Long Beach Arena &
Aquatics Center
Your LA 2028 Summer Games guide to Long Beach’s downtown waterfront venues — handball at the Long Beach Arena and water polo and artistic swimming at the temporary Long Beach Aquatics Center. Tickets, hospitality, and travel from an experienced event provider.
Long Beach at the LA 2028 Summer Games
Everything you need before you plan a trip — the two waterfront venues, the sports they host, ticket categories, getting there, and where to stay for the LA 2028 Summer Games in Long Beach.
Two Waterfront Venues, One Downtown Setting
Both venues sit on Long Beach’s downtown waterfront at the Convention & Entertainment Center — the indoor Long Beach Arena and, right beside it, the temporary open-air Aquatics Center built for the Games. Long Beach hosts 11 events for LA 2028, more than any city outside Los Angeles.
Handball
- A versatile indoor arena at the heart of Long Beach’s downtown waterfront, part of the Convention & Entertainment Center
- Hosts the LA 2028 Summer Games handball tournament — one of the fastest, highest-scoring team sports on the program
- A Games venue with real history: the arena hosted volleyball at the 1984 Los Angeles Games
- Indoor and climate-controlled, an easy walk from downtown hotels, dining, and the beach
Water Polo & Artistic Swimming
- A temporary open-air stadium purpose-built in the Convention Center lot right on the coast for the Games
- Hosts the water polo tournament and the artistic swimming competition — two of the most atmospheric aquatic events of the Summer Games
- Coastal backdrop and open-air setting make it one of the most scenic venues in the entire LA 2028 program
- Steps from the Long Beach Arena, so both venues can be paired into a single waterfront trip
Handball, Water Polo & Artistic Swimming
Three of the Summer Games’ most exciting events, all within a short walk of each other on the Long Beach waterfront — from the relentless pace of handball to the drama of water polo and the artistry of the pool.
Handball
Fast, physical, and high-scoring, handball is a seven-a-side indoor sport that plays out in a continuous end-to-end rhythm. The LA 2028 tournament runs through the group stage into the knockout rounds, with the medal matches among the hottest tickets at the Arena. If you have never seen it live, it is one of the best-value spectacles of the Games.
Water Polo
Intense and tactical, water polo brings the men’s and women’s tournaments to the temporary poolside stadium on the coast. Preliminary rounds fill out the early sessions before the knockout stage and medal matches, which draw the biggest crowds. The open-air waterfront setting makes it one of the most memorable ways to watch the sport.
Artistic Swimming
Precise, choreographed, and endlessly photogenic, artistic swimming is one of the most in-demand aesthetic events of the Summer Games. The finals sell quickly given the limited number of sessions, so early planning matters if this is on your list. The coastal Aquatics Center is a spectacular stage for it.
Tell us which sport or session you want — handball, water polo, or artistic swimming — and we’ll advise on availability, categories, and the full Long Beach trip.
Request Availability →How Summer Games Seating Works
Summer Games tickets are sold by price category rather than by fixed section and row, so you choose a category and the closer, more central seats carry the higher tiers. Here’s how the categories map to the seating at both Long Beach venues.
What Category A, B & C Mean
For the Summer Games, seats are grouped into priced categories rather than individual seat numbers — the principle is the same at the indoor Arena and the open-air Aquatics Center:
Exact category maps for each venue are released closer to the Games. We track them as they publish and can advise on which category fits the view and budget you want.
Tickets, Hospitality & Packages
Beyond standard category tickets, hospitality and package options pair prime seating with lounge access, catering, and premium services. For the Summer Games these move first, so early planning is the single biggest advantage.
Tell us your target sessions and group size and we’ll advise on categories, hospitality, and the full Long Beach itinerary.
Handball medal matches and artistic swimming finals are the fastest-moving sessions at these venues. If either is on your list, register your interest early — demand for a home Summer Games in Southern California will be exceptional.
Transit, Airports & Access
Long Beach is one of the most walkable and transit-friendly zones of the LA 2028 Summer Games, and both venues sit together on the downtown waterfront. During the Games, transit and shuttles will be the primary way in, with car access restricted around venues.
Getting Here
- Downtown Long Beach hotels — walking distance to both venues
- Long Beach Airport (LGB) ~15 min by car
- Downtown LA ~50–60 min by Metro A Line, ~30 min by car off-peak
- LAX ~30 min · John Wayne (SNA) ~30 min off-peak
Long Beach Waterfront Venues
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
During the Games the venues run under generic names and Games-specific access rules. Both sit together on the downtown waterfront. Xenia packages include all transport planning — airport transfers, session-day logistics, and the full Long Beach itinerary.
Hotels & Neighborhoods
Downtown Long Beach is the natural base — thousands of rooms within walking distance of both venues, plus the waterfront, dining, and the beach. Nearby zones with strong Metro links are the smart alternative when downtown fills.
Downtown Long Beach Waterfront
Hotels around the Convention Center and marina put you walking distance from both venues, with dining, the beach, and the Metro A Line at the door. The most convenient base for the Long Beach sessions — our standard placement.
The Queen Mary / Harbor
The historic Queen Mary and the harbor area offer a one-of-a-kind stay across the water from downtown, with shuttle and water-taxi links. Memorable and photogenic for a Games trip.
Nearby LA / Metro Corridor
Stations along the Metro A Line north toward Downtown LA give good value and a direct rail link to Long Beach, useful when the waterfront is booked out for a marquee session.
Orange County Coast
Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, and the northern Orange County coast are a short drive south, with beach-town hotels and an easy approach to the Long Beach waterfront.
Luxury
- Fairmont Breakers Long Beach — restored historic downtown landmark
- Hotel Maya, a DoubleTree by Hilton — waterfront with skyline views
- The Westin Long Beach — downtown, near the Convention Center
- Renaissance Long Beach — central downtown
4-Star
- Hyatt Regency Long Beach — beside the Convention Center
- Courtyard Long Beach Downtown — walkable to venues
- Hilton Long Beach — downtown core
- Residence Inn Long Beach Downtown — good for longer stays
Upper-Midrange
- Downtown Long Beach select-service — closest to the venues
- Metro A Line corridor — value with a direct rail link
- Orange County coast — beach-town alternative
- Matched to date, inventory, and group size
Long Beach has more than 5,000 hotel rooms citywide, but demand for the LA 2028 Summer Games will be unprecedented — book as early as humanly possible for any July 2028 session, and immediately for medal dates.
The Aquarium of the Pacific and the historic Queen Mary anchor the waterfront, and downtown Long Beach and the Pine Avenue corridor bring the dining and nightlife. Long Beach also makes a relaxed coastal base for reaching the wider LA 2028 zones — from Downtown LA to Carson and Inglewood — by car or Metro.
LA 2028 Summer Games in Long Beach — FAQ
Plain answers for planning a trip around the Long Beach Arena and Aquatics Center.
The Long Beach Arena hosts the handball tournament, and the temporary Long Beach Aquatics Center — built in the Convention Center lot for the Games — hosts water polo and artistic swimming. Both sit together on the downtown waterfront, so you can pair sessions across the two venues in a single trip. Long Beach hosts 11 events in total across the city, more than anywhere outside Los Angeles.
The LA 2028 Summer Games run July 14–30, 2028, with sessions at the Long Beach venues spread across that window — preliminary rounds early, and the knockout and medal sessions later. Water polo in particular runs across much of the tournament. The full session-by-session schedule is confirmed closer to the Games, and we track it as it publishes.
Tickets are sold by price category rather than by fixed section and row. Category A is the closest and most central, Category B is a strong mid-tier, and Category C is the value option with a full view of the whole field of play. Hospitality packages sit above the standard categories with lounge access and catering. Exact category maps for each venue are released closer to the Games, and we can advise on which fits your view and budget.
Long Beach is one of the most walkable Games zones — both venues, downtown hotels, dining, and the beach are within an easy walk. The Metro A Line links directly to Downtown LA and the wider zones, Long Beach Airport (LGB) is right in the city, and LAX is about 30 minutes away. During the Games, transit and dedicated shuttles are the primary access, with restricted car access near venues.
Yes — we build full packages around any session here, combining tickets or hospitality with waterfront hotel placement and transport across the Long Beach and wider LA zones. We can pair a handball session with water polo or artistic swimming, and even fold in other LA 2028 venues into a single multi-day itinerary. Tell us the sessions and we’ll handle the rest.
Your LA 2028 Long Beach Trip, Handled
Tickets, hospitality, hotels, and transport for handball, water polo, and artistic swimming at the Long Beach Arena and Aquatics Center — built around your sessions and the full waterfront experience.
Xenia Events LLC is an independent ticket and travel provider and is not affiliated with the LA28 organizing committee, the IOC, the City of Long Beach, the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, or any official organizing body. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and venue assignments, dates, and event details may change.