Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as The Blender) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the Central Business District, adjacent to the Caesars Superdome.

Venue: Smoothie King Center
Town: New Orleans, US
Capacity: 17,805

Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as The Blender) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the Central Business District, adjacent to the Caesars Superdome. The arena opened in 1999 as New Orleans Arena and has been home to the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2002. The New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League played their home games in the arena from 2004 until the team disbanded in 2008. The VooDoo resumed play at the arena in March 2011, until after the 2015 AFL season when the franchise folded. The arena was completed in 1999 at a cost of $114 million and officially opened on October 19, 1999. The arena seats 17,805 for concerts, 16,867 for Pelicans games, 18,500 for college basketball and Pelicans playoff games, and 16,900 for ice hockey and arena football. It has 2,800 club seats and 56 luxury suites. The arena as a concert venue can seat 7,500 for half-stage shows, 17,221 for end-stage shows and 17,805 for a center-stage shows. For trade shows and conventions the arena features 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of space. The ceiling is 65 feet (20 m) to beam and roof, 70 feet (21.5 m) to the top of the arena. In 1999, the arena's first tenant, the New Orleans Brass ice hockey team of the ECHL played their first home game in the arena. The team played their final three seasons in the arena. When the New Orleans Hornets arrived in 2002, they persuaded the state government to demand that the Brass foot the cost of converting the arena between basketball and hockey configurations. That expense was more than the Brass were willing to pay, and they were forced to fold due to the lack of another suitable arena. The Hornets played their first game at the Smoothie King Center versus the Utah Jazz on October 30, 2002. The Jazz had called New Orleans home from 1974 to 1979. The New Orleans VooDoo, of the Arena Football League (AFL), began playing their home games in the arena in Februar