Mechanics Bank Arena, previously known as the Rabobank Arena is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Bakersfield, California, USA. Located downtown at the corner of Truxtun Avenue and N Street, it was built in 1998, and was originally known as Centennial Garden. The city-owned arena sold naming rights to Dutch cooperative bank Rabobank in 2005; the naming rights contract, signed for $2.5 million, lasted through 2015.
The arena is home to the Bakersfield Condors ECHL ice hockey team and occasional California State University, Bakersfield Roadrunners Men's NCAA Division I basketball games. The arena is also the current home to the California Interscholastic Federation High School State Wrestling Championship Tournament held the first weekend in March. As a concert venue, the arena seats 6,400 for half-house shows and up to 10,225 for center stage and end-stage shows. The arena floor measures 17,000 square feet (1,600 m) of total space.
The southern concourse of the arena serves as the exhibit home of the Bob Elias Kern County Hall of Fame. The Bob Elias Hall of Fame honors athletes and people involved with athletics from Bakersfield and Kern County. They include nationally prominent athletes, local coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to athletics. A separate display on the western concourse honors the founders of Bakersfield and Kern County, as well as country music legend Buck Owens and current athletes and dignitaries from Bakersfield and Kern County.
In front of the arena is a city parkspace, Centennial Plaza. The Plaza has a large fountain that drains into the concrete of the plaza, a stage, a sculpture fountain, art work, and bricks commemorating the City of Bakersfield's Centennial as an incorporated city in 1998.
Parking for the arena, Theater, and Convention Center is in a lot on the southern side of the arena between N Street on the west, Q Street on the east, and 13th Street on the south. The lot is adjacent to the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center and the McMurtrey Aquatic Center.
Television Programs[]
| Date | Event | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2001 | SmackDown | - |
| February 13, 2003 | SmackDown | - |
| February 16, 2004 | RAW | - |
| May 26, 2006 | SmackDown | - |
| February 19, 2007 | RAW | 8,000 |
| November 6, 2007 | ECW | - |
| November 9, 2007 | SmackDown | - |
| June 2, 2008 | RAW | - |
| July 9, 2009 | ECW | - |
| July 9, 2009 | Superstars | - |
| July 10, 2009 | SmackDown | - |
| August 17, 2010 | NXT | - |
| August 19, 2010 | Superstars | - |
| August 20, 2010 | SmackDown | - |
| August 16, 2011 | NXT | 3,500 |
| August 18, 2011 | Superstars | - |
| August 19, 2011 | SmackDown | 3,500 |
| August 23, 2012 | Superstars | - |
| August 24, 2012 | SmackDown | - |
| August 21, 2013 | Main Event | 4,000 |
| August 23, 2013 | SmackDown | 4,000 |
| August 9, 2016 | Main Event | - |
| August 9, 2016 | SmackDown | - |
| February 13, 2018 | SmackDown | - |
| February 13, 2018 | 205 Live | - |
| October 7, 2019 | RAW | - |
| October 9, 2019 | Main Event | - |
| Sepetember 30, 2023 | NXT No Mercy | - |
