Not everything worth seeing in Inglewood needs 70,000 seats. Right next door to SoFi Stadium, inside the same Hollywood Park complex on the old racetrack grounds, sits YouTube Theater, a sharp mid-size venue that opened on August 9, 2021. It is the room you want when you would rather feel close to the stage than lost in a crowd.
The right size for a night out
YouTube Theater spreads across 227,000 square feet and three stories, and it flexes its seating anywhere from about 3,400 up to 6,000 depending on the show. The design keeps everyone near the action; the furthest seat sits just 164 feet from the stage. Premium options include six luxury boxes and a 3,500-square-foot club with 140 seats. Like its giant neighbor, it was developed by Stan Kroenke's Kroenke Sports and Entertainment and designed by the architecture firm HKS, and YouTube took the naming rights in a 10-year deal in 2021. The venue is operated by StadCo LA, the same group that runs SoFi Stadium next door.
What plays here
This is a true all-purpose stage. The first act to perform was the Mexican rock band Caifanes in September 2021, and since then the theater has hosted concerts, comedy, theatrical productions, award shows and corporate events. It has also become a home for esports, hosting the Rocket League Championship Series Winter Major in March 2022. On any given month the calendar can swing from a touring musician to a stand-up comic to a live broadcast taping.
Why locals like it
Because it shares the Hollywood Park campus with SoFi Stadium, you get all the parking, plazas and polish of a world-class complex, but at a human scale. It is the kind of venue where even the upper rows feel like good seats, which is rare for Los Angeles.
Visitor tip
Check whether your event is at YouTube Theater or SoFi Stadium before you leave, because people mix them up and they share an address at Hollywood Park. Arrive early enough to walk the grounds and the lake between the two venues; it is one of the best free strolls in Inglewood, and the theater's smaller size means you are never far from your seat once doors open.