More about: Brooklyn Nets stadium NYC
The Barclays Center is a modern stadium located in the Brooklyn neighbourhood, known for being the home court of the Brooklyn Nets. Would you like to experience the magic of the NBA?
How to visit the Barclays Center?
Unlike Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks, there is no tour to visit the inside of the Brooklyn Nets stadium, so the best way to see it is by attending an NBA or NHL game, as it is also home to the :::link|text=New York Islanders|element=per-511:: until their new stadium is completed.
Buy tickets for the Brooklyn Nets
If you want to experience the atmosphere and excitement that this sport generates on the East Coast during your trip to New York, my advice is to book your tickets for the Brooklyn Nets as soon as possible.
Demand for NBA games is extremely high and tickets sell out months in advance. In my article on how to watch NBA games in New York,
I explain in detail how the basketball season works, the stages it is divided into and how to buy NBA tickets.
How to buy basketball tickets at the Barclays Centre?
You have two options for purchasing Brooklyn Nets tickets:
Buy them online in advance
If basketball is your passion and you have included an NBA game in your trip to New York, I recommend that you purchase your basketball tickets online before you travel. There are several reasons for this, and I will explain why:
- To get the best seats at the Barclays Center at a cheaper price, the key is to buy tickets as early as possible. Demand for NBA games is extremely high, so tickets tend to sell out quickly as soon as they go on sale.
- The American ticket market is dynamic, which means that prices increase as the date of the game approaches and supply decreases (just like with flights, for example). If you wait too long to book, you run the risk of being left without basketball tickets or having to settle for a few at a high price and in sections with poorer visibility.
- Another advantage of buying basketball tickets online is that you can choose the seat you like best at the Barclays Centre to watch the Brooklyn Nets.
In my opinion, this is the easiest, safest and fastest option. What's more, bringing tickets purchased from home gives you peace of mind.
At the stadium box office
In my experience, this is not the most recommendable option. Here are the reasons why:
- First of all, buying Brooklyn Nets basketball tickets once you arrive in New York means you'll have to travel to the Barclays Center, adapt to the ticket office opening hours and queue for ages to buy them.
- This means you'll waste a lot of your trip time queuing at the stadium gates when you could be visiting the Statue of Liberty or seeing a musical on Broadway, among many other plans.
- What's more, there will be fewer options available, and they may even be priced at a premium or completely sold out due to the high demand for NBA tickets.
Beware of resellers
If I had to give you one last piece of advice when buying your basketball tickets, it would be to be very cautious about resellers near the stadium. You'll probably end up paying a very high price for tickets with poor visibility or, in the worst case scenario, they'll be fake and you won't be able to get into the game.
How to choose a good seat for a game at the Barclays Centre?
When choosing basketball tickets at Barclays Center, an important factor is your budget, as the price of seats usually depends directly on how close you are to the court.
The cheapest tickets are for the furthest and highest seats, as well as those in the corners and next to the wall, while the closer you get to the court, the higher the price.
At the Barclays Center, the best section is on the sides, almost at court level, where you can watch the game and the players almost as if you were part of the team, although these are the most expensive seats. Behind the baskets is also where you can usually find quite attractive prices if you want to see the NBA stars up close without spending VIP amounts.
You can see the views from each seat
In any case, when you buy basketball tickets online to see the Brooklyn Nets, an image will appear on the screen showing the exact views from each section so you can get a better idea when choosing and know what to expect from each seat.
How will I receive the NBA tickets I have purchased online? Will they arrive on time?
The tickets will be electronic and will be sent to your email address so that you can access them whenever you need to. Just bear in mind that in the United States, for security reasons, tickets are usually issued a few days before the game, so it may take a while to receive them, but don't worry, this is normal and they always arrive on time.
Do I need to print them?
My advice is to read the instructions you receive in your email carefully because you don't usually need to print them. However, if your tickets are in PDF format and you need to print them but you are away from home, the solution is simple. If you need to, your hotel will help you print them, or you can search Google Maps for a Staples (stationery shop) or Copy Centre to print them near your accommodation or the stadium.
What if I don't have internet access? How can I access my tickets?
If you don't have a stable connection or data on your phone during your trip to New York, don't worry. You can always download them at your hotel or any public establishment with WiFi for customers (such as a café or restaurant) so that you have them ready when you arrive at the stadium.
When to go to the stadium on game days?
When the Brooklyn Nets play at the Barclays Center, the city takes on a special atmosphere. You can feel it in the air, and there is more excitement and hustle and bustle than usual on the streets of New York.
On game day, I recommend arriving at the stadium at least an hour early so you can take your time, go through security, find your seats, and enjoy the pre-game show, listening to the American national anthem, watching the cheerleaders' performance, and seeing the players take the court. The crowd welcomes them like heroes!
How to get to the Barclays Centre?
If you've bought basketball tickets to see the Brooklyn Nets play at home, my advice is to take advantage of the day to take a tour of Brooklyn, which, with its industrial past and strong cultural identity, is well worth a visit.
You can get there on foot by crossing the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan and take a stroll before the game starts. In my article 10 things to do and see in Brooklyn, I give you some ideas for sightseeing here and having a great time.
If you have another activity planned for that day and want to go directly to the Barclays Centre to watch the game, you can take public transport, but it is important to take traffic and rush hour into account so you don't arrive late at the Barclays Centre.
- Where? 620 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn.
- How to get there: The nearest underground stations are Fulton Street (G), Lafayette Avenue (C) and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R).
Where to eat before or after the game?
Inside Barclays Center, there are several food and drink stands where you can buy snacks while watching the game, but the prices are considerably higher than outside. For example, a hot dog can cost around $7, a soft drink around $6.50, and a bottle of water around $5.
Since you are not allowed to bring your own food or drink into the stadium, I recommend going to one of the restaurants around the Barclays Center to eat if you get hungry, such as Shake Sack, McDonald's or Patsy's Pizzeria, either before or after the game to celebrate the Nets' victory.
Useful information for watching the NBA
How long does an NBA game last?
Officially, it lasts 48 minutes (four quarters of 12 minutes each), but between breaks and half-time, most games usually last two hours or more. After the first two quarters, there is a 15-minute half-time break, during which you can buy something to eat or go to the toilet.
Can I bring cameras or backpacks into the stadium?
According to Barclays Center's access policy, backpacks or bags larger than 14"x14"x6" or with hard sides are not permitted. Professional camera equipment, audio and/or video recording devices, selfie sticks and tripods are also not permitted.
Do children pay admission to the NBA?
The NBA is a very family-friendly event, but the answer to the question of whether children pay for admission depends on each team.
The Barclays Center's policy on children's access to the stadium states that for all sporting events, children up to 34 inches (86.36 centimetres) tall may enter for free, although they must share a seat with an adult who has a ticket. Any child who does not meet this height requirement will need their own ticket to enter the stadium.
If you are going to the stadium with children under the age of two, bring proof of their age with you in case you are asked for it at the entrance. Valid forms of identification are a passport or birth certificate.
Why go to the Barclays Centre?
People go to New York to have a great time, and even if you're not a big sports fan, watching an NBA game in person is one of the most exciting things to do in the United States and a unique opportunity to see some of the best players in the world up close. A real spectacle of music, dance and, above all, basketball!
If you want to go to an NBA game during your trip to New York, don't miss the Brooklyn Nets here. The season starts at the end of October and ends in mid-April.
What is the Barclays Centre like?
When the Nets decided to move from New Jersey to New York, they chose the Brooklyn neighbourhood for their new headquarters and built the new stadium on Atlantic Avenue, right next to a transport hub.
The Barclays Centre is a huge arena in the heart of this borough, just around the corner from BAM. With a capacity of over 17,000 spectators, it is famous for being the "home" of the Brooklyn Nets (NBA) and the New York Islanders (NHL) since 2012.
In addition, this stadium has also hosted boxing championships and musical events (in fact, several of the world's best artists have performed here, including Jay-Z, Ariana Grande, Marc Anthony and Celine Dion).
What other sporting events are there in New York?
If you are passionate about sport and want to attend another event during your holiday in New York, I recommend other options such as:
The NBA
In New York, you can also watch the New York Knicks play at Madison Square Garden.
The NHL
You can watch the New York Rangers and New York Islanders play in the Big Apple. The ice hockey season runs from October to April.
MLB
In New York, you can watch the New York Yankees and the New York Mets play. The baseball season runs from April to early November with the World Series, and in this post, I explain in detail how to buy tickets to see MLB games in New York.
NFL
In New York, you can watch the New York Giants and the New York Jets play. The season runs from early September to early February with the Super Bowl. If you like America's favourite sport, in this article I'll tell you how to watch an American football game in New York.