Wells Fargo Arena is a multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

, United States. Part of the Iowa Events Center, the arena opened on July 12, 2005, at a cost of $117 million. Named for title sponsor Wells Fargo, the arena replaced the aging Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center as the Des Moines area's primary venue for sporting events and concerts. Wells Fargo Arena seats 15,181 people for hockey and arena football games, 16,110 for basketball games, and as many as 16,980 for concerts. It also features The Fort Restaurant, which provides views of the Des Moines River and the

Iowa State Capitol The Iowa State Capitol, commonly called the Iowa Statehouse, is in Iowa's capital city, Des Moines. As the seat of the Iowa General Assembly, the building houses the Iowa Senate, Iowa House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, and the O ...

. The restaurant opened on October 6, 2005, coinciding with the Iowa Stars' inaugural home game. The arena is also connected to the rest of the Iowa Events Center as well as

downtown Des Moines Downtown Des Moines is the central business district of Des Moines, Iowa and the Greater Des Moines Metropolitan Area. Downtown Des Moines is defined by the City of Des Moines as located between the Des Moines River to the east, the Raccoon River ...

through the city's Skywalk system.

Usage

The first event held at the arena was Tony Hawk's Boom-Boom Huck Jam, on July 1. Its first concert, featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with The Black Crowes, was held on July 18. Wells Fargo Arena is home to the Iowa Wolves (formerly named the Iowa Energy) of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

, the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League and the Iowa Wild of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

. From 2005 until 2009, Wells Fargo Arena served as the home of the

's Iowa Chops. The arena is notable for hosting the inaugural game of the reincarnation of the Arena Football League on April 2, 2010, between the Barnstormers and

Chicago Rush The Chicago Rush were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. The team played at the Allstate Arena from 2001 to 2013. They were a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League ( ...

, televised nationally by NFL Network. Tampa Bay at Iowa 6

It was the host for the first and second Round games for the

2008 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament The 2008 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament involved 64 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the 2007–08 national champion of women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It commenced on March 22, 2008, and c ...

and served as a regional site 2012 tournament. In 2013, it hosted the

NCAA Wrestling Team Championship The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships have been held annually since 1928, except for a hiatus in 1943–45 during World War II and in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 1928 and from 1931–1933, there was only an unofficial team t ...

. It has hosted the state high school wrestling and basketball tournaments since 2006 and the Big Four Classic, a doubleheader featuring the state's four men's Division I teams, since 2012. The arena hosted the 2011 NBA D-League Finals, which saw the Iowa Energy win their first title on their home court and set the D-League attendance record with 14,036 fans in the arena for Game 2. In 2016, the arena hosted first and second-round games for the Men's NCAA basketball tournament after having failed on several prior bids. The NCAA Men's basketball tournament returned to Wells Fargo Arena in 2019, hosting the tournament's first and second round from March 21 to 23. The tournament is slated to return again in 2023. In 2020, the arena gained a temporary second hockey tenant when the Des Moines Buccaneers announced plans to begin their season downtown after damage to their home arena during the August 2020 Midwest derecho. The Buccaneers returned to their previous arena in January 2021.

Tenants

Current tenants

* Iowa Wild of the AHL, affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild * Iowa Wolves of the

, affiliate of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves * Iowa Barnstormers of the IFL

Former tenants

* Iowa Stars of the AHL; the team operated from 2005 to 2008 as the Iowa Stars (affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars) and in 2008–09 as the Iowa Chops (affiliate of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks).

Events

* Slipknot: from Des Moines 2009 & 2016; played their song "Iowa" * Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam: 2005 *

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

: 2005 & 2017 * Garth Brooks: 6 sold-out shows (April - May, 2016) * '' The Des Moines Register'' Sports Awards, held annually *

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

Wrestling National Championship: 2013 * Green Day: 2005, 2017 * WWE Raw & Smackdown Live! * The Eagles: 2018 * Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: 2016 * Foo Fighters: November, 2017 *

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

: 2016 *

Men's Basketball First & Second Rounds: 2016 & 2019 * The Chainsmokers: 2017 * Red Hot Chili Peppers: 2017 *

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: 2016 * Eric Church: 2018 *

Chris Stapleton Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, t ...

: 2017 * Hall & Oates: 2017 *

Women's Volleyball Championships: 2016 * Justin Moore &

Lee Brice Kenneth Mobley Brice Jr. (born June 10, 1979), known professionally as Lee Brice, is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Curb Records. Brice has released five albums with the label: '' Love Like Crazy'', '' Hard to Love'', ...

: 2017 * Journey & Def Leppard: 2018 *

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hur ...

: 2016 & 2018 *

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

: 2015 & 2018 *

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates b ...

: 2019 * Twenty One Pilots: 2019 *

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

: 2009, 2011, 2013 & 2015 * Cardi B: 2019 * Elton John: Farewell Tour 2022

References

External links

Wells Fargo Arena Information
{{Authority control Convention centers in Iowa Arena football venues Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States NBA G League venues Basketball venues in Iowa Sports venues in Greater Des Moines Iowa Stars Iowa Wild Sports in Des Moines, Iowa Buildings and structures in Des Moines, Iowa Iowa Energy Tourist attractions in Des Moines, Iowa 2005 establishments in Iowa Sports venues completed in 2005 Iowa Wolves Indoor arenas in Iowa