KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The T-Mobile Center, which has been shuttered since the abrupt cancellation of the Big 12 basketball tournament in March, will open its doors in late January with Disney on Ice performances.
The venue, previously called Sprint Center, announced a run of more than a dozen “Dream Big” shows slated for late January and early February. Officials say those shows kick off an aggressive schedule of events at the downtown venue as performers look to get back on tour in 2021.
Capacity will be reduced and all guests must purchase tickets in “seating pods,” which are spaced apart and cannot be divided into separate tickets. Guests are required to wear face coverings “unless otherwise exempted by law,” according to the production’s website.
Officials hope the Disney performances will kick off a busy year at the venue that has gone 10 months without spectators.
“The booking calendar looks very aggressive,” said Shani Tate Ross, vice president of sales and marketing at the venue. “Everyone across the country is basically in the same boat as we look for events to return. So we are very excited for 2021.”
The 18,000-seat arena will be reduced to 20% capacity — about 3,600 people — for the Disney performances, she said. Guests can purchase ticket pods in groups of two to eight seats scattered around the venue. Each pod is separated from others by at least eight feet.
On its website, the T-Mobile Center advertises ticket prices ranging from $23 to $103.
Much like the NBA created a so-called bubble in Florida to keep its season going this year, the traveling Disney on Ice crew has isolated together, according to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC.
While the show was in Houston in early December, officials told KPRC that the 95 or so crew members lived together, were monitored regularly and tested for COVID-19 multiple times each week.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has restricted all indoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people. All concerts, theater performances, lectures and weddings with more than 10 individuals must submit a mitigation plan and receive approval of the Kansas City Health Department.
Health department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. But Tate Ross said the health department had signed off on a plan for the Disney show’s performance at the city-owned venue.
The T-Mobile Center website says it has implemented many safety precautions, including temperature checks for guests, mandatory masks, social distancing measures and enhanced sanitation.
Future events are being booked at 20% capacity with the hope of increasing capacity as the coronavirus vaccine brings the pandemic under control. T-Mobile Center will host the Latin musical act Grupo Firme in April. The 2021 calendar also features Justin Bieber, Rage Against the Machine and Maroon 5.
“The outlook is bright. People would like to tour and people would like to get together,” Tate Ross said. “Most importantly, we’d like to make sure that happens in a safe and responsible manner.”
Like movie theaters, the live events business has been decimated by the pandemic.
Some local groups have sought to hold virtual shows and concerts for the holiday season. But many events have been canceled or postponed
Earlier this month, the William Baker Festival Singers moved their annual holiday concerts from downtown Kansas City to Leavenworth County, which does not have a mask mandate and does not limit gatherings.
