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    NOW Arena

    3.0 (87 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    NOW Arena Photos

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    Sherwin C.

    I've attended several different events here like a Windy City Bulls game and AEW Wrestling. For me, the NOW Arena is my preferred spot to go for events in the area for several reasons. Compared to other large venues in the area, parking is relatively organized and easy -- with also a better traffic flow into the arena and the surrounding areas not being excessively busy. Because of this, you don't need to get here quite as early as other venues and you also don't need to walk quite as far to get in. Security screening is also quick and efficient here, so even when busy you won't experience excessively long lines. The venue itself is quite clean with plenty of booths available for different vendors. There's different food and beverage options as well, which aren't particularly cheap but not excessively expensive compared to other venues. The bathrooms are also maintained fairly well and the line to move through them is fairly quick and efficient. The layout of the arena helps you to be fairly close to the action, which I prefer. The layout doesn't feel cramped at all and the sections are not excessively large so it's not too challenging to get in and out. The leg room is fairly good for the seats and the seats themselves feel a bit newer. The sound system is good quality and so are the LED displays as well. I'm always pleasantly surprised at the quality of the show I get for the prices charged here. Overall, well worth a visit if you live in the suburbs and want to watch a show or sports event. I'm not sure if you can get a low stress comparable experience anywhere else in the Chicago area -- or as good of a value for quality entertainment.

    Cirque du Soleil OVO show outfits, Feb 13, 2025.
    Howard L.

    We had our first visit to the NOW Arena (ex Sears Centre) to see the newest Cirque du Soleil OVO show.  This review is focused on the arena as a venue and not the Cirque du Soleil show itself which was a very colorful, dynamic, and entertaining 5 star show. It is a medium sized arena and has a stated capacity of 11,218.  The seating is tight and that's my biggest knock on the place.  We actually moved ourselves at intermission to a row that was unoccupied.  The row we were ticketed in was full, and with winter coats in hand, it just wasn't the most comfortable.   They had a few concession stands and with nothing particularly out of the ordinary and also not a huge number of choices.  The concourse was nice, clean, and spacious though.   Despite being in a wide open expanse in the boonies, parking is a major league $25.35 but I did save $5 by pre-paying in advance ($20.35 via their vendor ParkWhiz).  Egress and ingress was quick (the arena was only about 1/2 filled though) and the arena is right off of I-90, so it is in a logistically convenient location.  Overall, I'll go with a 3 star rating for the venue given the pluses and minuses.

    Jack G.

    ** Kind Staff ** ** Delicious Food ** We went to Now Arena for a wrestling show. We had the privilege of box seats and boy was it amazing! The accommodations were great. Seats and views were great also. The food was fantastic, fast and the service was top notch! It's going to be hard to sit anywhere else after such an experience.

    I caught a hat!
    Jade M.

    Went to my first Windy City Bulls game (which is located at the Now Arena obviously) and I had an excellent time. I found the arena to be well maintained and well organized. Parking is also free so that's always a plus. It was easy to find your section and row. I also found the food to be pretty good. Typically event food is pretty mediocre but not here. My favorite part? The different food venues available, this allows for the crowd to disperse depending on what type of food they want. This is so much better than having everyone wait in one concession stand line. Staff was great as well! Unfortunately, the bulls lost but nonetheless I had loads of fun.

    Club room event.
    Mel C.

    We love NOW Arena for concerts, special events, and meetings. The food is consistently good, the arena is clean and has comfortable seating with a pretty good view from all seats. Levy Restaurants here does a wonderful job catering meetings, and the club area is nice to visit during events, too. I just wish there were more events booked here throughout the year as it seems good concerts or shows are scarce. Hoffman Esrates does have some unique special events here, like the NW Celtic Fest with food, displays, Celtics music, and dance. There's also plenty of parking, and it's an ideal area to grab dinner close by, at The Saddle Room or Main Event, and walk back to the arena.

    Ryan D.

    My husband and I went went to the NOW Arena to see a Windy City Bulls game. This was my first time going to the NOW Arena in several years. The Arena has been well maintained and they have added more food options as well. A few food concession stands were closed on this visit. I found the bathrooms to be clean enough. The seats offered adequate leg room. For someone well over six feet tall, this is very important. The game was fun to watch. They had many interactive exhibits and a huge fun zone with games and inflatables at the south end of the basketball court. Overall, we had a very fun time at the NOW Arena and can't wait to come back!

    Strikeforce Henderson vs fedor summer 2011
    Joseph G.

    NOW Arena formerly known as the Sears center is an arena on the smallish side that is located in Hoffman estates Illinois the giant suburb of Chicago. The arena has hosted and hosts several big events and is about a 25 min commute from the downtown area of Chicago. It is located in a rally nice area. Last time I visited the arena was back in late summer 2011 when a group of me and 5 other buddies attended the strike force event of fedor bs Henderson. The place did a good job hosting and the atmosphere for the main event was electric. It is a smaller arena and the seats are jammed packed and it can get hot in there when the crowd is big enough. I can remember having to walk out in the walkway a few times to her a breather and cool down. Overall cool arena that has hosted a bunch of cool events. Neat to check out a different part of Chicago and solid place to take an a event or show.

    Parking lot marker
    Josh W.

    Easily accessible off the expressway, the parking lot was also easy in and out. Some of the events you don't have to pay for parking like this one. Otherwise it looks like it's $20 for certain events. The doors didn't open until 1 hour prior to the basketball game I can't speak for other types of sports. A little bit of a line to get through security check, you can bring small purses but big bags are not allowed unless they are clear. Took about 15 minutes to get through the front doors with the security check. Lots of things to do inside for the kids, some music being DJed in one area, raffle in another area. Not really a bad seat in the house I would say the stadium was about 1/3 full and it still had a nice five and atmosphere. The sound system is really good, lots of t-shirts being thrown throughout the entirety of the game. Definitely worth it especially with the face value of $25 a ticket. I think a family of four could spend about $160 for tickets, some drinks and a meal.

    Jeremy J.

    This is the NOW arena. It used to be called sears arena. It is a good place but seems smaller in comparison to other arenas I have been. Last time I visited the arena was back in late summer 2011 when a group of me and 5 other buddies attended the strike force event of fedor and Henderson. The place did a good job hosting and the atmosphere for the main event. It was a fun fight and a good building to attend.

    Uhhh dunno Jumbotron
    Phil S.

    I was here on 05/25/18 for my nephews graduation from Stevenson High School. My older sister and I arrived at 4:30 and waited for the rest of the family to arrive since they had the tickets. The event started at 5pm. True to form the ticket holders arrived late and we had to scramble. We found seats on the second level over looking the floor where the graduates sat. The Sears Centre Arena is the perfect venue for a large event with a large graduating class like Stevenson High School (somewhere in the 1,000 plus range). Yeahhh congratulations , but having to go through 1,000 plus people is a tedious time consuming event as each individuals name is read off. Still they all deserve their day in the sun for achieving this milestone.

    Amy K.

    Was that the Sears Center this last weekend for my daughters cheer competition. We paid $10 to park and it was free to enter. Upon parking, they has staff and police officers direction traffic. Nothing was hectic. As we walked in there was security checking bags and purses. The line was constantly moving. There was a pretty good view from almost everywhere in the building. My only gripe would be we bought 2 waters and a chocolate chip cookies for $19! OUCH! That is super over priced. All in all, a good experience

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - NOW Arena

    What is the closest restaurants?

    There are a variety of restaurants around the NOW arena, ranging from high end (Cooper's Hawk, to sports bar like (BWW, Red Robin, etc), to Chipotle, Subway, and Culvers. They span mostly on route 72 (Higgins) or route 59. If you're looking to… Read more

    How many seats are there per row?

    Mostly 18, though some sections start wider on top and a little smaller at the bottom. Depends on which section you select.

    View All 3 Questions

    Review Highlights - NOW Arena

    Went to my first Windy City Bulls game (which is located at the Now Arena obviously) and I had an excellent time.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Wintrust Field - Stadium front

    Wintrust Field

    (74 reviews)

    Been here a few times now, once for beer fest, once for a Boomers game, and once for a game on July…read more4th. The one constant among all the visits is the food was just...ok? It's serviceable as far as ball park food goes, but I haven't run into anything yet I'd want to get again. Even the pretzels which should be hard to mess up have a weird sweetness to them. The park itself is nice though, as anywhere you sit will have a good seat. Even if you go for just lawn seats, there are a couple lawn areas on either side you can sit at, a new beer garden that goes all the way down to the baseline, a covered area with picnic tables, and a large kids area with some inflatables and a misting area when it gets hot. Really appreciate the variety of seating options. Parking is ample and free, but getting out can be a pain for busier days. For that July 4th show the fireworks were great, but it took us an hour to get out since everyone was leaving at the same time and it was a packed game. Overall we'll still look to come back here for more games in the future, but may look to sneak in some food in our kid's wagon coming in.

    July 2024 Review This was my first time attending a…read moreSchaumburg Boomers game and was thoroughly impressed with the organization, cleanliness, and offerings to guests. We came out for the Fourth of July game which had a special promotion for patriotic hats and a "fireworks supershow" after the game finished. We won four tickets off of a local st baldricks night but they normally range from $12 for lawn, $16 for seats, and $65 for all you can eat and drink tickets. We got tickets the week of and sat third row along the first baseline. The park was crowded but not unreasonable. The food and drink offers were great! Most concessions had domestic beer, cutwaters, soft drinks, and ballpark food. The center concession stand also had walking tacos and mexican food. There were specialty carts with items like popcorn, local craft beers, etc. Lastly, they had specialty vendor stands for Ben's soft pretzels, the Creamery for ice cream, and a cupcake stand. The outfield had a kid's zone with blow up obstacles, they had a live singer for the national anthem/seventh inning stretch, midgame race, and after the game kids could run the bases/get autographs. We loved the fireworks show that was included. Parking was free and easy to get in and out and I never waiting in line for the woman's bathroom! We will certainly be back for a game and highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun, local event.

    Allstate Arena - Pano of arena

    Allstate Arena

    (444 reviews)

    $$$

    Does this building have its age? Yes. Does it take away from the overall experience? Not for me. I…read moreagree with others here that it is nice to have a venue like this outside the city that still has a lot of top acts and shows to see. I have attended many different events here throughout my life. Chicago Wolves games, Walking With Dinosaurs, Monster Jam, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and WWE Smackdown. I do agree that the place could use some upgrades, but it still gets the job done. Concessions are bit overpriced, but not the worst quality in my opinion. The dogs and pizzas are good, and the cotton candy can't be missed. Popcorn is okay. The staff are usually nice, but the ushers can sometimes be a 50/50 shot between super sweet and a grump. Lots of good memories here, and hoping for more soon.

    Went there for Monster Jam recently, event was great…read more ARAMAK was servicing the food. The Pretzel was good The Pizza wasn't. It was Connie's Pizza and the slice was lukewarm So bad that the cheese hardened and cracked across the middle. $10.00 a slice !!! Next time I'll just wait and go to Connie's in Chinatown, where it's Hot and Fresh The girl ( section 112 - 114 ) gave me the slice and looked at me , I gave her the look back and was like ok whatever. There were better slices available and I didn't want to be that person but now I'm understanding some of why people do what they do. Did you really have to give me The F Up slice ? You have your reason and now your getting this review. Buddy at the register had to be reminded about my water. These people don't want to work and hate their jobs ( ^ x ^ )

    Elgin Community College - Eye classes in the Ophthalmology program at ECC

    Elgin Community College

    (23 reviews)

    I owe a lot to of gratitude to ECC. I first attended here when I was kicked out of the University…read moreof Illinois Urbana-Champaign for academic probation. Then a few years later, after I was kicked out again, I came here humble and looking for a fresh start. I stated by taking photography from the late John Grady, a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration to me and many others. He was an advocate that lead me to be recognized as the artist of the year by the local paper. Because of this momentum, I ended up attaining three associate degrees from ECC: graphic design, general arts, and general science. The faculty was supportive and communicative, especially in the design department. The onsite computer lab, library, and study areas were great places to work outside of class. Even the cafeteria was reasonably priced and had many options. Administratively, everything was seamless and easy to navigate. I met with humans a few times, but overall, much of the process is online. The only reason for the missing star is the inconsistency of skilled and practicing adjunct teachers. I had a few that were away from their fields for over 20 years, which made some of the knowledge outdated. But I guess all schools have that issue. I highly recommend ECC for everyone!

    I stopped in the cafeteria for lunch between classes at Elgin Community College. My expectations…read morewere low. I just wanted something that tasted better than the normal cafeteria food. My expectations were met and exceeded. I had the beef tenderloin sliders with seasoned French fries. While not the best food I've ever had, they were cooked well and had a good flavor to them. They were not dried out as I feared. The French fries were good and didn't need ketchup or any other sauces to enhance the flavor. One recommendation that I would make is to add some more signs pointing where to go or how much the food costs.. To someone new to the cafeteria, it was not clear where to go or what was being offered. Overall, the food at Elgin Community College was pretty good. I will go back and try more.

    Martin Stadium

    Martin Stadium

    (3 reviews)

    We came here for the very first Chicago Red Stars game. They will be here permanently (?) starting…read morenext season. We were told a shuttle bus would take us to the stadium from the Central Station Purple Line. Even after being picked up and dropped off, it was a 5-8 minute walk to the stadium. There was signage to show us where to go, otherwise we just followed people around us. The directions are to get off at Noyes and walk 20 minutes. I wonder if shuttles will be available during the regular season. Of course the residential/campus areas were swamped with cars so walking is probably better. We got through security no problem, no hassles, but they should have more gates and detectors if they are going to have games here! There were food trucks and booths with alcohol, merch tents, Porto Potties (heck no!) and tents selling food that was of course overpriced. It was a very nice day, cloudy with sun and dry; I can IMAGINE what it's like when it rains! NO indoor spaces to buy food, except a couple of huge tents? I was expecting a Soldier Field/Wrigley field structure where one can move to seats and stay inside but really stacked bleachers. The food trucks were ok but food was not super hot. The field had timers and score boards but not facing south, where we sat. We had to crane to see the score. There should be scoreboards on all sides. We found some indoor restrooms at half time thank goodness, and they were clean. Instead of going back to the seats we walked around and bought more concessions in the patio area. A medical company was giving away prizes, and we were able to see the scores on a big tv (Stars won!) plus there was a play area for kids. The lake view was very nice, I'm glad the Stars are pushing the lakefront attribute, but I can't say I would look forward to coming here regularly, esp as the weather becomes very hot or very cold, as there is no protection from the elements.

    Honestly for a temporary stadium, you can't beat this venue! The location is beautiful - right on…read morethe water and you can see the Chicago skyline on a clear day. Everything ran smoothly (again keeping a temporary situation in mind) and they still ran a good concessions business. Excited for the new stadium but definitely worth coming to a game while they're still playing at Martin Stadium!

    NOW Arena - stadiumsarenas - Updated May 2026

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