Target Center
Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, has held the naming rights to the arena since its opening.[3]
Address
600 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, Minnesota
City of Minneapolis
Basketball: 18,798
Hockey: 17,500
Concerts: Up to 20,500
Multi-surface
July 12, 1988
October 13, 1990
- 2004
- 2014
- 2017
US$104 million
($268 million in 2023 dollars[1])
KMR Architects, Ltd.
Ericksen Roed and Associates, Inc.
Gausman & Moore[2]
M.A. Mortenson Company
The arena has been the home to the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA)[4] since its opening and is currently also the home of the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[5] The Minnesota Myth and the Target Center announced that the Myth would be playing their home games there for the 2024 Arena Football Season.[6] The facility has also hosted the LFL's Minnesota Valkyrie, the RHI's Minnesota Arctic Blast, the IHL's Minnesota Moose, and the Arena Football League's Minnesota Fighting Pike in the past.
Target Center is the second-oldest arena in the NBA after Madison Square Garden, which was built in 1968.[7]
Basketball[edit]
It hosted the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, the 1995 NCAA Women's Final Four, 2000 NBA draft and the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. It had been slated to host an NCAA Men's Regional Final in 2021, but on November 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that it would hold the entire tournament in one city, seeming to rule out Minneapolis. The Target Center hosted the 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four.[18]
In 2011, the Target Center played host to its first championship event, the 2011 WNBA Finals. The Minnesota Lynx won their first two games on their home floor, and ultimately won the WNBA Championship, the first title won by a team that played in Target Center.[19]
On April 20, 2022, it was announced that the Target Center will host the Big Ten women's basketball tournament in 2023 and 2024 and the Big Ten men's basketball tournament in 2024.[20]
Notable events[edit]
Concerts[edit]
The arena has been a popular venue that has hosted many concerts, including artists like Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Justin Bieber, Elton John, Katy Perry, the Spice Girls, Metallica, Paul McCartney, and Minnesota legend Prince.
U.S. Bank Theater[edit]
Target Center can convert into a 2,500-to-7,500-seat theater known as the U.S. Bank Theater. The Theater contains a movable floor-to-ceiling curtain system that allows the venue to be transformed based on specific show needs. In addition to concerts, the U.S. Bank Theater can also be used for family and Broadway shows.[35]
Target Center is a block away from the following Metro Transit stations:
The arena is also across the street from the well-known Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue. Target Field, the home of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins, is located just across the street from the Target Center, and shares the public parking that the arena also uses.[36]