TL;DR summary: Chase Center is more than the Golden State Warriors' home court, it's also home to the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries. Since opening in Mission Bay in September 2019, it has become a major San Francisco destination for sports, concerts, public art, dining, and year-round community events at Thrive City, which has hosted more than 500 free public programs since 2023.
Chase Center is one of San Francisco's most ambitious architectural projects, home to both the Golden State Warriors and the Golden State Valkyries in the heart of Mission Bay. Since opening in September 2019, the arena has reshaped the city's entertainment landscape and become a regular stop for sports fans, concert-goers, and residents alike. Beyond major events, Chase Center also hosts community-focused offerings like outdoor fitness classes, giving locals even more reasons to visit.
What Is Chase Center in Mission Bay?
Chase Center sits at Third and 16th streets in San Francisco's fast-changing Mission Bay neighborhood, on an 11-acre site that anchors the surrounding development known as Thrive City. The arena seats 18,064 for basketball and up to 19,500 for concerts, making it one of the largest venues on the West Coast.
Chase Center's waterfront location in Mission Bay transforms San Francisco's entertainment landscape. Photo by Dale Cruse - Thanks for 10M views! on Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Architectural Excellence and Design
Chase Center was designed by Kansas City-based MANICA Architecture, working with several other firms on what many consider one of the most luxurious arenas in American sports. The exterior is aluminum, punctuated by hundreds of dart-like perforations that add depth to the building's curved facade. They were originally meant to house interior lighting, but the design team kept them as a decorative element instead, with hidden wire strands built in to keep birds from nesting.
The arena's signature feature is its scoreboard: 82 feet by 52 feet, more than 24 million pixels, 75 million LEDs, and 9,699 square feet total, the largest in the NBA. It can run real-time stats, sponsor messaging, or entertainment content, and it retracts into the ceiling for concerts.
Chase Center's NBA-record scoreboard creates an immersive experience for 18,000+ fans. Photo by flrent on Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
What Is the Thrive City Experience?
Thrive City is the mixed-use district that surrounds Chase Center, with 100,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and gathering space. The 11-acre development cost $2.1 billion in total, one of the most ambitious privately funded sports complexes built in the country. Built in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, it has hosted more than 500 free public events since July 2023 alone, from FIFA World Cup watch parties to farmers' markets.
The landscape design, by SWA Group, includes two main plazas: a 35,000-square-foot central plaza that doubles as event space, and a 25,000-square-foot triangular plaza built around Olafur Eliasson's "Seeing Spheres" installation. Both are designed to be reconfigured, hosting everything from farmers' markets and ice skating to car shows and community events.
Thrive City transforms into San Francisco's premier gathering place for dining and entertainment. Photo by Dale Cruse - Thanks for 10M views! on Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Art and Culture at Chase Center
Chase Center takes public art seriously. Its centerpiece, "Seeing Spheres," is the largest public artwork in the United States by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson: five polished steel spheres, each 15.5 feet in diameter, arranged in a circle to form a walk-through house of mirrors. Flat circular mirrors ringed with LED lights create tunnel effects when lit, giving visitors a spot for reflection as much as photos.
The art program extends beyond Eliasson's piece, with 33 commissioned artists featured throughout the interior, plus loans from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and works from JPMorgan Chase's own art collection. It reinforces Chase Center's role as a cultural venue, not only a sports one.
What Dining Options Does Chase Center Have?
Chase Center's food program was built with Bon Appétit Management Company around fresh, from-scratch cooking that reflects the Bay Area's own food culture, rather than standard arena concessions.
The arena houses specialty spots like Bayview Burgers, known for its pretzel bun burgers, and Backboard Burritos. Sarap Shop serves Filipino specialties, and Cowgirl Creamery offers artisanal cheese. Eight small local "Taste Makers" businesses round things out, from vegan soul food at Vegan Hood Chefs to Singaporean cuisine at Da Bao Singapore.
Chase Center's culinary program celebrates the Bay Area's diverse food culture with local restaurants and specialties. Photo source: chasecenter.com.
How Sustainable Is Chase Center's Design?
Chase Center earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2020, one of a small number of NBA arenas to reach that level at the time.
Its environmental numbers are specific: 87% of construction waste diverted from landfills, water consumption cut more than 84% through efficient fixtures and non-potable water systems, and energy costs 37.3% below baseline requirements. The facility also runs one of San Francisco's largest rainwater reuse systems and treats all stormwater on-site before discharge.
Chase Center also operates as a Certified Green Business of San Francisco and runs on 100% renewable energy through CleanPowerSF. The Warriors organization was the first NBA team to sign the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Initiative.
How Do You Get to Chase Center?
Chase Center is one of San Francisco's easier venues to reach without a car. The UCSF/Chase Center station on the T Third Street light rail line provides direct service, with event shuttles running every 10 minutes during shows. Event tickets double as Muni fare passes for the entire day, so there's no extra transit cost.
Other options include BART, Caltrain to the nearby 4th and King station, and ferry service to Pier 48. Rideshares have designated pick-up zones along Terry Francois Boulevard, and on-site parking is available at the Chase Center Garage, though it's limited with rates that vary by event. For broader trip planning, San Francisco's public transit guide covers the rest of the city.
How Many Events Does Chase Center Host Each Year?
Chase Center's first concert, featuring Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony, took place September 6, 2019. Since then, the arena has hosted roughly 200 events a year, from Warriors and Valkyries games to major concerts. The 2026 calendar alone includes Lionel Richie with Earth, Wind & Fire, Doja Cat, Zayn Malik, and Weezer, on top of past headliners like Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, and Dua Lipa.
The arena's design shifts easily between sports and entertainment configurations, with theater seating options and several luxury suite levels: 44 club suites, 32 courtside lounges, and 60 theater boxes.
Chase Center's flexible design seamlessly accommodates world-class concerts and entertainment events. Photo by lamblukas on Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
A Community Asset
Chase Center's bigger promise was always to be a gathering place beyond game days, and Thrive City's programming backs that up: health and wellness events with Kaiser Permanente, outdoor movie nights, holiday celebrations, and farmers' markets, running 365 days a year. That includes everything from yoga classes and puppy mixers to San Francisco's largest Christmas tree display.
The development has also paid off for the city directly, generating more than $14 million annually in new tax revenue and thousands of jobs during construction and ongoing operations. Uber's global headquarters sits in the office space above Thrive City's retail floor, making the whole complex a genuine mixed-use neighborhood, not just an arena with a parking lot around it.
For anyone exploring San Francisco's waterfront neighborhoods, Chase Center and Thrive City are a good marker of how far Mission Bay has come. What was once an industrial district is now one of the city's more active destinations, with entertainment, dining, and community programming built into a waterfront setting.
Whether you're catching a Warriors or Valkyries game, a concert, or just walking through Thrive City's restaurants and shops, Chase Center is a fair marker of how San Francisco keeps evolving, balancing technology, sustainability, and community use in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chase Center located?
Chase Center is located in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood, near Third and 16th streets.
What is Thrive City?
Thrive City is the mixed-use district surrounding Chase Center, with restaurants, retail, public plazas, art, wellness programming, and community events.
How do you get to Chase Center?
Chase Center is served by the UCSF/Chase Center Muni station on the T Third Street line, with additional access by BART connections, Caltrain, ferry, rideshare, and limited event parking.
What events happen at Chase Center?
Chase Center hosts Golden State Warriors and Golden State Valkyries games, major concerts, family shows, community events, fitness classes, outdoor screenings, and seasonal programming at Thrive City.
Is Chase Center only for Warriors games?
No. Chase Center is home to both the Golden State Warriors and the Golden State Valkyries, and it also operates as a major entertainment venue and community gathering place with year-round programming.