Scotiabank Saddledome

Great venue with a nice variety of reasonably priced concessions. Very clean and orderly as well. Convenient via car or public transportation.

Why do I eat here? I am in the saddle room in the Chrysler Club, great staff very friendly and professional but the food is absolutely terrible from super fatty lamb ribs to a hamburger that’s more like a meat ball that’s been kept too long to funny tasting chicken wings.
At least the staff in nice the wine list ok and the beer is cold.
But the popcorn is great.
Next time I will bring a sandwich. As a long time Calgarian I can not believe what an embarrassment the food is.

As a teeny bopper at heart, I tend to only go to concerts from artists featured on Top 40 R&B radio. Gimme lights. Gimme smokes. You got pyrotechnics? I need them. Upwards of 15 costume changes? The more the better, I say. The way the Saddledome is built doesn’t allow these for over-​the-​top pop stars to shine.
It is built for sports. And because of that, Calgarians miss out on a lot of acts coming to town. I’m still in mourning about Justin Timberlake’s ²⁰⁄₂₀ World Tour not stopping in YYC.
I had seats in 116, in the Chrysler Club sections. If you’re dropping the coin on tickets you should buy club seats. I paid $ 110 for my ticket and I have no complaints. The view was good. Section 115 was empty because the view of the stage was blocked by camera equipment. That was great because with that section being empty, the lines for concessions and bathrooms wasn’t long at all.
The prices for Caesars was $ 6.50! I thought they were good enough to drink four. I didn’t eat anything but I noticed a lot of Cineplex popcorn bags. I don’t know if that’s a new merger but it would make sense because Scotia Bank owns both enterprises… Which I just realized now.
Overall, Calgary needs a new concert venue! A place where superstars can do their thing. The club seats are definitely worth it, especially if you hate waiting in lines.

The Saddledome aka the ScotiaBank Saddledome (until the name changes again lol…) is Calgary’s primary indoor arena for professional level hockey, lacrosse and figure skating. Beyond major sports it also serves as the primary venue for major concerts. Although still functional, it is one of the oldest arenas in the NHL and is expected to be replaced with a more modern arena/​venue. Its dated infrastructure is not only the subject of criticism from the NHL but also many entertainment managers and companies. Its outdated design, poor acoustics and lack of modern infrastructure has actually led to several major music performers skipping over Calgary and instead stopping over in the smaller city of Edmonton in their tours across Canada.
As far as amenities go, it is still functional. They have concession options throughout the main concourse, line-​ups and high prices are expected. Expect line-​ups at the washrooms as well. The concourse is often quite crowded and getting out after a game or concert is always a slow process. There are a number of luxury and party suites (boxes), and a premium seat section known as the Avison Young Club which offers in-​seat concession service. The Avison Young Club also features a private dining room. There is also a private Platinum Club and Chrysler Club that require memberships. For the public there is Dutton’s Lounge, the Saddleroom Grill, the Alumni Lounge and The King Club.
The Saddledome itself seats about 19 – 20,000 people at full capacity, which happens quite often for Flames Games. Concerts generally hit their full capacity as well, and although they sell less seats in the bowls, they make up for it with floor seating. I’ve sat just about everywhere in the Saddledome; floor seats, the Avison Young Club section, box seats, lower bowl, upper bowl and even Press Level seating aka the nose bleeds! If you have access to box seats you got it made, otherwise aim for central seating locations for sporting events rather than behind the net or in the corners. This is less applicable if you’re in the upper bowl, as you can see all the action; I’d even say a lower bowl corner seat or behind the net seat is probably worse than an upper bowl seat. For concerts you’re pretty much okay anywhere TBH, just try not to be behind too in-​line with stage so that you’re looking stuck looking at the performers backside haha (why do they sell these seats?!). Also be careful of floor seats, unless you’re tall or in the first 10 rows you’re probably better off sitting in the bowl!
For parking, VIP is kinda a jip unless you leave early because you’re just getting stuck behind everyone. You’re actually better off doing regular parking as you’ll get out quicker. Otherwise parking slightly off-​site is a good option as well if you don’t mind a short walk. The Saddledome is right on the LRT line as well, but expect big crowds! I personally prefer driving over stuffing myself in a train full of drunks.
To sum: Functional, but needs to be replaced to better serve a thriving city like Calgary. Despite being outdated it’s still an iconic landmark and an important piece of Calgary’s history. Hope it stays as part of Calgary’s western facing skyline, but for our professional sports teams and for entertainment I hope Calgary gets an upgrade!

I like the stadium and agree with some of the previous posts that’s it’s a little dated but I kind of like it. It reminds me of the days of watching the Canadians and Leafs in Montréal in the old style arenas.
I’ve been fortunate enough to watch a few games from a box and the they are actually well positioned and the staff is excellent and friendly.
Probably my biggest complaint would be getting out of the parking lot after a game… So I decided to stop complaining and start parking across the street and take the walking bridge over Macleod. Always enjoy a good convo on the way and then a walk back through the casino at the end of the night.
Seats aren’t the greatest, food is good portions though and flames fans… They’re priceless!

CALGARY! GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! For a place that wants to be seen as a world class city, there is a lot of upgrading that needs to be done. This includes the Saddledome. Which is a stupid name by the way. I thought after the flooding that maybe some renos and updates would have happened. Nope. Still looks like a prison inside. Everything is grey and cement. Seats are uncomfortable. Several of the seats near me had their view entirely blocked by the sound equipment as well.
The food and drink offerings were disgusting.
The sound quality was actually decent. But the overall experience was a let down.

I have been here many times over the years for concerts, trade shows and of ‘corse hockey games. Why I have never checked in or reviewed this facility I will never know?
The facility is still nice and maintained well. The saddle dome has everything from food, drinks to buying apparel.
We were headed to a hockey game and had box seats. The check in to get into that portion of the Dome was seamless. Scan and go. Quick and easy.
Arriving to the section to the box, our tickets were verified again. Another scan and go. They also went through our pockets and my purse which I thought was a bit much. I can see this for regular patrons in seats but for box seats, was a bit much? What are we possibly going to be bringing with us? The boxes are loaded with booze and food, so why would we sneak anything in with us?
Box was luxious and the staff took great care of us. The service in the box is top notch. We also had it loaded with everything possible. Nothing like full bottles of every kind of booze to make it — just that much better.

Rather dated and in need of a retrofit, if your tickets arent great this isnt a good place to see a hockey game. Concessions are rather overpriced and the selection of beer, food and such a bit wanting.
Other than that, we had great seats behind the visitors box and really enjoyed the game.

First and foremost, it’s a hockey rink. That’s what it’s main purpose is. So of course the acoustics for concerts aren’t going to be great. But it’s still a good venue.
Parking is cheap compared to other city’s like Toronto. Where the ACC charges 40 bucks for under ground, and depending on the lots surrounding the rink depends on how much you pay. 20 is the cheapest their. So 15 at the dome isn’t bad. Plus if you are going with friends, everyone chips in 5 bucks and it’s covered. So it’s not a big deal.
Beer wise, 14 bucks for a draught beer isn’t cheep. However it’s like that everywhere you go for sporting events. With that being said it’s cheap compared to the other venues I have been to. For example the ACC Where it’s 18 bucks for a beer! And it’s smaller than what you get at the Dome! So it isn’t a bad price either.
The burgers from the flame broiled grill are great! Plus you can’t find a better atmosphere to watch a game live! It’s not called the C of Red for nothing!
I’ve sat everywhere at the dome. From the club seats, to the sport check zone. which is first come first serve so get their early if you have them. If not you have to watch them on the monitors. which sucks, so just go hit up the Budweiser lounge above the main concourse. Then you can watch the game and get quality food.
All in all, the dome is a great venue to watch hockey. (the only reason why the building is in Calgary to begin with!)

We made it to 2 Flames games this season FINALLY so I am updating my review based on that.
I still give it 3 stars.
Drinks, souvenirs expensive and long lines for concession and ESP for the men’s washroom! I saw a few guys doing the pee dance in the line praying to get inside!
Loved being a woman in this case where we could just breeze in and out of the washrooms with no wait! For once!!!
Seats not at all comfortable and you are really close to your neighbor in the seat beside you but the good time is what you make it!
Tickets we paid $ 150 for 2 seats for the 2 games. Not cheap and those were just for the 200 level seats.
I do not like that walk from the BMO Centre parking area to the Dome in freezing cold weather but that is a necessary evil.
I found the staff working the Dome to be friendly and helpful for the most part.
The building itself I find really cool not having been a Calgarian until 3 years ago… I still love looking at it when I fly in and out of this great city. A landmark for sure, there is nothing else like it and suits Calgary to a T!

Went here for a Flames-​Kings game. single concourse level, but unlike the Nassau Coliseum the concourse is actually wide enough to let people move around. Good views from the seats, and access to the stadium is nice and simple. People in Calgary constantly warned us not to drink the draft beers though, due to their percieved ability to get you more wasted/​hungover than the canned beer.

Overpriced, concourse is terrible.
Can’t wait for the new building.

I came here on the Oil Kings fan bus to see a Oil Kings vs Hitman game. Parking seemed pretty steep, but it wasn’t something I had to worry about. What I did like about The Saddledome were the seats. They were rather comfortable for stadium seats, and being someone who has long legs I was very happy the seats in front of me weren’t bashing again my knees. It actually felt like there was some leg room.
Another nice thing about the Saddledome were the food options. There’s actually more here than I expected and at a not bad price. I mean it wasn’t amazing, but for stadium prices (and compared to Rexall in Edmonton) it was a good deal.

I don’t go here for a couple years and then BAM! 3 times in a month. I’m giving this a general review, as I’ve been here for a Flames game, Roughnecks game and the Rihanna concert, so very different events.
First complaint is the cost of parking, $ 15 is a little steep. Like really steep. Fortunately I was driven all 3 times so it wasn’t that big of deal.
Flames games are generally a sh! t show, not in a bad way, but tons of people, tons of lines and so forth. That being said, they keep the bathrooms pretty clean for as much traffic as there is. And most lines don’t take too long, they are quite efficient.
I did like how for ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ they have stations now instead of trying to track someone down. Still didn’t win at either game!
And for the concert we had club seats so we were in the bottom of the dome most of it, which has way less people an no lines to get booze. All in all it’s the dome, it’s the only sport complex we have, so make it the best it is.

It’s the Saddledome. It’s big, it’s always been there, it still seems the same to me after all these years from what I can remember.
Went there recently for the Maroon 5 concert March 7^th, which was awesome, and had a good time. The set they had was great, with a large stage and beautiful giant screens behind them. There was also a lot of lasers and lights, so it seemed pretty top notch.
I also really like that there are so many washrooms in the building as this is much appreciated!
It’s very easy to get into the venue after a quick ticket scan and there is no personal item/​bag search which is nice.
I like it better than the Stampede Corral.

After all the boos I heard about the Saddledome, my expectations were set pretty low… and consequently, I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve never had reason to venture so far south for a show, since Edmonton seems to get the majority of concerts since the odd shape of the Saddledome is a prop-​killer, as far as I understand. Alas, Maroon 5 was skipping over the capital city and only showing in YYC, so as a fan for more than 10 years, I could hardly miss it. I even managed to roll the excursion into a work trip! Finding the Saddledome is a piece of cake and parking was ample too, but costs $ 15 which is to be expected. Despite the unique design, the inside of the Saddledome looks like any other arena. It’s easy to navigate and there’s plenty of food stands. I actually got to sample some of their higher-​end dining & drinks as part of my VIP package and it was great! Both the food and staff serving it were wonderful! As for the actual show, the venue worked just fine. I can’t say much about the acoustics in the higher seats, but from the floor Adam Levine sounded just fine ;) I can definitely see myself making a trip to Calgary again for a concert or event at the Saddledome. Thanks Calgary, this Edmontonian loves you!

Caught a Flames game this passed Sunday. I parked in the garage for 15 bucks and easily found a spot that was a less than 30 seconds from an entrance. Affordable parking can be found in the area surrounding the SaddleDome for $ 10 if you don’t mind a bit of a walk.
The dome offers a number of great treats to eat; I recommend trying a pocket dawg (hotdog stuffed into a french baguette), and a choclolate malt. Another ‘must have’ is the dome’s strangely addicting beer. Regardless of how many you plan on having, you will end up downing at least 5.
My only qualm with the saddledome is the extra long line ups for the bathroom.
All in all great location with decent food and drink.

Theoretically, I guess, the shape of the Saddledome is kind of cool. But realistically, it was poorly thought out and results in poor acoustics, less «useful» seating (why bother have nose bleeds if the only way to see is by watching the screen… they may have more seating than other stadiums, but I wouldn’t count the nosebleeds press level seating as actual seating).
Positives? Pocket dawgs appear to be popular. Not sure why, but most everyone I know loves them. Beer that pours out of the bottom (I think only Budweiser), to make beer line ups go quickly. Stocked bars. Access through +15 and C-​train.
Negatives? Expensive parking, stupid arena shape, change rooms are ghetto and the teams have to exit through taped off areas, only one level where everyone hangs out (so that the 2^nd balcony and floor level have to share the same bathrooms, where good arenas have a special area for floor level guests so they have their own sets of bathrooms and exclusive areas like bar, etc.).
Calgary, being a «thriving» city, or at least doing better than many other cities, should be able to afford a less ghetto arena. Lots of bands won’t even play there because of the crappy acoustics.

From a logistics point of view I think the Flames are due for a more modern stadium. Sure, the Saddledome is an iconic Calgary landmark, but as a season ticket holder here for the past 5 – 6 years the crowded concourse, long lines for washrooms, long lines for food, and other annoyances have taken its toll on me.
Unfortunately, the saddle roof is also a detriment to concert events because ownership cannot sell the upper seats.
Great memories were had at the Dome, but after visiting other cities stadiums, you realize that Calgary should have something so much better. Go Flames.

Probably one of the most recognizable arenas in the world because of it’s shape. I’ve experienced Flames games, concerts, had seasons tickets to the Roughnecks, performed on the floor during Stampede for the marching band competition, and seen all the behind the scenes workings when I worked here for Wendy’s.
Though the beer lines can be a little excessive at times I’ve always had a great experience no matter what the event.