What is the seating capacity of the Calgary Saddledome?

19,289 seats for hockey. Capacity expands above 19,500 for some concerts when the floor is configured for general admission or reserved standing on the ice surface.

How is Saddledome seating organized?

Seating is organized in three rings: the 100s on the lower bowl (sections 101 through 118), the 200s in the middle (sections 201 through 222), and the 300s in the steep upper bowl (sections 301 through 326). Each ring has rows running from A through approximately 30 in the 100s, 20 in the 200s, and 25 in the 300s.

Are the Saddledome upper bowl seats too steep?

The 300s are notoriously steep. The slope is real and uncomfortable for some viewers, especially fans afraid of heights. Hockey-experienced fans often prefer the 300s because the steepness provides clear sightlines and lets you see plays develop. The back rows of the 300s have the steepest slope but excellent sightlines on goals at the far end.

What seats should I avoid at the Saddledome?

Sections 220, 221, 222 (rowdy upper-200s on the south end) get loud and occasionally rambunctious during big games; not ideal for kids. Row A of the 100s puts you behind the boards looking through plexiglass. Sections behind the goals on the east and west ends offer lateral angles that make it harder to read play speed.

Where should I sit for concerts at the Saddledome?

The 200s are generally the best value for concerts. The lower 100s are too close to the stage to see the entire performance. The 300s, while still good, are far from the action. The 200s strike a balance between proximity and overall view.

Calgary Saddledome Seat Map

Q: What are the best seats at the Saddledome for hockey?

Sections 102 to 109, rows 8 to 14, on the side opposite the team benches. You see the entire play from a hockey-broadcast camera angle, you're close enough to see facial expressions, and you're far enough back to keep the overhead view of the ice. The 200s offer the best value for hockey overall.

The Saddledome seats 19,289 for hockey, more for concerts. The seating is laid out in three rings around the bowl: the 100s on the lower level, the 200s in the middle, the 300s in the steep upper bowl. Calgarians know which rows have legroom, which sections face into the sun on early-evening games, and which seats are objectively bad. This is that knowledge in one place.

The three rings

The Saddledome's seating is organized in three numbered rings, with each ring divided into 18 to 26 sections.

Ring 100 (sections 101 through 118). The lower bowl. Closest to the ice. Rows A through about 30. Seats here are the most expensive and offer the closest sightlines. Section 101 to 109 are along the north-south axis; 110 to 118 are along the south-north axis. The lowest rows in the 100s sit roughly at ice level; the back rows of the 100s sit about 25 feet above ice level.
Ring 200 (sections 201 through 222). The middle bowl. Rows A through about 20. Seats here have a clearer overhead view of the ice and are typically the best value for hockey: you can see the play develop without needing binoculars, and tickets are 30 to 50 percent cheaper than the 100s.
Ring 300 (sections 301 through 326). The upper bowl. Rows A through about 25. The 300s are notoriously steep. The back row of the upper bowl sits roughly 100 feet above the ice. The angle is uncomfortable for some viewers; the sightlines, despite the height, are surprisingly clear because the steepness keeps everything in your forward field of view.

The cheap seats are surprisingly good

One thing Calgary regulars say repeatedly: the Saddledome's upper-bowl seats, while steep, give you a great view of the whole ice. You can see plays develop. You can see the goaltender's positioning. Hockey-experienced fans often prefer the 300s to the lower 100s, which sit so close to ice level that you see the play in fragments rather than as a system.

The trade-off: the 300s are physically uncomfortable for older fans, fans with mobility issues, or anyone who's afraid of heights. The slope is real. Several first-time visitors have asked usher staff if it's safe to lean forward in row 22 of the 300s. (It is. It just feels like it isn't.)

The seats to avoid

Specific Saddledome problem seats, accumulated from years of fan complaint:

Sections 220, 221, 222 (the rowdy upper-200s on the south end). These are great seats but they get loud, drunk, and occasionally rambunctious during big games. If you're bringing kids, sit elsewhere.
The very back rows of the 300s (rows 24 to 25). The slope is steepest here. The angle on goals at the far end is actually the best in the building, but the climb up the stairs is brutal.
Row A of the 100s. Yes, you're right at ice level, but you're also behind the boards, so you see the lower half of the play through plexiglass. Pucks deflect into your vicinity occasionally. For a casual fan, row 5 or 6 of the 100s gives you a better view.
Sections behind the goals on the east and west ends. The angle is fine for standard plays, but you're looking into the action laterally, which makes it harder to read the speed of the play. These seats are typically priced lower for a reason.

For concerts

The Saddledome's concert capacity expands by adding floor seating where the ice surface would otherwise be. The floor section is general-admission for some concerts, reserved seating for others. The floor is flat; if the act has staging that elevates the performers, you can see fine; if the act has a low stage, you'll see heads.

For concerts, the 200s are generally the best value. The lower 100s are too close to the stage to see the entire performance, and the 300s, while still good, are far from the action. The 200s strike a balance between proximity and overall view.

What's worth paying extra for

The lower bowl, sections 102 through 109, rows 8 to 14, on the side opposite the team benches. You see the entire play from a hockey-broadcast camera angle, you're close enough to see facial expressions, and you're far enough back that you don't lose the overhead view of the ice.

Anything with a club or premium designation. The Saddledome has a small number of club seats and suites that come with food, drink, and concierge access. They're significantly more expensive but include amenities that the regular sections don't.

The seat numbers everyone remembers

Calgarians have been buying tickets to specific Saddledome seats for forty-three years. Many can name the exact section, row, and seat where they had season tickets, where their parents took them, where they took their kids. Section 220, row 8, seat 17 is somebody's first concert. Section 301, row 22, seat 4 is where someone watched the 1989 Stanley Cup victory parade pre-show. Section 117, row 12, seat 1 is in the lower bowl in the second-to-last row before the rinkside boards: a great hockey seat that one Calgary family had for thirty years.

When the Saddledome comes down in 2027, all of those exact-coordinate memories stop existing. We're collecting them on the homepage. File yours.

More practical reading: Parking at the Saddledome, Getting there by CTrain, Buying tickets.