Little Caesars Arena is changing its red seats to black

Some design choices just don’t work out. After being open for just over a year, the red seats at the Little Caesars Arena will be switched out for black seats.

For anyone who’s watched a Pistons or Red Wings game on TV, the red seats show up quite clearly when no one is sitting in them. Unfortunately, that happens a lot during the games.

According to Crain’s, black fabric covers will be placed over the seats in the meantime. The replacement is expected to start in December.

Photo by Michelle & Chris Gerard

“We evaluated every aspect of arena operations during the inaugural year, and after numerous discussions with the Pistons and other stakeholders, we have made the decision to install black seats at Little Caesars Arena,” said Chris Granger, Group President, Sports & Entertainment, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., in a statement to media.

“When the Pistons agreed to move to downtown Detroit and play their home games at Little Caesars Arena, many design features were either finalized or already in production. We very much value our partnership with the Pistons organization and have made this decision together. This change is also made with support and input from industry-leading concert promoters and our television partners at Fox Sports Detroit. The transition to permanent black seats will take several months but will have no impact on our guest’s event-day experience.”

Olympia has said in the past that the arena looks empty because fans are out enjoying the concourse.