2-min walk
hotel
The New Yorker by Lotte Hotels
1,050-room landmark hotel one block from MSG. Operated under Wyndham 2014-2025; transferred to Lotte Hotels in 2025. Rooms start on the 19th floor.
arena
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY · Capacity: 20,789
About Madison Square Garden
The world's most famous arena, located in Midtown Manhattan above Penn Station. Home of the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL), MSG hosts legendary concerts, boxing matches, and cultural events. Celebrities flock to courtside seats, and the arena's rich history includes performances by everyone from Elvis to Jay-Z. Capacity 20,789.
- Opened: 1968
- Capacity: 20,789
- Address: 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001
- Architect: Charles Luckman, Ellerbe Becket, Charles Luckman Associates
- Structural engineer: Severud Associates
- Operator: Altice USA
- Home teams: New York Knicks, New York Rangers
- Owner: Madison Square Garden Sports
- Construction cost: $123 million
- Official site: www.msg.com/madison-square-garden
Fan Guide · Knicks & Rangers
The World's Most Famous Arena
Madison Square Garden — “the World's Most Famous Arena” — sits atop Penn Station in the heart of Manhattan, the fourth building to carry the name and home to the Knicks and Rangers. A sold-out Garden on a playoff night is one of the great atmospheres in sport.
You're in midtown Manhattan, so the whole city is your pre- and post-game.
Below are the New York stays, restaurants and bars fans use around Madison Square Garden.
Fan tip: It's directly above Penn Station — take the train in, and all of midtown is at your doorstep.
Where Fans Stay, Eat & Drink near Madison Square Garden
All New York hotspots →Hotels, bars, restaurants and things to do near Madison Square Garden in New York — every pick web-researched and source-cited, closest to the arena first.
Where to Stay
2-min walk
7-min walk
hotel
Kimpton Hotel Eventi
292-room IHG luxury boutique on Sixth Avenue between 29th-30th, ~3 blocks from MSG and Penn Station. Three restaurants, 'living room' lobby, pet-friendly.
10-min walk
hotel
AC Hotel by Marriott New York Times Square
Modern AC Hotels by Marriott on West 40th between 7th-8th — 10-min walk to MSG, steps from Times Square.
Fan Stay
Holiday Inn Express Bronx NYC - Stadium Area
Chain hotel near the 149th Street-Grand Concourse subway, a short ride from the stadium.
Fan Stay
Holiday Inn LaGuardia Airport at Citi Field
The closest full-service hotel to Citi Field, within walking distance of the ballpark, with an indoor pool.
Fan Stay
Hyatt Place Flushing/LaGuardia Airport
Contemporary hotel in downtown Flushing within roughly two miles of Citi Field, near the 7 train.
Bars & Pubs
2-min walk
Stout NYC (Flagship)
3-story 16,000 sq ft Irish pub directly across from MSG + Penn Station, open since 2005. 75-foot main bar, 25 drafts, 150+ bottles, 65+ Irish whiskies.
2-min walk
Tir na nOg Irish Bar & Grill (Penn Station)
Modern Irish bar 30 seconds from Penn Station. 34 draft beers, extensive Irish whiskey. Extended MSG event hours.
17-min walk
Hurley's Saloon
3-floor Irish pub in the Theater District since 1892 — known for one of the best Guinness pours in Manhattan. Rooftop patio.
Mercury Bar West
Established 1998 in Hell's Kitchen — 17 TVs and deep beer list. 15-min walk or short subway to MSG.
Stout NYC Penn Station
Steps from MSG's main entrance — 20+ beers on tap, 100+ bottles. Part of the Stout NYC group with a larger 35th Street flagship two blocks away.
Tír na nÓg Irish Bar & Grill
Opened 1998 directly across from Penn Station and MSG. 30-second walk, 34 draft beers, long Irish whiskey list, stays open later on event nights.
Restaurants
3-min walk
restaurant
Mustang Harry's
Family-run Irish-American sports bar steps from MSG, run by brothers Ian and Niall Conroy from County Tipperary. 7 days a week, extended event-night hours.
Fan Eats
Mustang Harry's and Tara Mor are the 7th Avenue post-show staples
Mustang Harry's at 352 7th Avenue is a 30-year-old Irish gastropub run by the Conroy brothers, two minutes from MSG's 7th Avenue entrance and a default pre- and post-show stop. Tara Mor, also steps from MSG and Penn, keeps its kitchen and bar running late every night for the post-show wave; together they anchor the 7th Avenue Irish-bar circuit.
Fan Eats
Roberta's pizza above Penn and The Dynamo Room for pre-show
Roberta's, the legendary Brooklyn pizzeria, runs a three-story outpost directly above Penn Station serving Neapolitan pies, ideal for a quick pre-show stop with no Strip-style trek. The Dynamo Room (a Penn Station grillhouse with a roving beef cart of aged steaks) and Piggyback (Asian-inspired with honey-butter gochujang wings) round out the more recent pre-MSG dinner picks from The Infatuation and Time Out.
Fan Eats
Jongro BBQ
Opened 2015 — one of K-Town's most popular Korean BBQ destinations, two blocks from MSG.
Fan Eats
missKOREA BBQ
K-Town's longest-running upscale Korean BBQ — three floors, 15+ years on 32nd Street within walking distance of MSG.
Fan Eats
Mike's Deli (Arthur Avenue)
Legendary Italian deli on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx — New York's real Little Italy. Mike's has been serving enormous hero sandwiches, fresh mozzarella, and imported Italian goods since the 1950s. Ice Spice stopped by before her Yankees first pitch. A Bronx institution and a must-visit for authentic Italian-American food.
Things to Do
Things to Do
MSG allows up to 22 by 14 by 9 bags, no clear-bag requirement
Unlike most NFL/MLB venues, MSG does not require clear bags. Bags up to 22 by 14 by 9 inches are allowed as long as they fit under your seat; laptops and tablets are permitted in compliant bags. MSG offers express no-bag entry lanes that move noticeably faster, and there is no on-site coat or bag check, so oversized bags must go back to the hotel.
Things to Do
Billy Joel's 10-year MSG residency ended July 25, 2024
Billy Joel was named MSG's first-ever music 'franchise' in December 2013, alongside the Knicks and Rangers, and played one show every month from January 2014 until his 150th-lifetime / 104th-residency show on July 25, 2024. Across the run more than 1.9 million tickets were sold to fans from all 50 states and 120-plus countries, anchoring decade-defining MSG fan-travel culture.
Things to Do
LIRR added late-night trains specifically for post-MSG crowds
The Long Island Rail Road added two extra post-event trains from Penn Station on top of the late-night service it implemented in fall 2023, specifically so MSG crowds (Knicks, Rangers, concerts) can get back to Long Island after shows that end past 10:30pm. Penn Station sits directly under MSG, so the walk from your seat to your platform can be under 10 minutes.
Things to Do
Flushing Meadows Fan Walk
The walk from the 7 Train's Mets-Willets Point station through Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to Citi Field passes the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and the site of two World's Fairs, giving fans a compressed tour of New York's sporting and cultural ambition in about fifteen minutes. On days when the Mets and the US Open overlap in late August the park fills simultaneously with baseball and tennis fans, creating a uniquely New York collision of sporting worlds. The Unisphere, towering over the park entrance, has appeared in countless sports films and serves as the instinctive meeting point for Mets and tennis fan groups.
Attraction
Madison Square Garden All Access Tour
Experience the World's Most Famous Arena with the MSG All Access Tour. Walk the backstage corridors, see the Knicks and Rangers locker rooms, step onto the arena floor, and learn about the legends who have graced the Garden from Willis Reed to Mark Messier. Tours run daily year-round.
Attraction
Madison Square Garden Arena Tour
The World's Most Famous Arena has hosted everything from Muhammad Ali to Taylor Swift. MSG's guided arena tour takes fans through the corridors of history — visiting locker rooms, the Chase Bridge, and the famous blue tunnel. With Spike Lee's Knicks courtside seats the most famous in the NBA, the MSG tour is a bucket-list experience for any sports fan visiting New York.
Plan Your Trip to Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden in New York is tracked across 2 events and seats 20,789 fans. Here's how fans build a trip around it:
- Anchor Event: 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals (May 18, 2026).
- Celebrities Tracked Here: Spike Lee, Bad Bunny, Ben Stiller and others appear in linked venue sightings.
- Post-Event Path: Continue into New York and New York hotspots for food, bars, and stay options.
Celebrity Sightings at Madison Square Garden
Trending
Spike Lee
In one of the NBA's most iconic full-circle moments, Spike Lee brought framed Ne
Trending
Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny and Timothée Chalamet sat side-by-side courtside at Madison Square Gar
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller, the actor and director, is a passionate Knicks fan and courtside re
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan, the 30 Rock and SNL star, is a diehard Knicks fan who brings his c
Chris Rock
Chris Rock, the comedy legend, is a Knicks courtside regular at Madison Square G
Jimmy Fallon
Fallon, wearing a Henrik Lundqvist jersey, appeared on the MSG JumboTron and san
David Byrne
David Byrne, Conan Gray, Heartstopper's Joe Locke, model Kaia Gerber and Hunger
Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer was the celebrity guest judge on the 'Vogue' ballroom segment of Mad
Tom Hanks, Jon Bon Jovi, Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft
Bruce Springsteen's MSG show drew Tom Hanks (filmed singing along to 'Long Walk
Spike Lee
Spike Lee has been the most prominent celebrity at Knicks games for four decades
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld is part of the Greenwich Village comedy ecosystem — much of his 2
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is a born-and-bred New Yorker (she grew up on the Upper West Side), an
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller is one of the most reliably present celebrities at Madison Square Ga
Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet was born and raised in Manhattan, went to LaGuardia High Schoo
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan grew up in the Bronx and was raised on Knicks basketball — he's bee
Celebrity Travel Guides at Madison Square Garden
All Celebrity Guides →Verified celebrity travel guides that anchor on Madison Square Garden — every restaurant, bar, or hotel celebs visit when they're here.
Sports
Spike Lee & Sylvia's Restaurant
Where Spike Lee fuels up on Harlem soul food before sliding into his $300K courtside seats at MSG.
1985-present (4+ decades of season tickets)
Sports
Jerry Seinfeld & Comedy Cellar
Jerry Seinfeld watches the Knicks at MSG — then drops in unannounced to test new material at the Comedy Cellar.
Recurring (e.g., January 2024 courtside sighting)
Celebrity
Lady Gaga & Joanne Trattoria
Where Lady Gaga refuels at her family's Upper West Side trattoria before headlining MSG.
Aug 2025 + Mar-Apr 2026 (multi-night hometown residency)
Sports
Ben Stiller & Madison Square Garden (Celebrity Row)
Where Ben Stiller films cinematic vertical phone footage of Knicks wins — Celebrity Row at MSG.
1970s-present (lifelong fan, current courtside regular)
Sports
Timothée Chalamet & Madison Square Garden (Celebrity Row)
Where NYC-native Timothée Chalamet has had Knicks season tickets since he was 14 — Celebrity Row at MSG.
2010-present (season tickets since age 14)
Sports
Tracy Morgan & Madison Square Garden (Celebrity Row)
The Bronx-raised Knicks lifer who sits MSG-courtside alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Spike Lee, and Chalamet.
1970s-present (Bronx-raised lifelong fan); notable February 1, 2025 game
Events at Madison Square Garden
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 Madison Square Garden
Spike Lee, Bad Bunny, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, David Byrne, Amy Schumer, Tom Hanks, Jon Bon Jovi, Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft, Spike Lee, Jerry Seinfeld, Lady Gaga, Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Morgan have been spotted at Madison Square Garden.
Madison Square Garden has a capacity of 20,789 people.
Madison Square Garden opened in 1968. It was designed by Charles Luckman, Ellerbe Becket, Charles Luckman Associates.
New York Knicks, New York Rangers play home games at Madison Square Garden in New York.
2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, 2026 NBA Finals are among the events held at Madison Square Garden.