Santander Arena facts for kids
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The inside of the arena, taken from the Visitor bench
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 Santander Arena
Location in Pennsylvania
Santander Arena
Location in the United States
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| Former names | Sovereign Center (2001–2013) |
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| Location | 700 Penn Street Reading, Pennsylvania 19602 |
| Coordinates | 40°20′05″N 75°55′23″W / 40.334771°N 75.923013°W |
| Public transit |  BARTA bus: All routes at BARTA Transportation Center |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | 6,000–9,000 (concerts) 8,000 (basketball) 6,500 (ice hockey) 1,752 (performing arts center) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 1999 |
| Opened | September 6, 2001 |
| Construction cost | $42.5 million ($70.2 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | STV Architects Inc. PBK Architects Inc. |
| Project manager | Turner Construction |
| General contractor | Schlegel Builders Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Reading Royals (ECHL) (2001–present) Alvernia University Golden Wolves (NCAA DIII) (present) Reading Express (AIFL/AIFA/IFL) (2006–2012) Reading Railers (PBL) (2008) New York Majesty (LFL) (2009–2010) Reading Rockets (PLL) (2012) Pennsylvania Roar (MISL) (2013–2014) ASI Panthers (AIF) (2015) |
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The Santander Arena is a large building in Reading, Pennsylvania, where many exciting events happen! It has about 7,160 seats and first opened in 2001. Before it was called the Santander Arena, it was known as the Sovereign Center.
This arena was built on the spot where an old movie theater, the Astor Theater, used to be. The Astor Theater was a beautiful place from the early 1900s. It closed in 1975 and sat empty for a long time. In 1998, it was taken down to make way for the new arena. But some cool parts of the old theater, like a fancy chandelier and gates, were saved! You can still see them inside the arena today, showing a bit of its history.
The Santander Arena is owned by the Berks County Convention Center Authority. It is managed by a company called ASM Global. In 2000, a nearby theater, the Rajah Shrine Theater, was bought. After being fixed up, it became the Sovereign Performing Arts Center. The Reading Eagle Theater is also part of this complex.
On October 13, 2013, the building's name officially changed from Sovereign Center to Santander Arena.
The arena is home to the Reading Royals ice hockey team, which plays in the ECHL. It also hosts the Alvernia University Golden Wolves ice hockey team from NCAA DIII. In the past, it was home to other sports teams. These included the Reading Railers basketball team and the Reading Express indoor football team.
The arena has also hosted many large gatherings. From 2005 to 2013, and again from 2015 to 2019, and in 2023, it was a venue for Jehovah's Witnesses conventions.
Contents
What's Inside the Santander Arena?
The Santander Arena is designed for many different types of events. It has special areas for guests and performers.
Seating and Special Areas
The arena has 701 club seats, which are extra comfortable. There are also 20 luxury suites. These are private rooms where groups can watch events.
Space for Events and Parties
The main floor of the arena offers 25,200 square feet of space for banquets. This means it can host big dinners or parties for up to 1,200 guests. For smaller events, the Reading Eagle Theater can be used. There is also a multipurpose room that is 4,575 square feet. This room can hold up to 200 guests for various functions.
Arena Features for Fans
Most seats in the arena are standard chairbacks, which are comfortable chairs. In the center of the arena, there is a large video board. This board shows replays and also works as a scoreboard for hockey and other sports. A wide walkway, called a concourse, goes around the seating area. Here, you can find places to buy snacks and drinks, including local favorites like Pennsylvania's Chickie's & Pete's.
Exciting Events at Santander Arena
The Santander Arena has hosted many famous performers and exciting sports events over the years.
- The band Phish played at Santander on October 29, 2013. This concert was a big highlight of their Fall Tour that year.
- Trey Anastasio Band and Goose performed together on November 19, 2022.
- The Barenaked Ladies played their first show in Reading at the arena on November 21, 2001.
- The PBR brought their Built Ford Tough Series event to the arena in 2006.
- The international figure skating competition, Skate America, was held here in 2003 and 2007.
- Bands like Slipknot, Korn, and King 810 performed in 2014.
- Day one of the East Coast Tsunami Fest 2015 took place here on September 25. It featured groups like Wu Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Bodycount with Ice-T.
- Rascal Flatts and Chase Bryant performed as part of the "Rhythm & Roots Tour" on October 8, 2016.
- Eric Church performed as part of his "Holdin' My Own Tour" on May 18, 2017.
- Avenged Sevenfold performed as part of their "The Stage World Tour" on January 16, 2018.
- Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live made their first appearance here on May 21 and 22, 2022.
- The K-pop group LOONA performed at Santander as part of the Loonatheworld Tour on August 15, 2022.
- Sum 41 performed at Santander as part of their "Tour of the Setting Sum" on May 9, 2024.
