The Tacoma Dome is a large indoor arena located in Tacoma, Washington. With a capacity of over 20,000 for concerts, the Tacoma Dome can fit a huge number of people when configured properly. Determining the exact capacity requires looking at the different seating configurations used for various events.
Concert Capacity
When set up for a concert, the Tacoma Dome can hold between 15,000 and 23,000 people depending on the stage location and seating configuration. The record attendance was set in August 1994 when 23,000 people attended a Guns N’ Roses concert. For larger rock concerts, the dome can fit over 20,000 fans using a center stage setup and floor seating. Smaller concerts may utilize just half of the arena, limiting capacity to around 15,000.
Floor Seating
The main floor of the Tacoma Dome offers 56,000 square feet of space. With tightly packed standing room floor tickets, concerts can fit over 10,000 people on the ground level alone. Large general admission concerts will sell floor tickets all the way up to the stage to maximize floor capacity. Temporary seats may also be placed on the arena floor, limiting standing room capacity but increasing the total number of seats. Events with reserved floor seating typically accommodate 6,000-8,000 fans on the lower level.
Permanent Seating
In addition to the main floor, the Tacoma Dome has permanent tiered bowl seating wrapping around the back and sides. The permanent seats include:
- Lower level end zone seats – 2,000 seats
- Lower bowl sideline seats – 8,000 seats
- Mezzanine seats – 1,000 seats
- Upper bowl seats – 3,000 seats
The permanent seating totals 14,000 seats when all sections are utilized. For some smaller events, just the lower bowl will be used, limiting capacity to around 10,000. Full capacity concerts will sell out the entire venue, using all permanent seating sections.
Basketball and Hockey Seating
For sporting events like basketball and hockey, the Tacoma Dome utilizes a different seating configuration with more seats on the arena floor. The seating breakdown for basketball is:
- Floor seats – 8,500 seats
- Lower bowl seats – 8,000 seats
- Upper bowl seats – 3,000 seats
- Total – 19,500 seats
With hockey, the seating capacity is slightly smaller:
- Floor seats – 7,500 seats
- Lower bowl seats – 8,000 seats
- Upper bowl seats -3,000 seats
- Total – 18,500 seats
The court/rink sideline seats are retractable to make room for more floor seating. An NBA exhibition game in 2013 attracted 19,142 fans, just under full basketball capacity.
Theatre Mode
For theatre mode, the dome uses an end stage and floor seating plus the permanent bowl seats. Theatre capacity is typically around 10,000 seats. Some theatre performances will only use half the arena, limiting tickets to just 5,000. The Tacoma Dome can accommodate over 10,000 for theater shows when necessary.
Rodeos and Monster Trucks
The Tacoma Dome’s large floor space is ideal for motorsports events like monster trucks and ATV racing. For events that use dirt floors, seating is reconfigured for better sight lines. Typical seating breakdowns are:
- Floor seats – 8,000 seats
- Lower bowl seats – 8,000 seats
- Upper bowl/mezzanine – 2,000 seats
- Total – 18,000 seats
With extra standing room space, motocross and supercross races can accommodate over 20,000 fans. The Tacoma Dome dirt floor space is around 85,000 square feet for building racing tracks and equestrian arenas.
Trade Shows and Graduations
When used as an expo and convention center, the Tacoma Dome can fit hundreds of exhibit booths. For high school and college graduations, the dome can seat all the graduates and guests using the full permanent seating. Typical capacity ranges for other events:
- Trade shows – 250 exhibit booths
- Banquets – 2,000 seated guests
- High school graduation – 7,000 people
- College graduation – 14,000 people
The Tacoma Dome offers 140,000 square feet of total floor space for conventions and trade fairs. With divider curtains, the dome can host multiple smaller events simultaneously. The seating bowl faces one direction, limiting full capacity graduations and ceremonies to around 15,000 guests.
Record Attendance
The largest verified crowd in Tacoma Dome history was on August 13th, 1994 for a Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion Tour concert. The attendance was 23,006, filling the venue near maximum capacity. Other notable attendance figures include:
- U2 – 20,899 in 1992
- The Rolling Stones – 22,000 in 2006
- NBA Exhibition: LA Lakers vs. Golden State – 19,142 in 2013
- Motocross Supercross – 22,500 in 2017
- Promise Keepers Christian Conference – 20,000+ in 1997
The Tacoma Dome can fit over 20,000 people for most major concerts and events. With special arrangements and standing room tickets, capacity can exceed 23,000 in some cases, making the Tacoma Dome one of the largest indoor venues in the Pacific Northwest.
Conclusion
Determining the maximum number of people the Tacoma Dome can accommodate requires looking at the various seating and floor configurations used for different events. Concerts can fit 20,000+ with a center stage setup and extensive floor seating. Basketball and hockey arrange more permanent seats on the arena floor, totaling around 19,000 seats. Rodeos and motorsports use floor seating and dirt surfaces to fit 18,000+ spectators. Graduations and trade conventions can also fill the dome. Records show the Tacoma Dome has held over 23,000 people, making it one of the largest indoor event spaces in the region.
