Washington Capitals
Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
- Capacity
- 18,573
- Roof
- Indoor
- Surface
- Ice
- Opened
- 1997
- Tickets
- $35+
- Parking
- $20+
- Beer
- $11+
- Food
- $7+
- Est. total
- $73+
Against the other 31 NHL arenas, Capital One Arena is the joint 20th cheapest game day: joint 18th for tickets, 24th for parking and joint 25th for food and drink, compared on market ticket medians and published lot and menu prices in US dollars. See the full ranking.
Prices are estimates. See our methodology.
What to Expect
Capital One Arena sits in the Penn Quarter/Chinatown neighborhood of downtown Washington, DC, one of the most vibrant, walkable areas in the city. The Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station is directly connected to the arena, making transit effortless. The surrounding blocks have dozens of restaurants and bars that fill with red Capitals jerseys on game nights. The Caps won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and the fan base has stayed energized since. DC is a transplant city, so visiting fans are common, but the Caps faithful are loud and proud. Games run about 2.5 hours in regulation.
View Seating GuideTips & Fan Reports
Game Day
The Capital One entrance lets you in 15 minutes before the regular doors. Doors are typically one hour before puck drop. Warmups start about 30 minutes before game time.
Doors open an hour before the event, so the hour before that belongs to the neighbourhood.
Expect your car to be searched on the way into the Lexus Garage, so leave time for it.
Parking & Directions
A SpotHero reservation can be printed or redeemed by phone.
Gallery Place/Chinatown serves the arena on Metro's Red, Green and Yellow Lines.
Drivers want the corner of F and 7th NW, or F and 6th depending on approach.
Food & Drinks
The half-smoke is DC's signature food, a smoked sausage bigger and spicier than a hot dog. Try it.
Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street is the original half-smoke spot. Take the Green Line one stop to U Street for the real deal.
Chinatown restaurants offer the best value pregame meals within walking distance of the arena.
Seating
It is not too cold inside except maybe in the lower sections closest to the ice. Wear pants and a jersey and you will be comfortable. The 200s are fine temperature wise.
The Players Club on the Suite Level is the most restricted room in the building, with all-inclusive fine dining.
The United Globe Club is open to VIP seat holders of BOTH tenants and holds over 800 people, 30% larger than any VIP space the arena had before.
General
If they turn away your bag they have lockers for rental on that side of the arena. It is in Chinatown so there are tons of restaurant options before the game within walking distance.
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Most bags are prohibited; wallet-size clutches up to 4 x 6 inches and medical or parenting bags up to 14 x 14 x 6 inches are permitted after screening.
Medical and parenting bags should enter at the Capital One Cardholder Entrance at Sixth and F Streets.
- Gate opening
Doors generally open one hour before the event start time.
Check the event calendar for the game-specific time.
- Venue payments
Concessions, retail, and in-arena vendors are cashless and accept credit cards, debit cards, and smartphone contactless payments.
Reverse ATMs next to Guest Services on the 100 and 400 Levels convert cash to a debit card.
- Re-entry
Capitals guests may exit and re-enter through the F Street entrance after the event begins.
Guides for Capital One Arena
- Game Day Guide
7 steps from arrival to puck drop, and 21 venue rules checked against official sources. 3 bars, patios and plazas to fill the hours before doors, and what to bring.
- Parking & Directions
2 lots and garages with distances and entry routes, from $20. Plus driving and transit routes.
- Food & Drinks
26 concession stands and 26 items researched from the venue's own menus, cheapest food $7 and drink $6.
- Seating Guide
9 seating areas at Capital One Arena, with the level names printed on the ticket.
- Cost Calculator
Build a total for your own party using Capital One Arena's stored figures.
How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Venue facts
Wikipedia / Official Venue Page
- Drink prices
Capital One Arena 2026: beer $11, matching the figure recorded for Wizards games in the same building
- Venue policies
Current Capital One Arena FAQ, accessibility, box-office, and mobile-entry pages reviewed for Washington Capitals game-day policies.
Not yet checked against a published source
These figures are estimates. Most venues no longer publish the numbers behind them (concession and ticket pricing moved to dynamic marketplaces), so we hold them as estimates rather than dating them as verified.
- Ticket prices: Secondary market averages (SeatGeek/StubHub)
- Parking prices: Never checked against a published rate: the venue's parking page, read 2026-09-05, publishes none. The page sells parking per event through SpotHero and prices nothing. The 2026-07-27 figures were compiled from third-party listings (was: "Capital One Arena 2026: $20-$40 by proximity and event, prepaid online recommended").
- Food prices: Team Marketing Report FCI + venue research