Madison Square Garden (MSG) is a multi-purpose indoor area in Manhattan, New York City. It’s above the Pennsylvania Station between Seventh and Eighth Avenue and 31st to 33rd streets. MSG is home two two major sports teams, the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, but it also hosts a litany of other events throughout the year. Boxing, concerts, ice shows and all kinds of big conventions are also held at the building throughout the year. Madison Square Garden is the third-busiest music arena in the world in terms of tickets sales behind only the O2 Arena and Manchester Arena in England.
MSG opened on February 11, 1968, and is the oldest and most active major sporting facility in the New York metro area. It’s the oldest area in the NHL (Rangers) and second oldest in the NBA (Knicks), and the total construction cost has gone over the $1 billion mark. Madison Square Garden has a capacity of 20,000 for concerts, 19,812 for basketball and 18,006 for hockey. The arena is arranged in six levels, including floor, loge, 100-level, 200-level, promenade and mezzanine.
Sports at the Madison Square Garden
The arena is one of the premier venues for both professional basketball and hockey, and is one of the biggest tourist’s attractions in New York City. The New York Knicks have won two NBA championships, and won their first on the court at Madison Square Garden in 1970. The New York Rangers won their first Stanley Cup since 1940 on the ice at MSG in 1994 as well. The NHL All-Star Game has been hosted at the venue twice, while the NBA All-Star Game was at MSG in 1998. Numerous WrestleMania and SummerSlams have been at MSG, as well as exhibition tennis matches featuring legends like Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and resident New Yorker John McEnroe.
Concerts at the Madison Square Garden
The biggest concerts in the biggest city in the country are held at Madison Square Garden. One of the biggest events at MSG ever was a 1973 stop on Led Zeppelin’s tour, where filming occurred for their “The Song Remains the Same” film. Zeppelin also played six sold-out dates at MSG in 1977. Other notable artist to play at MSG at the height of their fame was Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. Billy Joel once played 12 sold-out shows at MSG in one tour, beating the previous record held by Bruce Springsteen with 10. Today's biggest pop stars continue to fill the Garden with sold out shows including One Direction, Justin Timberlake, Paul Simon, Kings of Leon among others.
Madison Square Garden Venue Guide
What are the most popular areas to sit in at Madison Square Garden?
The loge level is where you want to be for all sporting events. It gives you great views from the baseline or you can get the club seats along the sideline. The single-digit sections are the best in the arena, while the 100-level seats are all still very close to the action.
Where should I go to eat before an event at MSG?
Since you’re likely taking a cab or public transportation to MSG, there’s a lot to choose from and you don’t have to eat right by the arena. There’s Café 31 and Lugo Caffe near the venue if you’re looking for Italian, while Cooper’s Tavern, Harrington’s and Jack Doyle’s all have good food and are great places to grab a drink before the game.