We went to ser Phil Wickham here. The place, like any other arenas during a concert or any sporting event is loud but the flow of traffic is good. There are enough security people and ushers to assist you so you shouldn't have any issues. There are food and drinks throughout the arena though you'll need a credit or debit card to make a purchase. It is definitely a good place to see an event. read more

Visited the Santander Arena this past weekend for an old school hip hop concert. I didn't even know the arena existed prior to my friend suggested this concert. After this show, I doubt I'd see another show here. The area is conveniently located across from a hotel, which is great if you're traveling to Reading, PA like we were from another city or state. Unfortunately I cannot review the parking situation, because with took a Lyft there. But it seemed like everyone parked away from the arena. All of the staff was extremely friendly. From the attendant that helped us find our seats to the nice lady who sold us the $15 deuce-deuce can I'd Trulys. It's really sad how ridiculous these arena prices arena! The seats at the Santander were horrible. Of course because it's a concert, everybody was dancing and having a great time, but the seats were wobbling and moving more than we were. I felt like I was going to end up in the floor! The sound system wasn't the best either. Most times, the music was completely overpowering the artist. For these two reasons, I doubt I'll be back. But the concert was great! read more

Santander Arena - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

I drove here from Philadelphia (approximately 45 linutes via the turnpike andretta style) last Sunday, 25th February, to see K. Michelle. It was my first time visiting this arena. Parking: There is a parking garage across from the arena. It's a 3 min walk if that from the garage to the front door of the arena. Parking was only $15. You can scan a barcode to pay or download the Park mobile app. It was very convenient and easy!!! Arena is a good nice, not too big and not too small. Just right!!! They had some.co scion stands and alcohol booths. The sound was good. The only issue is that if you sit on the floor up front, you have yo walk back midway on the floor to go to the consession stand. Overall, I enjoyed the venue and the price. I wil be back again for a concert. read more

See all

This was my third concert here and I loved it. They have good concessions and there is tons of parking nearby. The Reading police were fun and seemed happy to be working the pay job. Big shout out to those guys. Of course the performers were awesome but whoever was working the sound board was a mess. There was a lot of feedback and while I love bass, especially when it moves my wife's hair, it was overbearing. I know it's not a facility thing. Between acts I went down to the men's room and was standing in a long line. An employee came up and told a few of us about a small bathroom nobody notices. Awesome job! read more

Santander Arena - Concert - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

I will start with the major glaring problem with this arena and why it is getting one star. When the fire alarm goes off during an event the arena staff should know that it is a fire alarm and what to do and how to direct people. The usher in our section had no idea what the noise was and neither did other employees we saw. After a few minutes an announcement was made that there was a fire emergency and for everyone to please exit the building. We were walking out the doors when problem began yelling it was a false alarm and to return to our seats. I did smell something that resembled burnt popcorn so wonder if it was something like that which caused the false alarm. Luckily there was no real emergency. However, I hate to think if it had been. Train your staff and teach them how to handle a building evacuation or emergency. We were visiting friends and decided to go check out a Reading Royals hockey game. Our friends knew where to park and where to go for getting into the arena. It was very cold inside, even for a hockey arena. It's definitely a loud environment. It seems they try to do fan activities and get people involved. It was a family environment for sure although not all the fans (even with kids) acted that way. We didn't eat at the arena, but a few in our group got drinks. The selection seemed decent for a venue of this size. read more

Santander Arena - the mascot of a hockey team - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

This was my first time visiting Santander Arena. I saw Jordan Peterson here. Overall, I was very pleased with my experience in this arena. The parking garage was conveniently located across the street, so it wasn't a very far walk at all. The arena itself was better than what I had expected. The staff that I interacted with all seemed friendly too. The one negative thing I will say is that the seats weren't that comfortable. However, I definitely would go back to this arena in the future though for other shows! read more

Santander Arena - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

We attend the Gary Owen show last night, by husband is handicapped and requires to sit at the end of the row due to oxygen tank and other reason, we spent about $160. I believe for each ticket, when arriving the to Arena it was our first time there, so we asked the ushers to show us our seats, where to put his wheel chair etc., as they did, we sat and the first act had just come on when the usher came back (now mind you the same lady that sat us there) and said we were sitting in other people seats, ok fine where are our seats and she did not have a answer she went for help because we were where we were supposed to be but there some some kind of problem, then a gentleman came to help (now mind you the show is going on) they had my husband standing up, moving around and it was chaos, finally after 15 min they now just pulled out two folding chairs an had us sit in the aisle which now could not even see the stage! When I asked what happen was told they had made a mistake and all they could do was say sorry! Unacceptable Santander Unacceptable!! Do better! One reason this is so upsetting is that with my husband being handicapped it's very hard to get him out of the house, so he was very excited to see the show and to miss the whole first comedian was not ok read more

The Santander Arena and Santander Performing Arts Center are not only a symbol of the revitalization of downtown Reading but have also been the premiere downtown entertainment, meeting and convention venues for more than 15 years. They are located on Penn Street in Reading, PA. This was my first experience at this venue. The staff were so friendly and helpful. Seem to really enjoy there jobs. We had VIP seating for Winter Jam, which is floor seating, so much leg room, was pretty impressed. We were able to walk right in with these tickets, which was a blessing, since the temperature outside was in the teens. There was a line around the arena for the general admission The concert and selection of bands were perfect. What a great first time experience. Will be making this a yearly tradition. Keep up the great work. read more

See all

Came here for a Royals charity game and it was pretty easy to pick up tickets at will call and then find our seats. All the staff I talked to from the event staff to vendors everyone was friendly. It looks like a lot of big acts come through and play this arena as well for concerts and comedians so I'll be sure to check it out in the future for other events. read more

Santander Arena - a hockey game in progress - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

I am not generally a 'sports' person, so it might surprise you how much I enjoy watching ice hockey...but not the NHL. I love ECHL hockey, perhaps because that was my first league, when the league itself was new and working to establish itself as a place for player development rather than brawling. When we lived in Virginia I had season tickets for many years, and I missed it. As life would have it, my son is not a hockey person (yet), however my nephews love it. The AHL team in Philly had moved out once the Spectrum had gotten demolished, we went to an AHL game elsewhere and then found the Reading Royals ECHL. I eagerly bought tickets. The Royals play at Santander Arena, which is an older venue but not ancient. It's decently sized, with public parking garages very close by that were pretty inexpensive - yay! We had no problem getting through security - bag check, metal detector, then to the ticket gate, which is up a level. Everyone was pleasant and helpful. Our seats were great - for hockey there's really not a bad seat in the house, and they had a ton of contests and such in between periods and at stops in play to keep everyone entertained. The arena has a *lot* of food choices! From Chickie & Petes to the generic pizza and hamburgers, a specialty BBQ stand, Carvel Ice Cream, Dippin Dots and more. I was impressed with the offerings and while they weren't cheap, this IS after all an arena, it wasn't highway robbery either. We opted for the $10 meal with fries, a drink and a cheeseburger. Fries were great, soda was soda, hamburger...well, that's where it was not so good, a little chewy and even with added BBQ sauce not a whole lot of taste. I am not totally surprised, hamburgers are difficult to do well in this setting. Next time I'll maybe get the BBQ or a hot dog. Overall it was a fun experience and one we are looking forward to having again. read more

See all

I've been to this venue for so many events but my last experience was awful. The security guard at check in was on a power trip & made me take my belt off & leave it at the front gate with no explanation. Security is a joke. People came into our row & tried to take our seats which we were escorted to. Security never made them move to their correct seats. The woman next to us got physical with us multiple times with no repercussions. People were standing on their seats & in the aisles the entire concert. I've never had such a bad experience at any venue before. This was at J Balvin's concert & he put on a great show but unfortunately we had such a negative experience that it was hard to enjoy. I'd rather deal with Philly traffic knowing security is great at all of their venues & I wouldn't have to lose my belt. read more

Saw the Trans Siberian Orchestra here around Christmas time with my sisters and mom. The seats we had were on the side, but we still had a nice view of the stage. As far as the sound, the sound was so clear and incredible. The concert was great, everything from the sound, to the lighting was awesome. As far as the concessions, there were a nice amount of choices and there were a lot of popcorn and beer guys walking up and down looking for sales. The staff were helpful and friendly and I didn't have any issues with the lack of customer service on the night that we attended the show. read more

The chairs were so close together and uncomfortable that I will probably not return. The idea is to pack in any many paid seats as possible so no arm rests. The lady next to me caught her sweater on a hook under her seat and was unable to stand. She blamed me for sitting on it until I stood up. read more

Santander Arena - Not comfortable seats - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

This facility is run just like any other dysfunctional entity is local government. Avoid this venue/city . The performers don't want to play here and because of proximity to favorable venues in NYC , NJ , Philly they stop over . Sound sucks , Parking is a calamity , Pre/Post event mtailgating in Reading downtown is dangerous. No Police details assigned to protect public post and pre show - Sports in the arena are amateur and loud to give the impression it's crowded- Failure looks like this venue,Run by a government entity with taxpayers money - read more

Security had my 11yr old daughter throw out a small drawing that she drew for a band she was seeing, she claimed no signs ,yet I saw people signs twice that size inside,plus they had people body surfing and getting hurt ,but the lady security guard picked on my 11yr old. read more

The venue was clean. The staff, including security were very friendly. I would return for another show read more

Santander Arena - a man standing on a basketball court - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

Good concession options, avoid parking garage if possible, only one entrance and exit

It's kind of like an old school arena even know it's on the newer side. Reminds me of the old Civic Center. Staff is friendly & accommodating. We love our Royals Hockey. It isn't the cleanest or nicest, but it has charm. read more

Check out the lighting and effects at this concert. People please go see King and Country they were !!! But I'm reviewing the arena, so let me get back. We parked for $10 bucks across the street, got there right before the concert started and had to go up the 6th floor. The elevators were out of order and had walk it. The bad part was getting out took more than 45 minutes with the traffic. In the arena everything is easy to get to, the lines for the bathroom seemed on par with what I've seen in a packed house. The seating was standard stadium seats and set up well so i don't think anyone had a bad view. I feel a 5 star is no complaints, and the parking was a bit of an issue. The arena itself is a 5 star experience, you won't be disappointed going there, especially if King and Country is in town. read more

See all

Drinks were overly expensive, Cash only. The venue itself was spacious not over crowded. Sound quality was very good.

the show was awesome, overall but the seating space is ridiculous there is no room to move everyone is bunched up. seats so close someone n the row below us decided to smoke her marijuana and the whole row passed the J. mind you the seats are literally tight as hell, we were a group of 6 coming to enjoy ourself. we had an elderly with us who has health issues, with the amount of smoke it was could have triggered something and the show would have been cancelled before of one ass hole. I went to tell security and the seating lady their response was it was nothing they can do about it but had anything happened they would have had to take responsibility. I took it upon my self to move our seats. you'll security need to do better it was nothing on the website that said smoking was allowed!!!! Or out you'll control if it happens ! read more

The security lines were pretty quick and had a lot of lanes so you didn't feel like you were stuck in a line a mile long. The viewing angles are also pretty good anywhere in the Arena. Food and drinks were a little overpriced but that's kinda standard for the industry. read more

No, no, noooooooo. The staff is very pleasant and helpful but they really need to do something and install proper ventilation. You are instantly smacked in the face with a thick smog and smell of fried food-totally gross. I get that they want to push their concession stand and sell food but the smell should not travel into the arena and make your eyes teary. We watched Bryan Adams perform and of course he was wonderful. I can't really comment on the cleanliness of the bathrooms because I didn't dare venture there after getting nauseous from the smell of fried food but the arena overall was clean. Will I return? Oh God I hope not read more

My friends and I attended the Pierce the Veil show last night at the arena. This is the worst venue by far in terms of taking care of the fans who are in GA. Most venues hand out water bottles to people in GA, as it is difficult to get in and out of the pit, due to people keep pushing, resulting in little to no room. Security informed us the venue only gave them 48 water bottles, and due to this, people were passing out left and right, making the experience less enjoyable. Based on this experience, I do not plan on attending a show of this genre at this venue again. read more

Unorganized mess. Came for a concert. It was FREEZING because it was winter. No one guiding us as to what line to go on. Wound up on 3 different lines because NO ONE knew where to go. No signs, no personnel, no ropes, NOTHING. read more

I love going to shows here! Such an awesome, intimate venue and the sound quality is great

Went here to see Gabriel Fluffy Iglesias, great and hilarious show. The venue was really nice, plenty of places to park and not a far walk. I'd definitely come back here for a show. read more

Awesome place! In January I went to so a Reading Royal games with my sisters, and we loved it. All the staff were nice and I even got a picture with the mascot. The lights were also nice. read more

I took my wife to a concert at the arena. The seating was good, but they are not equipped for large concerts. The seats were good as most sections had a good line of site to the stage. However, all the concessions and bathrooms had long lines regardless if a warm-up band was playing. I had to breakdown once and use the restrooms, but I didn't feel like waiting in a long line for food and a drink. read more

Santander Arena - a man performing on stage in front of a large pentagram - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

This place a great arena for concerts. However, get your drinks before 10:30. At 10:30 the arena becomes your parent and stops you from getting drinks. Very sad that the Santander arena has to try and be your parent. read more

An excellent place place to see a show. I saw Van Halen here a few days back, and was quite impressed by the experience. The crowd was great! Apparently the 1980s never ended in Reading, so there was tons of teased and hair sprayed hair and denim jackets. Plus, everyone was jumping up and down and making a scene. A great contrast to NY and DC where rock shows can be a bore. As for the Center itself, it's a very intimate venue, maybe 6000-7000 seats, so you get right up close to the band from most seats. Tickets were very cheap on StubHub compared to other area shows. Parking is really cheap too. You can stick your car right across from the arena and it's $9. Less than 10 minutes after parking, you are in your seat. On the downside, the area around the arena is a total shithole. I'd advise everyone to use extreme caution when going here. There were cops in the area, but there were also a bunch of scumbags right outside the doors, and in the parking lot, which was not secured. In the end, if you are in the NY or Philly area and don't mind a bit of a ride, you should definitely come to see a show here. read more

Went to see John Mulaney with 4 people at the Santander Arena on 12/1. I've never been there before. The Arena itself was good. The problem is the logistical nightmare that surrounds it. Traffic around the Arena before an event is bad. Trying to get a parking spot is a challenge. We entered a parking garage, where garage employees were directing traffic inside. There was zero parking left in the garage. We were forced with all the other cars to move at a snails pace to the top level, down again, and out of the garage (20 min lost). They were still directing more cars into the garage. We found parking in a different garage, and were in line 10-15 minutes before the show started at 8p. There were a TON of people still in line trying to get in. The Arena opened an additional door, and after another 20 min opened another door in an attempt to get everyone in, get their phone in a pouch, and get them through security. It took us 50 min to get in at around 8:40p, and there was still a TON of people outside. You'd think they'd start the show a little late, but we missed half the show. Maybe the Santander Arena could properly staff the gates for an event, by... I don't know... maybe counting how many tickets are sold? read more

This venue does not know how to take care of artists fans on the GA floor. I attended the pierce the veil concert last night and it was an extremely unsafe environment in the pit. At least 3 people passed out before ptv even came on and we saw practically zero help from security or medics in those instances. no matter how much we all tried to get the attention of staff nothing worked and fans had to carry and/or crowd surf out those people. the security informed us they were only given 48 bottles of water to pass out as needed, which were gone within the first 2 openers. we were told our only other option was to leave the crowd (that was nearly impossible to get out of) to go buy a cup of water for almost $6. Whether these people hydrated properly throughout the day knowing they would be in that type of situation i can not say. But considering everyone was either dressed for the 30 degree weather(so overheating inside) or stood out in the cold in next to nothing for hours, there was 2,000+ people on the floor, & it was a 4-5 hour long event, they did not prepare for this show at all. A simple google search would have informed the venue exactly what kind of show they were hosting & how to prepare accordingly. read more

I will not be coming back to this venue. We saw Pierce the Veil (hardcore band) in the general admission. People kept passing out and throwing up in the crowd due to heat exhaustion. Security and medics did NOT help and were rarely even seen. The security said there were only 48 bottles of water for the 2000+ people on the floor and these were all distributed before the main band even came on. The show was 5+ hours. They told us if we really needed water, we should "walk" through to the back of the crowd and go buy it. The crowd was so packed we couldn't even walk back, people were FORCED to crowd surf through the crowd just to get medical assistance and water. One instance, someone passed out laying on the floor for probably 5 minutes, we would scream for security to come over and no one came to help. They were carried out of the crowd by the people surrounding them. I've attended other bands with crazy crowds at different venues, such as Waterparks, BMTH, Sleeping with Sirens, $uicideboy$, TDWP, and even Bad Omens wasn't this bad. It's common practice to toss waters during intermission with a crowd this big. And for this well known of a venue, you'd think they'd have the proper medical assistance in place. We're all very fortunate nothing worse occurred during the show because I would not trust security to help anyone in the case of an emergency. read more

Was here for the Reading Royals game love this arena, great seating, friendly and helpful staff. Had a great time will go back... Beer is expensive and was made throw my energy drink away upon entering the arena. Dumb rule, Great time! read more

Santander Arena - hockey players celebrating a goal - Music Venues Near Me - Reading, Pennsylvania

I gave them a four because they have bad customer service and they treated us terrible they did not care about personal awareness and that is all I have to say read more

Went to the Further show the other night. First time at this venue. We liked the small size of the place and ease of on street parking within two short blocks from the entrance. There are some decent restaurants nearby as well. We all enjoyed the show as usual. The reason the venue gets one star is the management, or lack there of. Here's why: The show time was 7:30 pm. We got in line at the main entrance at 7:20. It was extremely backed up...about 50 feet outside the doors. The line was moving extremely slow, but everyone was very patient and took it in stride. It took 15 minutes to get inside the doors and then another 13 minutes until we had our tickets scanned and were able to get to our seats. The band hit the stage at 7:45 pm so we missed most of the first song! Once we got inside the doors we could all clearly see what the problem was. There were ONLY 3 narrow lines to filter several thousand people to the ticket turnstiles, where there were 3 high school aged kids slowly scanning tickets. Everyone in line was astounded that the management of an operation like Sovereign Center could be so incompetent. Due to their dereliction, thousands of people were not able to see the show from the beginning. Meanwhile, there were 6 security staff (2 in each of the lines, 15 feet before the turnstile), just standing there doing nothing - no inspecting or frisking. A few of us remarked how it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if they had 6 attendants scanning tickets (and there was plenty of room and unused turnstiles to do that) then the line would have moved fairly quickly and no one would have missed the beginning of the show. Competent management would understands that 15 minutes before show time is when you need to be prepared to handle the rush of event goers at the doors. We saw what appeared to be Managers hanging around just looking and observing the long line...but they seemed to not care or just be clueless. It's troubling to see a large operation like this (for Reading, PA anyway) operated worse than a high school auditorium. Makes you wonder what other kind of incompetence goes on there and if it could effect public safety. One other thing: At the concession stands they would not sell you drinking water in the bottle it came in. Instead, they would open it and then pour it in a cup. I know this has become somewhat standard protocol at concerts everywhere. The problem was they didn't have lids and the cup was barely big enough to contain all the water from the bottle. Try carrying two full cups of water down to the floor, through a throng of dancing Deadheads...a bit of a mess. Come on Sovereign Center management - get your act together and have some pride in doing a good job and pleasing your customer base. I'll give your place one more try in the future - hopefully you'll improve your operations. read more

Gf and I saw Louis CK last night and the employees were super friendly. Everyone from ushers to concessions to mobile vendors extremely nice and making conversation. This may all seem minor but it goes long way. Venue was good size and didn't realize seem like there were any bad seats in the building along with decent food prices (except $4 water) but this is nothing new at concerts. The only downside was the row of seats we were on was not bolted down very well so the seats shook a lot but it was very minor in the grand scheme. Would def take the drive from Jersey to see an event there. read more

The staff in the arena were just out of it. Felt like I wasn't wanted there. Staff serving in the food courts where in their own world just talking to each other and not serving the almost 10 min long lines waiting for a beer, that shouldn't take you more than 3 min to serve and move on to the next client read more

Had a great time, went to a Bad Bunny concert the set up was great and security was on point, food and drinks were accessible and a great variety. I definitely will be back. Need to get there early if you are driving read more