Acrisure Arena

Acrisure Arena is one of the most important entertainment landmarks ever built in the Coachella Valley. Located along Varner Road near Interstate 10, the arena brought a true major-market concert and sports venue to Greater Palm Springs, giving the desert something it had never quite had before: a modern, purpose-built indoor arena designed for national touring acts, professional hockey, future basketball, private events, and year-round community use. The venue officially opened on December 14, 2022, and today it serves as the home of the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, a major concert destination, and the future home of the Coachella Valley Lakers, the NBA G League affiliate relocating to the area beginning with the 2026–27 season. What makes Acrisure Arena special is not only its size, but its role in the story of the desert. For decades, the Coachella Valley has been known around the world for music, especially because of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach. But outside of festival season, local residents often had to drive to Los Angeles, Ontario, Anaheim, San Diego, Las Vegas, or Phoenix for arena-scale concerts and major indoor entertainment. Acrisure Arena changed that by giving the valley a year-round venue capable of hosting nationally recognized performers, hockey playoffs, family shows, combat sports, private events, and a growing calendar of major live experiences. Feature Details Official name Acrisure Arena Address 75702 Varner Road, Palm Desert, CA 92211 Region Greater Palm Springs / Coachella Valley Opened December 14, 2022 Groundbreaking June 2, 2021 Operator Oak View Group Architect Populous Construction contractor AECOM Hunt Project manager CAA/ICON Project cost $300+ million Total size 300,000 square feet, including the Iceplex Concert capacity Up to 11,007 Hockey capacity 10,100 Parking 3,000+ stalls adjacent to the arena Main sports tenant Coachella Valley Firebirds, AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken Future basketball tenant Coachella Valley Lakers, NBA G League, beginning 2026–27 Community ice facility Berger Foundation Iceplex These figures come from the arena’s own fast facts and current venue information. Where Is Acrisure Arena? Acrisure Arena sits at 75702 Varner Road in Palm Desert, California, near Interstate 10 between the Cook Street and Washington Street exits. Locally, people often describe the venue in a few different ways: Palm Desert, Thousand Palms, or simply “mid-valley.” The official arena site lists the Palm Desert address, while other sources describe the venue as being in the unincorporated Thousand Palms area north of Palm Desert. The practical answer for visitors is simple: Acrisure Arena is positioned near the center of the Coachella Valley, close to Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Cathedral City, and La Quinta. Its location is one of its biggest advantages. Instead of being tucked deep into one city, Acrisure Arena is placed near the I-10 corridor, making it accessible from both ends of the valley. Visitors coming from Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, and even the High Desert can reach the venue without navigating a dense downtown environment. For travelers flying in, Palm Springs International Airport is listed by the arena as about a 25-minute drive away. Why Acrisure Arena Matters Acrisure Arena is more than a building. It is a shift in the Coachella Valley’s identity. Before the arena, the desert had casinos, theaters, outdoor festivals, private clubs, resort ballrooms, and smaller performance venues. What it did not have was a modern indoor arena designed to compete for large touring acts and professional sports events. Acrisure Arena filled that gap. It gave local residents a place to see arena-level entertainment without leaving the valley, and it gave touring artists a desert stop between major West Coast markets like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Phoenix. The venue also helped give the valley its first major modern professional sports identity through the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The Firebirds quickly became one of the strongest stories in minor league hockey, reaching the Calder Cup Finals in their first two seasons and creating a fan culture that turned hockey in the desert into a real community event. The arena’s own homepage notes that the Firebirds finished both their inaugural 2022–23 season and 2023–24 season as Western Conference Champions. The Story Behind Acrisure Arena The story of Acrisure Arena began with a bigger regional idea: the Coachella Valley was ready for a true sports and entertainment venue. Initial plans were connected to bringing the Seattle Kraken’s American Hockey League affiliate to the Palm Springs area. Early concepts involved a proposed arena on tribal land in downtown Palm Springs, but that plan changed during the pandemic, and the project eventually shifted to a mid-valley site north of Palm Desert. The move turned out to be defining. Rather than becoming a downtown Palm Springs venue, Acrisure Arena became a regional venue. Its location along the I-10 corridor made it easier to serve the entire Coachella Valley, not only the west end. Groundbreaking took place on June 2, 2021, and the arena opened on December 14, 2022. In January 2022, Oak View Group announced a 10-year naming-rights agreement with Acrisure, a financial technology and insurance company. The agreement made the venue Acrisure Arena and included exterior signage, premium hospitality branding, logo placement on the roof, center ice, and scoreboards. Business Wire reported that it was Acrisure’s first stadium or arena sponsorship. What Is Acrisure? Acrisure is the naming-rights partner behind the arena. The company is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and operates in financial services technology, with areas including insurance, reinsurance, asset management, real estate services, and cyber services. The naming-rights agreement gave Acrisure a major physical brand presence in Southern California and aligned the company with one of the region’s most visible sports and entertainment projects. For visitors, the name “Acrisure Arena” simply refers to the venue. It should not be confused with Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh or other Acrisure-branded facilities. This arena is the Coachella Valley’s major indoor entertainment venue. A Venue Designed for the Desert One of the reasons Acrisure Arena feels different from a typical arena is that it was designed specifically for the desert. Populous, the architecture firm behind the project, describes the arena as a venue shaped by local landscape, history, architecture, colors, materials, and culture. The building’s low, windswept exterior is meant to echo the desert environment rather than fight against it. The arena’s seating bowl is partially buried into the earth, which reduces the building’s overall height and creates a smoother at-grade entry experience. That design helps the venue feel more integrated into the landscape instead of towering over it like a traditional urban arena. Acrisure Arena also uses the desert climate as part of the guest experience. Populous describes it as an indoor/outdoor arena with outdoor concessions, club balconies, and premium amenities that take advantage of warm Coachella Valley weather while keeping guests inside the secured arena footprint. Built for Concerts, Not Just Sports Many arenas are designed primarily for sports and later adapted for concerts. Acrisure Arena was built with both in mind. Populous notes that the venue was designed as a state-of-the-art music and sports facility, with infrastructure and artist amenities intended to rival larger venues. One of the most important design decisions is what the arena does not have: a traditional center-hung scoreboard. Instead, the design allows artists more flexibility for rigging stage shows, lighting, screens, and tour production. Populous also notes that the rigging grid is lower than in many larger arenas, which can support a more intimate acoustic environment and give artists a place to rehearse or launch a tour before moving into larger markets. That matters because Acrisure Arena is not trying to be a giant stadium. Its strength is intimacy. With roughly 11,000 seats for concerts, it can host major acts while keeping the room tighter, louder, and more personal than many larger metropolitan arenas. The Coachella Valley Firebirds The Coachella Valley Firebirds are the arena’s anchor sports tenant and one of the biggest reasons Acrisure Arena became part of the valley’s daily culture so quickly. The Firebirds are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and began play in the 2022–23 season. Their first seasons gave the arena instant credibility. The Firebirds reached the Calder Cup Finals in their inaugural season and again in their second season. During the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, the American Hockey League reported that Coachella Valley led the postseason attendance race with 117,879 fans over 13 home dates, the highest playoff attendance by one team in league history at that point. The league also noted four postseason sellouts at Acrisure Arena during that run. For the Coachella Valley, the Firebirds are more than a hockey team. They are a shared winter-season ritual: the jerseys, the noise, the pregame energy, the mountain views outside, and the novelty of ice hockey thriving in one of the warmest resort regions in the country. The Coachella Valley Lakers Acrisure Arena’s sports identity is expanding. In April 2026, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that their NBA G League team would relocate and rebrand as the Coachella Valley Lakers beginning with the 2026–27 season. Reuters reported that the team will play its home games at the 11,000-seat Acrisure Arena, joining the Firebirds as a second major sports tenant. This is a major development for the valley. The Lakers have long had cultural ties to the desert through training camps, preseason games, and Southern California fan identity. A permanent G League presence gives the Coachella Valley a new basketball franchise and makes Acrisure Arena a year-round sports venue, not just a hockey arena with concerts. Concerts and Live Entertainment Acrisure Arena was built to put the Coachella Valley on the national touring map beyond festival season. Its calendar regularly includes concerts, comedy, family shows, sports, cultural events, and special performances. The arena’s official event listings show the range of programming, from major Latin music acts to rock, pop, comedy, sports, and touring productions. The venue’s real advantage is its location within a region already associated with music. Coachella and Stagecoach made the valley famous as a live entertainment destination, but Acrisure Arena gives the area a permanent indoor stage. That means the desert can host major events in summer, winter, spring, and fall, not only during festival weekends. Berger Foundation Iceplex Attached to the arena is the Berger Foundation Iceplex, a community ice facility where the Firebirds train and the public can skate. The Iceplex offers public skating, skate academy programs, learn-to-play hockey, adult and junior hockey leagues, birthday parties, theme nights, and private events. This is one of the most important parts of the Acrisure Arena story because it extends the venue beyond ticketed concerts and professional sports. The Iceplex gives local families, young athletes, and recreational skaters a direct way to participate in the arena’s culture. It also turns the venue into a daily-use facility instead of a building that only comes alive on event nights. Premium Seating and Hospitality Acrisure Arena includes 20 executive suites, premium club spaces, and elevated hospitality areas. The arena’s fast facts describe the suites as cantilevered over the lower seating bowl, and its premium experience pages highlight private spaces, dedicated entrances, elevated food and beverage service, and premium access for concerts, Firebirds games, and future Lakers games. One of the venue’s more distinctive premium spaces is The Compound, an outdoor-meets-indoor hospitality area that reflects the desert lifestyle. The arena describes The Compound as a 10,000-square-foot entertaining space with an expansive dining patio, BBQ grills, firepit, putt-putt golf, basketball, pickleball, bocce ball, and other activities. Private Events at Acrisure Arena Acrisure Arena is also designed for private events, corporate gatherings, galas, conventions, receptions, holiday parties, and large-scale productions. The venue says it can host events from 1 to 11,000 guests and offers up to 27,000 square feet of floor space, four premium hospitality clubs, event spaces, catering, audio/visual support, and private room configurations. The arena floor itself is listed at 21,675 square feet and can be used for concerts, trade shows, award shows, receptions, or seated dinners. Other event spaces include lounges, clubs, bars, The Compound, the Spotlight 29 Main Entrance plaza, and the Berger Foundation Iceplex. Food and Beverage Acrisure Arena’s food program leans into both convenience and local flavor. The venue describes its concessions as market-style outlets with hot prepared foods, grab-and-go meals, snacks, beverages, and vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options. Local and regional names include CV BBQ from Indio, Tanner’s Prime Burgers, Brandini Toffee Popcorn, Casa Escobar, Big Chicken, Koko’s Bavarian, Pronto Pizza, and multiple bar concepts. That mix is important. A strong arena food program does not only feed people quickly; it reinforces place. In a valley known for hospitality, resorts, food culture, agriculture, and local small businesses, Acrisure Arena’s food and beverage identity helps the building feel connected to the region rather than imported from somewhere else. Parking and Getting There Acrisure Arena has more than 3,000 parking spaces located adjacent to the venue. Parking fees vary by event, and the arena uses ParkWhiz as its official parking vendor. Visitors can pre-purchase parking online, and on-site payment is available by credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Wallet; the arena’s parking page states that cash is not accepted. The arena also notes that cell service can be limited in parking areas and that there is no Wi-Fi in those lots, so guests should have parking passes ready before arriving. Accessible parking is available for vehicles displaying proper placards, and tailgating is not allowed. For visitors arriving from outside the valley, Palm Springs International Airport is the closest major airport, and the arena’s A–Z Guide describes it as a quick 25-minute drive from the venue. Seating and Capacity Acrisure Arena’s seating changes depending on the event. The venue generally uses different layouts for end-stage concerts, in-the-round concerts, family shows, comedy, and Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey. The arena’s official seating page notes that configurations vary by event and that visitors should check the specific Ticketmaster seating chart for the event they plan to attend. As a general guide, the arena lists concert capacity at up to 11,007 and hockey capacity at 10,100. Sustainability and Desert Design Sustainability is part of the arena’s public identity. Acrisure Arena states that it was built to achieve LEED v4 standards for Building Design and Construction, with goals focused on reducing environmental impact, using renewable energy, reducing water and electricity consumption, and working toward zero waste. Some of the arena’s sustainability strategies are especially relevant in a desert environment. The building is sunk 25 feet below grade to reduce exposed exterior surface area and improve energy efficiency. The venue also lists solar-powered outdoor lighting, reflective cool-roof material, LED lighting, sensor technology, Energy Star appliances, low-flow plumbing, waterless urinals, on-site stormwater retention, infiltration trenches, and vegetated swales as part of its environmental approach. The arena’s sustainability page also describes food-related goals, including sourcing ingredients within a 300-mile radius where possible, local craft beer, sustainable seafood guidelines, cage-free eggs, organic produce where applicable, plant-based offerings, compostable products, and efforts to divert food waste from landfills. What Makes Acrisure Arena Different? Acrisure Arena is different because it does not feel like a copied-and-pasted big-city arena. It is smaller, more intimate, more connected to the desert, and more regional in purpose. It is a concert venue, but it is also a hockey arena. It is a professional sports building, but it also has a public ice facility. It is a premium entertainment venue, but it also has local food, community programming, and a central location that serves the entire valley. It is modern, but it borrows from the desert landscape instead of ignoring it. Most importantly, Acrisure Arena gives the Coachella Valley a new kind of gathering place. It is where residents go for Firebirds playoff games, where visitors discover a major concert in the middle of a desert vacation, where families take kids to public skating, where businesses host large private events, and where the valley’s entertainment identity continues to grow. Frequently Asked Questions About Acrisure Arena Where is Acrisure Arena located? Acrisure Arena is located at 75702 Varner Road in Palm Desert, California, near Interstate 10 between the Cook Street and Washington Street exits. The venue is often described regionally as part of Greater Palm Springs and is also associated with the Thousand Palms area. How many people does Acrisure Arena hold? Acrisure Arena lists concert capacity at up to 11,007 and hockey capacity at 10,100. Seating varies depending on the event layout. Who plays at Acrisure Arena? The Coachella Valley Firebirds, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, play home games at Acrisure Arena. Beginning with the 2026–27 season, the Coachella Valley Lakers, the NBA G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, are also scheduled to play home games there. What kinds of events are held at Acrisure Arena? Acrisure Arena hosts concerts, hockey, future basketball, comedy, family shows, private events, galas, conventions, conferences, and special events. Is there parking at Acrisure Arena? Yes. Acrisure Arena has parking for more than 3,000 vehicles adjacent to the arena. Parking fees vary by event, and the arena recommends purchasing parking through ParkWhiz in advance. What is Berger Foundation Iceplex? Berger Foundation Iceplex is the ice facility connected to Acrisure Arena. It offers public skating, skate academy programs, hockey programs, adult and junior leagues, birthday parties, theme nights, and private events. Is Acrisure Arena good for concerts? Yes. Acrisure Arena was designed with concerts and touring production in mind. Its architecture includes acoustic design, a flexible rigging approach, and artist amenities intended to support major touring acts while preserving a more intimate arena experience. Can you host a private event at Acrisure Arena? Yes. Acrisure Arena offers private event spaces for groups ranging from small meetings to full-arena events. The venue lists up to 27,000 square feet of floor space and multiple lounges, clubs, bars, outdoor spaces, and event areas. Final Takeaway Acrisure Arena is one of the defining additions to the modern Coachella Valley. It gave Greater Palm Springs a world-class indoor venue, brought professional hockey to the desert, helped attract major touring performers, expanded community ice sports through the Berger Foundation Iceplex, and is now preparing to welcome the Coachella Valley Lakers into the region’s sports landscape. For visitors, Acrisure Arena is where a desert trip can turn into a concert night, a hockey game, a family outing, or a major live event. For locals, it is a sign that the Coachella Valley is no longer only a seasonal destination. It is becoming a year-round entertainment market with its own identity, its own teams, and its own arena.