Perhaps you’ve heard, but The Arena District, in downtown Columbus, is kicking off their 15th Anniversary by hosting the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Nationwide Arena, just a short walk away from our downtown Columbus apartments! As the District celebrates its 15th birthday, it will be decked out the entire month of January for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game! To help prepare you, we have compiled a list of things to do during the All-Star Weekend, January 23-25th!

Things to Do

The Columbus Blue Jackets want everyone to know that the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend is more than just the game at Nationwide Arena on January 25. In fact, there will be plenty of events outside of Nationwide Arena in the surrounding areas of the Arena District. Everyone is encouraged to participate, even if you don’t have tickets for the Skills Competition or Game itself. You can still purchase tickets to the game by clicking HERE. The following is a list of fun activities you can participate in for All-Star Weekend:

• The Columbus Blue Jackets All-Star Winter Park across the street from Nationwide Arena will have an NHL-sized rink with 500 bleacher seats, skate rental and four heated locker rooms. The park will be open Jan. 16-25.
• There will be more than 50 hours of public skating plus private events and youth hockey games, said Larry Hoepfner, Blue Jackets executive vice president of business operations.
• A 34-foot high and 85-foot wide snow slide stretching 175 feet along Nationwide Boulevard next to the arena will be in use Jan. 22-25. The slide will have three lanes and starting points at various heights.
• There will a “Hockey House” in the park in the days prior to the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game that will feature food, beverages and live music. Adjacent to that will be the “Kids Zone” with family-friendly activities including a replica of the Blue Jackets locker room. Both tents will be heated and there will be outdoor fire pits. See plans HERE.
• A 5-kilomoter run/walk will be held Jan. 24 beginning at Nationwide Arena. There is a limit of 4,000 participants and Hoepfner said 1,300 have already registered. Click HERE to register now!
• The Greater Columbus Convention Center will be site of the 2015 NHL Fan Fair from Jan. 22-25 with more than 200,000 square feet of displays and interactive activities. Buy advanced tickets for $12 and save $4. Click HERE to purchase.
• Nationwide Boulevard in and around the arena will be illuminated by more than 350,000 LED lights on 176 trees from Jan. 15-25.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation will host a party Jan. 22 to benefit the fight against pediatric cancer.

“We think we’re the first city to go the NHL with the idea of tying in such a grand civic plan that has to do with tying in their activities to ours,” said Linda Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.

“What I say to folks is if you come to Columbus you’ll have fun,” Mayor Michael B. Coleman said. “That’s what we’ll have all weekend. It will be fun not just for those (in Nationwide Arena), but for all of central Ohio to enjoy at the same time.”

The goal is to set the standard for future NHL All-Star Game Weekends. We have beautiful arena here with the proximity to hotels and a convention center, all right here in the Arena District which is very unique to Columbus. We want to take advantage of that and showcase Columbus to the entire world.”

Where to Park

You’ll most likely need to find a place to park if you aren’t using Columbus public transportation and if you don’t already live nearby in one of the apartments in downtown Columbus.

Not only does the Arena District offer many different parking garages, all of them close to Nationwide Arena, NHL Fan Fair and All-Star Winter Park,we also offer pre-paid parking. Pick your spot and pre-pay for your Arena District parking to save time and guarantee your spot!www.arenadistrictparking.com