Hornets To Allow Fans At Spectrum Center For First Time In A Year

The Charlotte Hornets will allow fans at their March 13 game against the Toronto Raptors, the first time in a year that the NBA team will have fans in attendance at the Spectrum Center.

About 3,000 fans will be permitted in the 20,000-seat arena, per North Carolina coronavirus restrictions that limit large sports stadiums to 15% capacity, the team announced in a press release Tuesday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Hornets fans back to Spectrum Center, even though it will be in a limited capacity,” said Hornets President & Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield in a statement. “The energy, excitement and passion that our fans bring every night to Spectrum Center has been missed by our players, coaches and staff, and we cannot wait to have them back in the Hive. This is a great first step for not only our fans, but our city and our entire community."

But before opening attendance to the general public, the Hornets will welcome 500 Novant Health employees at their game March 11 against Detroit, as a "thank you" to frontline health care workers from their sponsorship partner.

Among safety requirements in place for all games:

• Face masks are required for all fans over the age of 2.
• Each fan will complete a COVID-19 health screen, available through the Hornets app, prior to entry.
• Tickets will be sold in pods of 1-4 seats throughout the arena, and each pod will have a six-food radius surrounding it.
• Ticketing will be mobile to limit contact.
• Entry to and exit from games will be timed and assigned by location to limit congestion.

Single game tickets for the remainder of the season go on sale Friday at 10 a.m., and can be purchased at hornets.com, ticketmaster.com or via phone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX.

More information about the Hornets' health and safety protocols, cleaning and sanitizing procedures and ticket information can be found at www.hornets.com/welcomeback.