red Wings, preceded by a 20-minute pregame show at the cost of $450,000. The Ducks lost 7–2.[14] Since then, the arena has been host to a number of events, such as the2003 and2007 Stanley Cup Finals.[13] On June 6, 2007, the Anaheim Ducks defeated theOttawa Senators, 6–2, in game five of the Final at Honda Center to clinch the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.[15]
This arena has also hosted aPBR Bud Light Cup (laterBuilt Ford Tough Series) event annually since 1998.[19] Since 1994, the arena has hosted the annualWooden Legacy basketball tournament.[20] In April 2000, it played host to the WWE's 16th annualWrestleMania supercard event.
In 2011, the arena began hosting theBig West Conference Men's and Women's Basketball tournaments.[21] The arena has also hosted the NCAA men's basketball tournament seven times, as the West Regional site –1998,2001,2003,2008,2011,2014,2016 and2019. It even hosted the Frozen Four, the semifinals and final of theNCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, in 1999, underscoring the popularity of hockey in the region.[13]
On December 6, 2000, music legendTina Turner played her last concert at the arena for the record breakingTwenty Four Seven Tour, but after popular demand, Turner returned to the arena before a sellout crowd on October 14, 2008, for herTina!: 50th Anniversary Tour.
The arena seats up to 17,174 for its primary tenant, the Ducks. It takes only five hours to convert Honda Center from a sporting arena to an 8,400-seat amphitheater. There are 84luxury suites in the building, which has hosted 17.5 million people, as of 2003. In 2005, the arena became the first in the U.S. to have two full levels of 360° ribbon displays installed.Daktronics ofBrookings, South Dakota, designed, manufactured and installed the 1,800 feet (550 m) of full-colorLED technology. Outside the venue, the marquee was upgraded with two large video displays measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) high by 21 feet (6.4 m), and a new marquee was built with moreLED video displays.[22]
Broadcom chairmanHenry Samueli owns the company that operates the arena, Anaheim Arena Management, LLC, and the arena's primary tenant, the Ducks, giving him great flexibility in scheduling events and recruiting new tenants. AAM was founded in 2003 to take over operations of the arena from the bankrupt Ogden Corp.,[23] which had already sold the arena's concession deal toAramark in 2000 -[24] who remained providing foods and drinks until 2013, when concessions became an in-house operation.[25]
During the 2014–2015 NHL Season, it was announced that Honda Center would get a new scoreboard that will replace the one that was in place since its opening in 1993. The new scoreboard made its debut in a Ducks pre-season game against the Los Angeles Kings.[26]
In March 2020, the arena would lose all its scheduled events because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[27] For the rest of the year, Honda Center would instead host charity events, such asblood drives, food bank distributions, and a collective wedding, along with serving as a drive-through voting location for the2020 United States presidential election.[28] The Ducks would only play again in the arena once thefollowing NHL season started in January 2021, with a reduced audience of 2,000 being allowed to attend the final five games of the season, starting with an April 17 matchup with theVegas Golden Knights.[29]
In April 2025, it was announced that Honda Center would undergo a major $1 billion renovation that would be complete by 2027, one year before the2028 Summer Olympics. The renovations will create a brand new entrance on the southern part of the arena, add escalators and club suites, and increase parking as part of the larger mixed useOC Vibe project taking place near the arena.[30]
Honda Center has the second highest gross ticket sales from special events on the West Coast, following onlyCrypto.com Arena.[34] These events have included the following over the years:
Rock bandNo Doubt, natives of Anaheim, recorded their two 1997 concert stops at the Pond, releasing them as their first concert video,Live in the Tragic Kingdom.
Janet Jackson performed for the first time at the arena during herThe Velvet Rope Tour on August 23, 1998. She returned for herAll for You Tour on September 29, 2001, and returned on September 23, 2017, as part of herState of the World Tour. Jackson will perform at the arena for the fourth time on June 9, 2024, as part of herTogether Again tour.
Santana performed a sold-out four night run at the arena from August 11 to August 14, 1999, during theirSupernatural Tour.
TLC performed at the arena on January 7, 2000, during theirFanMail Tour. The tour would be their last as a trio. Band memberLisa "Left Eye" Lopes was killed in a car accident in April 2002.
KIIS-FM'sJingle Ball – December 19, 2002, December 3, 2004, December 7, 2006, October 27, 2007, and December 6, 2008
Beyoncé first performed there alongsideAlicia Keys andMissy Elliott on 17 and 21 April 2004 during their joint tour called 'Verizon Ladies First Tour'. She later returned as a solo act on September 1, 2007 as part of her tour 'The Beyoncé Experience', and again on July 11, 2009 during herI Am... Tour. Throughout her whole career, she sold over 40,000 tickets and grossed over 4 million dollars at the venue with only 4 reported shows.
When No Doubt's lead singer,Gwen Stefani embarked on asolo venture, she filmed her two homecoming concerts at the arena in November 2005. TheDVD was released asHarajuku Lovers Live.
TheJonas Brothers recorded the companion album to their 3-D concert movie at the Honda Center.
U2 performed at the arena five times: the first, the second and the third were on April 23, 24 and 26, 2001 during theirElevation Tour, in front of a total sold-out crowd of 49,377 people. The fourth and the fifth were on April 1 and 2, 2005 during theirVertigo Tour, in front of a total sold-out crowd of 33,535 people.
Depeche Mode performed at the arena seven times. The first and the second were on December 20 and 22, 1998 during theirSingles Tour. The third and the fourth were on August 18 and 19, 2001 during theirExciter Tour. The fifth one was on November 23, 2005, during theirTouring the Angel. The sixth one was on August 19, 2009, during theirTour of the Universe, in front of a crowd of 12,430 people. The 2009 show was recorded for the group's live albums projectRecording the Universe. The seventh was on May 22, 2018, during theirGlobal Spirit Tour.
K-popboy bandBIGBANG performed their first concert in the U.S. at the arena on November 2 and 3, 2012 as part of theirAlive Galaxy Tour. They returned to the arena on October 4, 2015, for theirMade World Tour.
Miley Cyrus performed in the center during herBangerz World Tour on February 20, 2014, making it Cyrus' 3rd sold-out concert at the Honda Center after previously selling out the center during herBest of Both Worlds Tour on November 3, 2007, and again during herWonder World Tour on September 23, 2009.
Live Nation hosted their 2017 Southern California Country Megaticket at the center due to the lease being up atIrvine Meadows Amphitheater which has been demolished to make way for housing.
^In the 1993–94 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim media guide, Disney and the Ducks organization referred to the arena as the "Pond of Anaheim." This was prior to the naming rights deal with Arrowhead Water.ASIN: B001EBD3BM
^Casacchia, Chris (April 4, 2011). "Royal Reach: NBA Team Would Boost Honda Center Business, Bring Challenges".Orange County Business Journal.34 (14): 66.
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