By: Shauna Murray
Want to learn more about the best stadiums and arenas in Los Angeles? Read our blog! Planning a trip to Southern California? Be sure to check out the Best Tours in Los Angeles with A Day in LA Tours!
LA is the capital of sports, and we have stadiums and arenas in Los Angeles for every major sport in the country. With our wide array of arenas in Los Angeles, you can visit “America’s Favorite Pastime” at the Dodger baseball stadium one day, and then see “The World’s Game” at the LAFC soccer stadium the next day.
Here’s our list of the best stadiums & arenas in Los Angeles (in no particular order):
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, or “The Big A”, is home to the Los Angeles Angels baseball team and can hold just over 45,000 fans. Built in 1966, it’s the fourth-oldest stadium in Major League Baseball after Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium. The Angels got scientific when constructing the stadium, studying air density and weather patterns during normal game times to find the perfect dimensions between pitcher and hitter. As a result, it has one of the shortest center-fields in the league. Even though it was built specifically with baseball in mind, the L.A. Rams football team called Angel Stadium home from 1980 to 1994 because there were no other available arenas in Los Angeles at that time.
Some of the biggest names in music have played to sold-out crowds at Angel Stadium: David Bowie played The Big A twice, the Rolling Stones have made three tour stops so far, and a slew of acts over the years from the first show with The Who to the most recent with Chance the Rapper.
One of the new arenas in Los Angeles, the 22,000-seat Banc of California Stadium opened in 2018 and is the first open-air stadium built in the City of Los Angeles since 1962. As Major League Soccer continues to grow in popularity, the state-of-the-art venue was built with soccer in mind and is home to the new MLS expansion team Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC).
L.A.’s newest stadium is a great place to catch a game. The stadium seating sits at a steep 34- degree incline, bringing fans in closer to the field and the action—even from the cheap seats. The awning-like “roof” curves inward over the seating areas, offering some shade from the midday sun, and the northeast side of the stadium opens on to stunning views of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline and the San Gabriel Mountains.
During the 2028 Summer Olympics, Banc of California Stadium will host men’s and women’s soccer matches, as well as some track and field events.
Formerly known as the Home Depot Center and StubHub Center, this 27,000-seat sports complex sits on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, about fourteen miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. The park opened in 2003 as the new home of the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, and is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States. Since 2017, it has also been the temporary home of the Los Angeles Chargers football team, following their move from San Diego while they await their permanent home at SoFi Stadium.
When LA hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics, many arenas in Los Angeles will host events, including Dignity Health Sports Park, which will host rugby, tennis, modern pentathlon, field hockey and track cycling events.
Dodger Stadium was built when the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958 and the team needed a new place to call home. After playing three seasons in their temporary digs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the team moved into their permanent home in Chavez Ravine in 1962. Dodger Stadium is the oldest ballpark west of the Mississippi River and the third oldest in the country after Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. Holding up to 56,000 fans, it’s also the largest stadium in Major League Baseball.
No detail was overlooked in building Dodger Stadium, from mid-century design elements like the hexagonal signs and martini glass planters, to the seat colors that represent the Los Angeles landscape. The color of each seating level has special meaning; yellow seats at field level for the California sunshine, sandy orange loge seats for the beaches, aqua reserve level for the ocean and a light blue top deck for the sky.
In addition to being one of the most legendary baseball venues and arenas in Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has hosted some of the most iconic live concerts, too: The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Beyoncé…the list goes on and on.
Dodger Stadium will host baseball and softball events during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Arguably no other arenas in Los Angles have more history than the Coliseum. To attend a game at the Coliseum is to experience a piece of Los Angeles history: construction broke ground nearly 100 years ago, in 1921, and it officially opened in 1923. The Coliseum was built as a memorial to veterans of World War I, and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1984. Although it’s one of the oldest outdoor sports arenas in the country, it has undergone many renovations over the years to bring the facilities up to date – the most recent major upgrade was completed in 2019.
The Coliseum is home to the University of California Trojans football team, and has hosted many professional sports teams and major sporting events over the years. The NFL’s Los Angeles Rams have made the 77,500-seat stadium their temporary home until the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is finished. For the rest of the 2019-2020 NFL season, the Coliseum will be the oldest stadium in the NFL. (Once the new SoFi Stadium opens in 2020 and the Rams move in, that distinction will go back to Chicago’s Soldier Field.)
When the Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028, the Coliseum will be the first stadium to have hosted events for three different Summer Olympic games: in 1932, 1984, and 2028.
Nestled in the lush Arroyo Seco riverbed in Pasadena, CA, the 90,000-seat Rose Bowl was built in 1922 and is one of the oldest, biggest and most beloved arenas in Los Angeles and the United States. It’s even garnered the unofficial nickname of “America’s Stadium” and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The Rose Bowl got its name from the Tournament of Roses NCAA football game it hosts annually on New Year’s Day. The game, and the Rose Parade that precedes it, have been a national attraction for almost 100 years.
The Rose Bowl was built with football in mind — the UCLA Bruins football team has called it home since 1982 and five Super Bowl games have been played here — but it’s purpose and history extend far beyond the gridiron. It’s also a popular soccer venue, having hosted men’s and women’s World Cup Finals, the 1984 Olympics Gold Medal match, and was home to the L.A. Galaxy MLS team from 1996 to 2002. Men’s and women’s soccer matches will be held here during the 2028 Olympics, as well.
Beyond sports, you can also find music and shopping events at the Rose Bowl. Some of the biggest bands in the world have performed in concert, from the Rolling Stones to U2 to Beyoncé. And the biggest flea market in the world takes place on the second Sunday of every month in the grounds surrounding the stadium.
L.A. is buzzing about the newest sports complex in town, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, set to open in July 2020. Singer Taylor Swift will perform in concert for its official grand opening. As one of the most expensive arenas in Los Angeles, the 70,000 seat venue will cost over $5 billion to build and promises to be the stadium of the future, offering a unique and elevated experience for fans and concert-goers. It’s 110-yard jumbotron screen even has its own name: “The Oculus”.
SoFi already has plans to host a number of marquee events in the coming years, starting with Super Bowl LVI in 2022. The national college football championship game will take place the following year, and the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Olympics will be held in the stadium.
The Hollywood Park complex that SoFi Stadium is part of will also include a 6,000-seat concert venue, and a variety of restaurants, shops and attractions for visitors.
No matter what night of the week it is, chances are, something big is happening at Staples Center. The arena in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the busiest venues in town, hosting over 250 events each year including basketball, hockey, and arena football games, plus multiple concerts and televised shows, like the GRAMMY Awards. The men’s and women’s basketball events will be held here during the 2028 Summer Olympics, as well.
Staples is home to three pro basketball teams: the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, and the WNBA’s Sparks, and is the only arena shared by two NBA teams. The LA Kings’ home ice is at Staples Center, too. It’s a great place to see a game, and the plaza outside is fun to walk around and check out statues of legendary players like Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Staples sits adjacent to the L.A. Live complex with a variety of dining and entertainment options to visit before and after the game.
If you are excited about taking a tour where we pass by a few of these well-known stadiums, definitely be sure to hop on one of our Los Angeles sightseeing tours with a Day in LA Tours!
The perfect way to see the city. There's a reason we have a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor!
Hotel pickup available
Discover the best of Los Angeles with A Day in LA Tours. We offer a variety of guided tours that showcase the city’s most famous sights. From our comprehensive LA Tours to detailed LA City Tours and convenient LA Tours from Anaheim, we provide unforgettable experiences. Highlights include stops like the picturesque Santa Monica Tour, lively Venice Beach Tour, iconic Hollywood Tour, and glamorous Beverly Hills Tour. Join us and explore LA’s charm today!
