Home of the three-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, Benchmark International Arena opened in 1996 in downtown Tampa’s Channelside District. The building was known as Amalie Arena from 2014 until Benchmark International took over the naming rights in August 2025. The Lightning, founded in 1992, won Stanley Cup titles in 2004, 2020, and 2021.
How many seats are in Benchmark International Arena?
Benchmark International Arena can accommodate 19,092 fans for Lightning games. Seating is divided into 100, 200, and 300 levels, with additional club, suite, and hospitality areas.
Read more about the food at Benchmark International Arena.
Directions – How to get to Benchmark International Arena
The arena is at 401 Channelside Drive in Tampa. Fans can arrive by rideshare, water taxi, ferry, or the free TECO Line Streetcar. Free bike valet service is available on Ford Thunder Alley during events. Drivers should enter their chosen parking facility in a navigation app because event traffic controls can affect the blocks immediately around the arena.
Water Street Station, stop 8 on the TECO Line, is next to the arena. Streetcars are free, run about every 15 minutes, and connect downtown, the Channel District, and Ybor City. Service is extended until midnight for Sunday-through-Thursday Lightning games and other weeknight or Sunday events. Fans can also park near Fort Brooke Garage or the Florida Aquarium and use the streetcar for the final part of the trip.
Where to park near Benchmark International Arena
The arena uses ParkWhiz for advance parking reservations, and most managed lots accept cards rather than cash. The Pam Iorio Parking Garage is the closest garage with accessible parking. Other downtown garages and lots are within walking distance, while the TECO Line Streetcar can connect fans who park farther away.
Other Benchmark International Arena FAQs
What is the bag and entry policy for Lightning games?
Bags larger than 12 by 12 by 12 inches are prohibited. For hockey games, bags larger than 4 by 6 by 1.5 inches must go through an X-ray scanner, although bags do not need to be clear. Medical and parenting bags are allowed with additional screening. Guests cannot leave and re-enter after their ticket has been scanned.
Is Benchmark International Arena cashless?
Arena-managed concession and retail stands are cashless, and event tickets are mobile only. Concert merchandise sales can be an exception, so payment rules outside the arena-managed stands depend on the event.
What was Benchmark International Arena called before?
The building opened as the Ice Palace in 1996. It later carried the St. Pete Times Forum and Tampa Bay Times Forum names before becoming Amalie Arena in 2014 and Benchmark International Arena in 2025.
What hockey team plays at Benchmark International Arena?
The Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL’s Atlantic Division play their home games here.
Who owns Benchmark International Arena?
Hillsborough County owns the publicly funded arena, and Vinik Sports Group operates it under a long-term lease.
What are the arena’s distinctive features?
The arena’s Tesla coils fire as part of the Lightning’s pregame entrance, and a digital pipe organ provides live music during games. Guest Services is across from section 101, and an empty plastic water bottle can be brought in and filled at a touchless water station.
What can fans do near the arena?
Water Street Tampa’s hotels and restaurants are immediately outside the arena, and the Tampa Riverwalk provides a pedestrian route toward the convention center and the rest of downtown. Sparkman Wharf and the Florida Aquarium are a short walk east along Channelside Drive, so either can be combined with a game without moving the car.
Sources
Fact-checked August 10, 2026.