Quick Answer: Blue Arena at 5290 Arena Circle in Loveland is the venue formerly named the Budweiser Events Center; the name changed in October 2023. It seats 7,500 for concerts and 5,089 for Colorado Eagles hockey, sits directly off I-25 at Crossroads Boulevard, and runs about 15 minutes from downtown Loveland, 20 to 25 from Old Town Fort Collins, and 60 to 75 minutes from Denver International Airport.
The Name Changed. The Building Didn't.
If you are searching for the Budweiser Events Center, you are searching for a building that has been called Blue Arena since October 2023, when Budweiser's naming contract expired and Blue Federal Credit Union took it over. Same address, same seats, same terrible left-turn situation at the exit. Tickets, event calendars and half the internet still use both names interchangeably, which is why a fair number of guests give their driver the wrong one and get a blank look.
It is at 5290 Arena Circle, Loveland, Colorado, inside The Ranch Events Complex, owned by Larimer County and operated by OVG360. It opened on September 20, 2003 with a sold-out Avalanche–Panthers exhibition game.
What Fits Inside
| Configuration | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Concerts and general events | 7,500 |
| Basketball | 6,000 |
| Hockey | 5,089 |
That size is the whole character of the place. It is big enough to draw touring acts and an NCAA regional, small enough that the back row is still a real seat, and small enough that the parking lots empty through a road network built for a county fairgrounds rather than a stadium.
What Actually Happens There
- Colorado Eagles hockey, October through April. The Eagles are the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche and have been in Loveland since 2003. They once sold out 181 consecutive games — every game of their first four and a half years — which tells you what a home date feels like.
- Concerts and touring shows. The building has hosted Widespread Panic, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Yes and ZZ Top, plus Cirque du Soleil, Disney on Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters.
- NCAA hockey. It hosted a Frozen Four Regional in 2022 and is a host again for the 2026 regional round — a weekend that fills hotels from Loveland to Fort Collins.
- The Larimer County Fair and trade shows, which use the wider Ranch complex and change traffic patterns for the whole site.
Getting There
The venue sits directly off I-25 at Crossroads Boulevard, which is the good news and the bad news. Access is simple; everyone uses the same two intersections at the same time.
| From | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Loveland | 7 miles | 15 minutes |
| Old Town Fort Collins | 15 miles | 20–25 minutes |
| Greeley | 25 miles | 30 minutes |
| Denver International Airport | About 65 miles | 60–75 minutes |
| Downtown Denver | About 50 miles | 55–80 minutes |
| Estes Park | 37 miles | About an hour |
The I-25 north corridor between Denver and Loveland is the variable. On a weekday a 5 p.m. departure from Denver for a 7:30 puck drop is not a comfortable plan, and construction on that stretch has been a fact of life for years. We build an hour and a half from Denver for a weeknight event and are usually early rather than late.
The Parking and Exit Problem
Parking at The Ranch is on-site and paid, in large surface lots. Getting in is fine. Getting out after a sold-out show is the part nobody plans for: five to seven thousand people leaving surface lots onto Crossroads Boulevard and then onto I-25 through a small number of signals.
What works:
- Leave before the encore or wait out the surge. There is no third option if you are driving yourself.
- If you are being picked up, pick a meeting point, not the front door. We stage off-site and bring the vehicle to an agreed spot once you are walking, which turns a thirty-minute lot crawl into a five-minute walk.
- Set the time before the show, not after it. Cell service in a full arena is unreliable and nobody wants to be texting a driver in a stairwell.
Making It an Evening, Not Just an Event
The arena sits in a commercial district, not a downtown, so dinner before a show means a decision. Downtown Loveland is fifteen minutes west and has the closest real restaurant row. Old Town Fort Collins is twenty to twenty-five minutes north and has more of everything, which is why a lot of groups do dinner in Old Town and get dropped at the arena an hour before doors.
That plan only works with a driver. Doing it yourself means either two parking situations or someone in the group not drinking.
How We Run Arena Nights
- Hourly, with the vehicle staying with you. An arena night has a soft ending — encores, a hockey game going to overtime, a group that wants one more drink. Point-to-point pricing fights that; hourly doesn't.
- One dispatch contact per vehicle. Groups splitting across multiple vehicles designate one person per vehicle, not one person for the whole party. It is the single biggest difference between a smooth pickup and twenty minutes of phone tag.
- Driver name and number 24 hours out. You know who is coming and what they are driving before the day of the event.
- Corporate suites and group nights. Deposit and net 30 terms for corporate accounts; we can run a wave of vehicles on one timeline for a large group.
- Alcohol policy. 21 and over only in the vehicle, and smoking carries a $500 cleaning charge. Nobody has ever been surprised by this twice.
Vehicles seat up to 12, from an Executive Sedan to the Jet Van. Rates are hourly and depend on vehicle and date — send us the event and the party size and we will come back with a free quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Blue Arena the same as the Budweiser Events Center?
Yes. The building at 5290 Arena Circle in Loveland was called the Budweiser Events Center from its 2003 opening until October 2023, when Budweiser's naming contract expired and Blue Federal Credit Union took over. Same venue, same address. Ticket listings and event calendars still use both names, so give your driver the address rather than the name.
How many people does Blue Arena hold?
7,500 for concerts and general events, 6,000 for basketball, and 5,089 for hockey. It is owned by Larimer County, operated by OVG360, and sits inside The Ranch Events Complex.
How long does it take to get to Blue Arena from Denver International Airport?
About 65 miles and 60 to 75 minutes via I-25, longer on a weekday evening. For a weeknight event we build in an hour and a half from Denver, because the I-25 north corridor is the variable and has been under construction for years.
What is parking like at Blue Arena?
On-site paid parking in large surface lots. Arriving is straightforward. Leaving after a sold-out show is the problem, because five to seven thousand people funnel onto Crossroads Boulevard and I-25 through a handful of signals. If you are being picked up, agree on a meeting point away from the main doors before the show starts.
Who plays at Blue Arena?
The Colorado Eagles, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, from October through April. The building also hosts touring concerts, Cirque du Soleil, Disney on Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters, and is a host site for the 2026 NCAA hockey regional round.
Should we book hourly or point to point for an arena night?
Hourly. Encores run long, hockey goes to overtime, and groups want one more drink afterward. With hourly service the vehicle stays with you and the end time can move. Point-to-point pricing fights the way an event night actually ends.
Can you handle a large group across multiple vehicles?
Yes. Our vehicles seat up to 12 each, and larger parties run as a coordinated wave on one timeline. We ask for one dispatch contact per vehicle rather than one for the whole group, and you get driver names and numbers 24 hours out.
