Dignity Health Arena is a 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 ...

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of th ...

. Located downtown at the corner of Truxtun Avenue and N Street, it was built in 1998, and was originally known as Centennial Garden, a name submitted by local resident Brian Landis.

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

-based Mechanics Bank held the naming rights from September 2019, following their merger with Rabobank, N.A., which had held the naming rights since 2005. In February 2025, the city of Bakersfield announced that

Dignity Health Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) was a California-based not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that operated hospitals and ancillary care facilities in three states. Dignity Health was the fifth-largest hospital system in t ...

bought the naming rights of the arena, which was renamed Dignity Health Arena, Theater and Convention Center on March 1, 2025, and run through December 31, 2035.

About

The arena is home to the

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Dignity Healt ...

, an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team in 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 ...

. Mechanics Bank Arena is also the current home to the

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...

High School State Wrestling Championship Tournament held the first weekend in March. As a

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

venue, the arena seats 6,400 for half-house shows and up to 10,225 for center stage and end-stage shows. The arena floor measures of total space. The southern concourse of Dignity Health Arena serves as the exhibit home of the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors athletes and people involved with athletics from Bakersfield and Kern County. They include nationally prominent athletes, local coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to athletics. A separate display on the western concourse honors the founders of Bakersfield and Kern County, as well as country music legend

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the ''Billboard'' country music chart. He pioneered what came ...

and current athletes and dignitaries from Bakersfield and Kern County. Attached to the arena is the

Dignity Health Theater and Convention Center The Dignity Health Theater and Convention Center (formerly Bakersfield Civic Auditorium) is a performing arts theater and convention facility located in Bakersfield, California (specifically in the Civic Center, Downtown). It is adjacent to the D ...

, a exhibit hall and 3,000-seat theater. The complex was known as the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium when it opened in 1962 and was renamed the Bakersfield Convention Center in the 1980s. In front of the arena is a city parkspace, Centennial Plaza. The Plaza has a large fountain, a stage, a sculpture fountain, art work, and bricks commemorating the City of Bakersfield's Centennial as an incorporated city in 1998. The community was founded in 1869 by Colonel Thomas Baker. In their first year in the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

, the Roadrunners men's and women's basketball teams moved into Rabobank Arena now Dignity Health Arena full-time but they moved back to campus for the 2014–15 season, though their former home court is still used today for

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

games hosted at Dignity Health Arena. Also in recent years, ASM Global has taken over management of the Arena. The venue has hosted NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournaments, The California Interscholastic Federation State High School Wrestling Championship Tournament, PBR rodeos, monster truck shows, NHL and NBA pre-season games hosting the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings, World Wrestling Entertainment televised shows, the ECHL All-Star Game, an annual high school all-star football game played under Arena Football rules, conventions, Disney On Ice, Olympic Figure Skating Shows, and numerous concerts featuring musical acts of various genres, including

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...

, hometown band

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 ...

, and

Brad Paisley Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His first success came in 1997 as the writer of David Kersh's "Another You (David Kersh song), Another You". After this, he signed with ...

. On September 25, 1998, PCL Construction ceremoniously handed over the keys of the Centennial Garden Arena(original name) to the City Of Bakersfield, hosting the "PCL Construction Party" for construction workers, builders, architects, City Officials, family and friends, as Mayor "Bob" Price set the last tile to the wall in the foyer. Entertainment for the event was provided by the Wayne-Russell Band, featuring Ronnie Wayne and Billy Russell on guitar and vocals, Gary Branson on bass and vocals, and David Wulfekuehler of

The Buckaroos The Buckaroos were an American music band led by Buck Owens in the 1960s and early 1970s, who, along with Merle Haggard's The Strangers, were involved in the development and presentation of the " Bakersfield sound". Their peak of success was f ...

on drums. This marked the band as the first entertainment to perform inside the arena.

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

was the first publicly ticketed entertainment inside, on October 2, 1998.

External links

Arena websiteCondors HockeyCity of BakersfieldCSUB AthleticsCIF High School SportsIce Sports CenterMcMurtrey Aquatic Center

References

{{Authority control Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners basketball College basketball venues in California Music venues in California Ice hockey venues in California Sports venues in Bakersfield, California Wrestling venues in California 1998 establishments in California Sports venues completed in 1998 Indoor arenas in California

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References