How the TD Garden Grew, By the Numbers
Photographs by Steve Babineau/Getty Images
UPDATE, January 17, 2:50 p.m.: Did you watch the Bruins and Celtics take the floor at the TD Garden yesterday? Check out a time-lapse video below from the Garden’s social media team of what happened between the games. It took the crew precisely two hours, 13 minutes, and four seconds to make the changeover on January 16, says TD Garden communications manager Courtney Mercier.
PREVIOUSLY:
Whether ablaze in Celtics kelly green or vibrant Bruins gold, the TD Garden has been a concrete beacon welcoming visitors to the city for more than 20 years. Sure, fans’ cheers in the “new” Garden might not reverberate quite as loudly as they did in its predecessor, but the arena has hosted some of modern Boston’s highest-profile moments, from the Celtics’ 2008 championship win to the Who’s (10th) farewell tour and even the 2004 Democratic National Convention. So how does this sports and events powerhouse keep up with the crowds—and their affinity for Super Slices—year after year? Ahead, we crunch the numbers on the Garden’s impressive operation.
3.5 million
Estimated annual attendees
200
Average number of events held annually
• • •
First concert:
R.E.M., October 2, 1995
Photograph by Carlos Silva Benítez
• • •
9″
Distance built from the original Boston Garden
18″
Length of a Sal’s Super Slice, the giant slab of pizza that’s a signature Garden concessions item
• • •
170,000
Number of Super Slices sold each year
650
Calories in a pepperoni Super Slice
140
Average number of changeovers annually
• • •
Next doubleheader of the season:
Bruins & Celtics, January 16
• • •
5 hours
Average time required for a changeover of the arena
3 hours
Average changeover time on doubleheader days
• • •
Changeover record:
2 hours, 10 minutes
• • •
15,896
Gallons of water needed to flood the rink for a Bruins game
17,565
Number of seats for hockey
266
Number of 5-by-5-foot tiles that make up the Celtics’ parquet floor
18,624
Number of seats for basketball
