The new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was unveiled in a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 31, with all of the new bells and whistles featured in a tour after County Executive Ed Mangano officially opened the venue.
Mangano was joined by arena developer Bruce Ratner, executive chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies; Dmitry Razumov, CEO of the primary owner of Nassau Events Center; Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment; and Andrew Kaplan, executive vice president of New York Community Bank, which presents the new Coliseum.
The tour included views of the new seats, a new inner walkway to help alleviate congestion in the main concourse—itself brighter than before—as well as tastes of the new food and drink available at the Coliseum.
The coliseum underwent a $165 million renovation before reopening this month. The venue has already presented Billy Joel in its inaugural concert, as well as Stevie Nicks and Idina Menzel.
There was, however, a certain element missing from the arena—the New York Islanders. While many speakers did mention the NHL club, which had played at the coliseum since its inception until moving to Brooklyn in 2015, there have apparently not been any concrete conversations about returning the team to Nassau County.
To learn more about the new food options available at the renovated venue, see our preview piece detailing the restaurants, which represent the dining scene on Long Island: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Set For Return.
