10-min walk
Fan Stay
Aloft Buffalo Downtown
Marriott boutique brand on Pearl Street; modern style, near Chippewa entertainment district. ~10-min walk from KeyBank Center.
arena
KeyBank Center
Buffalo, NY · Capacity: 19,070
About KeyBank Center
Home of the Buffalo Sabres in the Canalside / Cobblestone District of downtown Buffalo. Hosts the 2026 NHL Draft (June 26-27) under the new decentralized format.
- Opened: 1996
- Capacity: 19,070
- Address: 1 Seymour H. Knox III Plaza, Buffalo, NY 14203
- Architect: Ellerbe Becket
- Operator: Pegula Sports and Entertainment
- Home teams: Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Blizzard, Columbus Destroyers, Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball
- Owner: Erie County
- Construction cost: $128 million
- Official site: www.keybankcenter.com
Fan Guide · Buffalo Sabres
Sabres hockey on the Buffalo waterfront
KeyBank Center is the home of the Sabres in downtown Buffalo, backed by one of hockey's most loyal, long-suffering fan bases, right on the revitalized Canalside waterfront.
Canalside's bars and the city's famous wings are at the doors.
Below are the Buffalo stays, restaurants and bars fans use around KeyBank Center.
Fan tip: Canalside is right outside — and yes, Buffalo wings really are better at the source.
Where Fans Stay, Eat & Drink near KeyBank Center
All Buffalo hotspots →Hotels, bars, restaurants and things to do near KeyBank Center in Buffalo — every pick web-researched and source-cited, closest to the arena first.
Where to Stay
10-min walk
11-min walk
Fan Stay
Hotel at the Lafayette (Trademark by Wyndham)
Landmark 1904 French Renaissance hotel designed by Louise Blanchard Bethune (first professional female American architect). ~11-min walk from KeyBank Center.
12-min walk
Fan Stay
Hyatt Regency Buffalo
On Main Street near Buffalo Convention Center; on the Metro Rail free-fare zone (Fountain Plaza station, 3 stops from Special Events/KeyBank Center). ~12-min walk from KeyBank Center.
13-min walk
Fan Stay
Curtiss Hotel (Ascend Collection)
5-star boutique in renovated 1912 Harlow C. Curtiss Building; 68 luxury rooms with marble bathrooms. ~13-min walk from KeyBank Center.
15-min walk
Fan Stay
Embassy Suites by Hilton Buffalo
All-suite downtown near Theatre District and Canalside. ~15-min walk from KeyBank Center.
22-min walk
Fan Stay
The Mansion on Delaware Avenue
AAA Four-Diamond, Second-Empire 1869 boutique with 28 rooms; 24-hour butler service, complimentary Range Rover downtown shuttle, evening cocktails. ~22-min walk from KeyBank Center.
Bars & Pubs
1-min walk
(716) Food & Sport
Massive game-day sports bar opened by the Pegula family (Sabres/Bills owners) in 2014; 38-foot main screen plus 70+ TVs. Operations transferred to Southern Tier Brewing 2021. ~1-min walk from KeyBank Center.
3-min walk
Cobblestone Bar & Grill
Iconic Sabres game-night bar in the Cobblestone District since 1999, known for wings, beef on weck, and wood-fired pizza. ~3-min walk from KeyBank Center.
5-min walk
Buffalo Iron Works
500-capacity live-music venue and bar in a 1915 industrial building in the Cobblestone District. ~5-min walk from KeyBank Center.
5-min walk
Lockhouse Distillery & Bar
First distillery to open in Buffalo since Prohibition; cocktail bar producing vodka, gin, coffee liqueur. ~5-min walk from KeyBank Center.
5-min walk
Pearl Street Grill & Brewery
Four-story brewpub; classic Sabres pre-game; offers large beer-tube format. Operating since 1997. ~5-min walk from KeyBank Center.
6-min walk
SATO Brewpub
Japanese-style brewpub; izakaya small plates pair with house-brewed beer. ~6-min walk from KeyBank Center.
Restaurants
eats
Anchor Bar
BIRTHPLACE OF THE BUFFALO WING — invented by Teressa Bellissimo on March 4, 1964. Open since 1935. ~2 mi north of arena.
eats
Bocce Club Pizza
Buffalo institution since 1946; the Bailey Ave shop opened 1959. Takeout/delivery only. Buffalo-style pizza: round, with crisp cup-and-char pepperoni.
eats
Duff's Famous Wings (Amherst)
Anchor Bar's rival for 'best Buffalo wings' since 1969. Locals often regard Duff's as the spicier, more authentic choice.
eats
Gabriel's Gate
Allentown wing favorite in a brick row house dating to 1864; under-the-radar pick.
eats
Hutch's
Long-running upscale Delaware Avenue spot — a Buffalo classic for special occasions.
eats
Liberty Hound
Inside Buffalo Naval & Military Park at Canalside; outdoor waterfront patio surrounded by WWII-era warships.
Things to Do
Things to Do
Bills Mafia Tailgate Scene
Arriving six or more hours before kickoff to the Highmark Stadium lots is essential for experiencing the Bills Mafia tailgate, widely regarded as the wildest and most entertaining in the entire NFL. Fans jump through folding tables, share food with strangers, and create memories that visiting fans talk about for years.
Things to Do
Canalside Buffalo
Buffalo's revitalized Erie Canal terminus hosts free outdoor concerts, hockey watch parties projected onto a giant outdoor screen, and a summer festival calendar that draws fans from across Western New York and Southern Ontario. The weekly 'Sabres on the waterfront' events during the playoffs have become a Buffalo tradition, with thousands gathering lakeside in the snow to cheer alongside their NHL team.
Things to Do
Canalside
Buffalo's vibrant waterfront revival district at Canalside offers outdoor concerts, seasonal skating on the largest reflecting pool in North America, kayaking, and food vendors just minutes from KeyBank Center. Sports fans use it as the perfect warm-up spot before Sabres and Bandits games with waterfront views of Lake Erie.
Attraction
Highmark Stadium
The legendary home of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park is one of the NFL's most atmospheric venues, where the Bills Mafia turns tailgate culture into a full-day spectacle of table smashing, team spirit, and passionate fandom. Cold-weather games at Highmark Stadium are considered bucket-list experiences for any NFL fan who wants to feel raw football energy.
Things to Do
Bills Mafia Tailgate at Highmark Stadium
The Bills Mafia tailgate at Highmark Stadium is rightfully considered the greatest fan experience in the NFL — an extraordinary pre-game festival of folding tables, buffalo wings, craft beer, and feats of commitment that have made the Buffalo fanbase globally famous. Arriving four hours before kickoff puts you in the middle of a community that demonstrates what football fandom means at its most passionate and joyful. The camaraderie between strangers in the parking lots of Highmark is genuinely unlike anything else in American sports.
Attraction
Highmark Stadium Bills Fan Experience
Join the legendary Bills Mafia tailgate scene at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, one of the wildest pregame experiences in all of professional sports. The lots open hours before kickoff with folding tables, wings, and passion that has made Buffalo's tailgate culture a viral sensation and bucket-list destination for NFL fans.
Plan Your Trip to KeyBank Center
KeyBank Center in Buffalo is tracked across 1 event and seats 19,070 fans. Here's how fans build a trip around it:
- Anchor Event: 2026 NHL Draft (June 26, 2026).
- Celebrities Tracked Here: Rob Gronkowski, Josh Allen, Chad Michael Murray and others appear in linked venue sightings.
- Post-Event Path: Continue into Buffalo and Buffalo hotspots for food, bars, and stay options.
Celebrity Sightings at KeyBank Center
Events at KeyBank Center
Series × Venue (All Years)
All Venue Hubs →Series × Venue × Year
All Venue-Year Hubs →Sources & References
Structured facts on this page (capacity, opening year, architect, ownership) are compiled from public reference databases and verified against venue coordinates.
Frequently Asked Questions About KeyBank Center
Rob Gronkowski, Josh Allen, Chad Michael Murray have been spotted at KeyBank Center.
KeyBank Center has a capacity of 19,070 people.
KeyBank Center opened in 1996. It was designed by Ellerbe Becket.
Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Blizzard, Columbus Destroyers, Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball play home games at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
2026 NHL Draft are among the events held at KeyBank Center.