UNCASVILLE, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena has earned the honor of No. 1 Indoor Arena in the world for its size (5,001 – 10,000-seat capacity) based on ticket sales. Industry trade publications, Pollstar and VenuesNow, announced the rankings in their 2021 Year End Special issues, which report the top-selling tours and top venues around the world. Additionally, Mohegan Sun Arena finished the year ranked as the No. 10 venue overall in the U.S. and the No. 11 spot in the world, regardless of size.
Pollstar also released its year-end Top 100 Tours chart by worldwide ticket sales. In 2021, Mohegan Sun Arena hosted two tours in the top five (No. 1 – Harry Styles and No. 4 – Dave Matthews Band), and three additional tours in the top 30 (No. 23 – Dan + Shay; No. 27 – Machine Gun Kelly; and No. 30 – Sebastian Maniscalco). Harry Styles made his solo debut at Mohegan Sun Arena for two sold-out shows in October as part of Mohegan Sun’s 25th Anniversary celebration.
Mohegan Sun Arena drew more than 450,000 people in 2021, making it the top casino venue in the world.
“This is a major team win for Mohegan Sun and all the team members who work so hard to earn the No. 1 ranking and will live on as a milestone for many years to come,” said Tom Cantone, President of Sports and Entertainment at Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment. “Mohegan Sun Arena has consistently ranked among the top venues in the world over the last decade, and it’s an honor to lead and be a part of such a hardworking team we have called ‘The Decade of Excellence.'”
Mohegan Sun Arena stayed open during the pandemic with a historic Viacom Residency broadcasting live, nationally televised, Showtime sports programming. At one time, it was one of the only venues in America open. Later, it reopened to live fans over the summer for events with limited capacity like Connecticut Sun games, private concerts and a Bellator event. Mohegan Sun Arena put on its first live public concert on July 18th with Air Supply and its first concert at full capacity on July 29th with Lady A.
Since reopening, Mohegan Sun Arena has put on more than 50 concerts and 37 sporting events, including acts such as Toby Keith, Blake Shelton, The Doobie Brothers, The Monkees Farewell Tour, Machine Gun Kelly, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The Arena also hosted WNBA playoff games, comedians such as Sebastian Maniscalco and Tom Segura, college basketball tournaments, and the 100th Anniversary of Miss America.
The 2022 calendar features major artists scheduled to perform at Mohegan Sun Arena including Earth, Wind & Fire, Tame Impala, Lorde, Justin Bieber, New Kids on the Block featuring En Vogue, Rick Astley, and Salt-N-Pepa, Shawn Mendes, Rod Stewart, and Keith Urban.