Giant Center (stylized as GIANT Center) is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...

, United States. It is home to the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

ice hockey team, the longest-existing member of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, operating since 1938. Giant Center replaced Hersheypark Arena as the Bears' home venue in 2002. Giant Center is owned by the Derry Township Industrial and Commercial Development Authority, as much of the money for its construction was provided by the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It is operated by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company, with the naming rights owned by the Giant-Carlisle grocery store chain based in

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

. Giant Center has 7,700 seats in the lower level and 2,800 seats in the upper level. The arena also has 688 club seats and 40 luxury suites. Wheelchair and companion seating is available on all levels.

Notable events

In addition to serving as the home arena for the

ice hockey team, Giant Center hosts an annual concert series and attracts well-known entertainers. Notable events and developments at Giant Center have included: *October 15, 2002:

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

held the first concert at Giant Center during her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour, which sold 9,406 tickets. *2003: Giant Center held the WWE's

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...

. *October 28, 2008: Giant Center hosted the Road to Victory rally for Republican presidential candidate

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

and his running mate,

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomi ...

. *November 23, 2009: ''

WWE Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs Live television, live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show fe ...

'' was held at Giant Center with a three-hour Thanksgiving themed episode, and returned for a three-hour Old School–themed episode on November 15, 2010. WWE has also held several episodes of ''Raw'' and '' WWE Friday Night SmackDown'' episodes at Giant Center. *January 30 and January 31, 2011: Giant Center hosted the 2011

All-Star Game and Skills Competition. *2014: Giant Center hosted the Harrisburg Stampede of the Professional Indoor Football League. *2015: Elizabethtown College hosted the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at Giant Center. *2015: Prior to the 2015–16

hockey season, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts made a $4.7 million upgrade to the production system, installing a new four-sided, center-hung HD scoreboard, a new LED standings board, and a new LED fascia ribbon surrounding the bowl, manufactured by

Daktronics Daktronics, Inc. is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota, that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. It was found ...

. The new scoreboard's video screens measure 13.52 feet high and 23.92 feet wide. *October 1, 2016: Carrie Underwood appeared at Giant Center during her Storyteller Tour: Stories in the Round. The 360-degree angle of the stage stretched across the arena floor. She returned on June 13, 2019, during her Cry Pretty Tour 360. *October 25, 2016: Giant Center hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions. *November 4, 2016: President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

held a 2016 campaign rally at Giant Center, which set an all-time attendance record for the arena, attended by 12,500 inside the facility and thousands more who watched on screens from the arena's parking lot. On December 10, 2019, Trump returned to Giant Center for a campaign rally during the 2020 presidential campaign. *December 28–31, 2023: Giant Center hosted Monster High Live. *June 24, 2024: The

set a franchise attendance record of 11,013 fans in Game 6 of the 2024 Calder Cup Finals. The game went into overtime and the Bears won their 13th

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

in franchise history.

Concerts

The arena has hosted a number of musical acts, including:

, Rush,

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...

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, Third Day,

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, New Found Glory,

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Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This Worl ...

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Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, 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 A ...

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The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

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George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

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, Justin Moore,

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

, Delirious?,

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, Theory of a Deadman,

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

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Jason Aldean Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...

, Skillet,

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band based in Buffalo, New York, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist and vocalist Robby Takac, as well as several rotating members since its formation in 1986. After starting ...

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

, Royal Tailor,

Tenth Avenue North Tenth Avenue North is an American contemporary Christian music band from West Palm Beach, Florida. The band released a total of fifteen original music projects, including eight full-length studio albums (six of which reached the Billboard 200, i ...

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, Chris August, Carrie Underwood,

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, For King & Country, Casting Crowns,

Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead gui ...

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, Gaither Vocal Band,

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, Charlie Puth, Slipknot, Phil Wickham,

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, Unspoken, Danny Gokey,

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, Foreigner,

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, Chris Stapleton,

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, Social Club Misfits, Matthew West,

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, Zach Williams, Tesla, Styx,

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, Dan + Shay, Ryan Stevenson, Jordan Feliz, Aaron Cole, We Are Messengers, Jon McLaughlin, 2Cellos, Alan Jackson, Kidz Bop, Disturbed,

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, Swae Lee,

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, JoJo Siwa, Toto, Journey,

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, and Greta Van Fleet.

Photos of the arena

File:Panaramic Bears Game.jpg, Panoramic view of Bears game Image:GiantCenterBearsGame.jpg, Giant Center before the start of a game against the Lake Erie Monsters File:Outside_Giant_Center.jpg, Front of Giant Center File:Ice_Shot_of_GC.jpg, Inside Giant Center from the ice

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 2002 establishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Gymnastics venues in the United States Hershey Bears Hersheypark Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company Indoor arenas in Pennsylvania Ice hockey venues in Pennsylvania Sports in Hershey, Pennsylvania Sports venues completed in 2002 Tourist attractions in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Wrestling venues in Pennsylvania