Meadowlands Arena: Event Planning and Access Checks

Meadowlands Arena is a former public arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex, across Route 120 from MetLife Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack, and next to American Dream. Its earlier names include Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center.

The arena opened on July 2, 1981, and closed to the public on April 3, 2015. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), which holds the land lease for and operates the complex, describes the arena as an iconic venue now used as a sound stage.

NJSEA lists 25,000 square feet of arena space, a 139-foot floor-to-ceiling height, 3,800 amps at 208 volts, 12 dressing rooms with bathrooms, storage, a washer/dryer hookup and a loading dock with three bays. Those details describe production facilities, not amenities for general admission.

Check whether your intended destination is open to the public before travelling: Meadowlands Arena is not listed as a current public sports and entertainment tenant of the complex. NJSEA identifies it as a sound stage, so its production use should not be mistaken for public arena programming.

The arena is part of a larger district with public-facing destinations, including MetLife Stadium, American Dream and Meadowlands Racetrack/FanDuel. Those are separate venues; an event at one does not establish access to the arena. For a game or concert, use the event venue’s own information to confirm the location and entry arrangements.

For broader trip planning, see how to get to MetLife Stadium from Secaucus. Check the official site before you go.

NJSEA does not publish public-event parking rates or public ticket sales for Meadowlands Arena. That means you should not plan on buying a standard arena admission ticket based on the venue name alone; first confirm that a specific event is open to the public and that it takes place at this arena.

NJSEA lists a sound-stage contact for production inquiries: Claudia Locricchio, 50 State Road 120, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, telephone (201) 460-4361. This is sound-stage contact information, not a public ticket office.

Meadowlands Arena is about a 7-minute drive from Royal Motel. For rail travel to a major stadium event, NJ TRANSIT provides shuttles between Secaucus Junction and Meadowlands Rail Station. The station serves the Sports Complex and is steps from MetLife Stadium, so check that your event is at the stadium rather than assuming the shuttle serves arena access.

NJ TRANSIT advises rail passengers to transfer at Secaucus Junction for the Meadowlands shuttle. Listed connecting lines include Main/Bergen County, Montclair-Boonton, Morris & Essex, Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis. Buses 2, 78, 124, 129, 329 and 353 also serve Secaucus Junction.

Bus service within the complex is not the same as an arena event shuttle. Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment lists buses 160 and 703 as serving complex-area stops, but that information does not establish service to a public arena event. For more on local connections, read this guide to stations, local routes and transfers in Secaucus.

Treat the arena and nearby venues as separate stops with separate access rules. MetLife Stadium, American Dream and Meadowlands Racetrack/FanDuel are listed as Sports Complex tenants, while the arena is used as a sound stage.

If your plans centre on a stadium event, use the MetLife Stadium travel guide to plan that visit rather than relying on the arena’s name or address.

For an event day, confirm the venue and transport arrangements before setting out. NJ TRANSIT shuttle information applies to large-scale MetLife Stadium events, including football games and concerts; it is not a general promise of public access to Meadowlands Arena.