I just became the world's biggest Anteater Basketball fan. Came here for their homecoming game on Saturday, and let me tell you I was thoroughly IMPRESSED by the spectacle, excitement, organization and cleanliness of this facility. What I thought was going to be a mundane Big West shoot-around, turned out to be a very incredible ball game. As I was told later, it looked like I might have received a technical for being so intensely hateful toward the visiting team. Yelling "you suck Riverside" over and over at the players from courtside may or may not have contributed to their loss. AND, beers were only $6.50. ;-) There was someone at every door, entrance and seating section to help me find my seat. Not that it's a very confusing layout, but it definitely helped. The seats are nice, but unfortunately they don't have cup-holders. The student section was ALL fired up and they were even giving away Chipotle burrito coupons and In-N-Out coupons. THEN the Anteaters hit 9 three-pointers (I know, right, I was shocked too) and so they gave away Weinerschnitzel chili dog coupons. The venue was much larger than I had expected. It didn't look like a high school arena at all, but on the other hand it's no Galen (hee hee sorry). Oh, and they even had a DJ in the front lobby area blasting some hip-hop and Top 40, can you believe that? They really go all out for their games. Nice work Eater Nation! read more

Bren Events center is great. Spacious and has good parking. (In nearby Mesa Parking Structure or Anteater Parkins Structure 2 blocks away) The seating is good too and the place looks clean and well kept. read more

Great location for IBJJF tournaments. Although it may get a bit crowded o their near the weigh-in bullpen. Can see the matches extremely well from almost any seat in the event center. read more

INDOOORS! $10 parking handicap parking free close to the freeway exit yes this event is indoors so I didn't feel too bad having my family and friends sit for two hours for my college graduation also, they are extremely organized about directing traffic out, which is such an awesome thing! They literally started directing traffic out even inside the parking structure My friends and family (myself included) all thought the same thing... that was amazingly easy hahaha the only negative comments i have is parking is expensive and those parking spaces are tight read more

Saw a Filipino Cultural Night thing my sister was a part of, twice, I think, at this place when she went to UCI. Again, nothing really stands out about this place though. Really... I thought hard about saying something nice, but nothing. read more

Recently came here for homecoming a few weekends ago and I MUST say --- UCI marketing is stepping it up every game I go to (giveaways and such). Don't bother with the food - I do because I can't resist an Eater Hot Dog but the churros are not what you think. Just stay away. As far as GAMES go - We are clinching #1 in volleyball and even though we lost during the first round of the tournament -- we had a really interesting season towards the end (all VERY close games). I love cheering for the underdogs. Go anteaters! ZOT ZOT!!! I hope they never change the ID card - 'cause I still use my old one to get into games free and sit in the student section. P.s. I chance it with the parking.. and while I won't giveaway my special parking spot, it's not worht the $7 for "event parking" when you can buy short term parking for $2. Just ask the attendant read more

Great location for large tournaments. Was here for by brother's IBJJF tournament. As large as the place is, it can get crowded, as it did the night we were here. There is ample places to sit, and great view no matter where you sit, as you look down at everything. Unbelievably the parking was okay, and we were able to find parking immediately. Other than that, it's located at UCI. There's plenty of vendors, and food places in and outside of here. With that being said, the only reason I gave it a 4 star instead of 5, was because the day we were here for the tournament, they did not sell alcohol. Other than, that the place is cool. Afterwards, you can walk the campus, check out the scenery, and walk across the street to eat In N Out or Blaze pizza. read more

Ahh the Bren. I lived across from the damned place for nearly 3 years as an undergrad, and well... It's a venue. A place to hold events. I had only gone there 4 times in my 5 years of undergrad (dual majors, don't ask), and it's not really memorable. It's too small at times, too large at others, basketball games feel nearly claustrophobic, more so for volleyball. Concerts are OK in there, but the surrounding infrastructure does not do it justice, and depending on who's working in the schools Parking and Transportation department, security, directions and signage can vary between overloaded to hardly there. Basically, it's just a rudimentary auditorium. There's nothing fancy, save the anteater statue outside of it. Oh well. read more

I just go here for the Jiu Jitsu events. Usually sponsored by OTM Fight Shops. The place is huge and the roof is crazy looking. But they way over charge for parking and the food they sell is expensive and not very healthy. read more

As a student at UCI I attended a couple of events here that includes Student welcome events, a UCI basketball game and a Gym Class Heroes concert for Shocktoberfest. As a venue it has a pretty good size and plenty amount of seating. Viewing is good even if youre in the upper seating. That said the floor is a nice place to be but it gets Crowded. For concerts GA tickets are nice but if you are not in the front, you will often find yourself trying to survive extreme movements by the crowd. Also, the sound is pretty bad, whoever is on EQ is not giving us a good sound, nothing compared to the Gibson or even the Verizon wireless amp. It is, however, a good venue for concerts. Basketball games can get crowdy, and food is expensive! But the seating and viewing is much better than gigs. Tickets for these type of events are much more affordable as well. Although I have not experience parking at this venue yet but parking at UC Irvine overall gets an F. As a student I have been asked many, many times by people trying to find parking for their event. The trafiic seems to get super crowded in Mesa street (Which is a tiny street) and mayehm builds for parking. Those are the two bad things, parking and sound quality. They really affect the experience. It is an OK venue. read more

Went to the see the OC Breaker vs. Texas Wild for indoor tennis at the Bren Center at the VIP section. Our table was just behind the the players, which gave us an excellent view of the game. The facility clean, orderly, and organized. The attendants were very friendly and helpful. Most of all, I really enjoyed the game. Boths teams had really good plays and excellent volleys. read more

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Went here the other night for a MMA fight. The venue was small which makes any seat a good seat. Food and drinks were reasonably priced. read more

Bren Events Center - MMA fight - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Irvine, California

Bren Event Center, home of the anteater. As a UCI graduate, I have been in the Bren for basketball game, volleyball game, Shocktober, dean welcome as a freshman, and commencement as well. I like the layout of the center. The bathrooms are usually clean as well. The only thing I wish to change was that it would have seats or audience bleacher all 4 sides of the court like a full concert center. Instead if has 3 sides, with a side that's usually reserved for the stage or UCI band during a sprint game. Yes parking at the Mesa parking or student center parking can be difficult, but it is expected as the Bren often holds numerous events. For example, they have high school that brows the venue for their graduation. Overall, I enjoyed the Bren as a venue for sport games. Go Eaters! read more

Saw a World Team Tennis match here. it's a great location with ample (paid) parking. Though to get to this location you may have to know a bit about the school's layout and the campus area of irvine for that matter. but the use of a GPS or directions from your computer'll do it. read more

Pan-Ams, what else can you say. One recommendation to the UCI staff - Don't let Staff Pro run things. They kept bossing everyone around treating people like crap. If I were to review Staff Pro, they'd get one star. I think they forget they're security guards, but want to boss anyone they can around. read more

My first concert here and I'm pleasantly pleased. There really is no bad seat in the theater since it's a smaller theater for concerts. With that said, not much to chose from as far as food or drinks once inside but I rather have a good seat than food (since it's usually overpriced anyways). The parking though was a mess. Since you have to park on UCI, allow extra time. I'm glad I walked and went early. read more

Attended the WGASC today. What a rip off! They charged for parking, which was $10. Okay, I expected that. I also knew there's be a fee for tickets. The price was insane! $25 each, over 2 years old! No child or senior discount. Then many items at the snack bar, weren't being served or they ran out of. Expensive day, and glad I don't have to come back for an event, for awhile. read more

After seeing him on floor I totally changed my mind about this venue! One of my top ten shows!! Viva Morrissey!

Very nice facility for a graduation. Indoor, nice air conditioning, and huge projectors so even the back row can see the stage. The only thing that sucked was the parking. I parked on the roof and after the ceremony was over, it took me over 1 hour to leave the parking lot. If are going to an event at the Bren Event Center, make sure you come early and try to find parking on the lower floors and be sure to back into your spots so you can drive right now when you need to leave. read more

This Center was a huge setting for concert. The staff were super friendly. They guide you to your seats. The sound system was great and it was not too cold or too hot. Loved the snack bar and the tapped bear :) The only reason I did not give this center a 5 star is the seats were too close together and not very comfortable. But if you are enjoying a great concert, you will not even notice the quality of the seats. read more

Horrible place for a concert. saw Morrissey there last night and was disappointed in this venue. The parking situation was horrible, the way they structured their lines was annoying, there wasn't enough seats for people to sit down and had to stand but couldn't stand in certain areas so basically they hardly saw the show. to top it all off they ran out of beer by 10. tons of people were leaving the show early because of the beer situation. will never go back to this venue ever. Even 1 star is too much. read more

They need a better concession stand and more trash cans. The staff were not helpful and seemed annoyed when you asked them questions. Don't come here looking for VIP treatment. read more

You know what would be a great idea when tons of people are making their way to UCI - turn off the traffic lights and have one person direct the throngs of cars into one parking garage. BRILLIANT, make it so!!! mapquest it B4 u go kids, there's no major signs telling u where to go. we met the first major intersection with a blinking red light and ONE dood trying to direct frantic concert-goers and students trying to make it to their night classes. it was chaos. Now the venue was a university basketball stadium, nothing fancy but it was general admission and we got nice seats with a good view to see Death Cab. we could've joined the herd on the floor but i figured we had a good view so why fight the crowd. Now we're here to see DCFC and not only do they run the metal detector over u but they pat u down as well. who knew that Irvine was this dangerous, im not seeing Snoop here! if i was basing this on DCFC's concert i'd give it 5 stars cause they rocked (seriously they're pretty harcore live and they busted out "Photobooth" which made my night). But im reviewing the venue and that only gets 3. if ur coming from mid-city it will feel like u are driving to BFE, so be prepared. its 'eff'ing far. read more

High school graduation - took over an hour to park even arriving an hour early. UCI epically failed. No police. Kids dressed to direct traffic with no clue and no help. Not enough parking anywhere! Do not book a graduation here! read more

Terrible access, terrible parking, terrible traffic personnel, bad management in every conceivable way. I will NEVER attend another event here. read more

This is an excellent venue to watch college basketball. Good choices at the food stands. The parking garage is good size for the arena seating capacity. The first time I drove here I got lost . I don't know how that could have happened since it is a block off of University which is off the 73 freeway. Go Zot's. read more

I was here last Sunday for Bound for Glory and with the acoustics this place has when the pyro hits damn is it loud! The shotgun sounds echo throughout, but with the layout of the place it makes for a cool setting for an event like this and you can get in and out pretty fast. The food on the other hand isn't very good from what my friend's told me. The churro wasn't good and the popcorn tasted like it came right out of a bag. As hungry as I was, once they told me that I figured I would starve and wait until I went to Mimi's. read more

The Bren Events Center is adequate for most sport events and other competitions. It's not quite the most state of the art facility but it has lots of comfortable seats and enough sections to hold students that show up for Shocktoberfest and UCI Anteater basketball games. Other than that, I don't think this place can hold a larger capacity. If UCI were to ever get extremely good in basketball or another sport that takes place at the Bren, we might be getting into trouble. read more

The Bren Events Center houses tons of events throughout the year, from the basketball games, volleyball games to special events like VIBE dance competition, Shocktoberfest, cheer competitions, graduation.. and many more. The venue itself is big and clean. There are many doors around the building, which makes it a little confusing sometimes on which door is the entrance. Sometimes re-entry is allowed and sometimes it's not. Concessions is a little overpriced. But overall, a good venue that holds more than 4,000 people/students for various events. read more

The worst place ever to see anything, even paint drying. You would have thought this was their first event ever. Mass confusion, long lines for drink and bathroom use. Incompetent or under staffed. I was certain we were being served by quasi trained monkeys until I finally got to the head of the beer line 25 mins after queuing up. I'll bet this is what Hell is really like. read more

Great arena once inside but horrible parking. Leave event early unless you want to wait 30 plus minutes to get out of parking lot Also slow at ticket purchase counter. Build in time to wait in line. read more

horrible concert and venue ,I would never come here again ,very expensive beer ,only sold beer and wine ,morrissey sang the most depressing songs ever ,someone give him a xanax ,and long lines for everything ,over all a bad experience ,ohh and tge sound system sucked read more

nice venue for holding a huge amount of people. i had my high schools graduation here and there are many seats and a great acoustics