Meydenbauer Center
Bellevue's premier convention, conference, and performing arts venue — 36,000 square feet of column-free ballroom, a 410-seat theatre, and a full block of meeting space steps from light rail.
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Quick facts
At a glance
- Neighborhood
- Downtown
- Phone
- (425) 637-1020
- Website
- meydenbauer.com
Why you'll love it
An editor's take
Meydenbauer Center is where Bellevue comes together. On any given weekend the same building might host an anime convention on the ballroom floor, a piano recital in the theatre, and a corporate gala on the upper meeting level — and every one of them ends within a five-minute walk of the region's best hotels, restaurants, and light rail. The venue is deliberately urban rather than suburban: no isolated convention campus, no shuttle required, no dead zone around the building. You walk out the front doors onto NE 6th Street and you are already in Downtown Bellevue.
Highlights
What makes it special
- Largest column-free ballroom on the Eastside — 36,000 sq ft
- 410-seat professional theatre with orchestra pit
- One block from Bellevue Downtown light rail station
- Walking distance to 3,000+ hotel rooms
- Home to Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra
- Hosts Sakura-Con, Emerald City, and 300+ events a year
- Direct 3-bay loading dock into the ballroom floor
What you'll experience
The visit, in detail
The visitor experience at Meydenbauer Center is defined by how easily an event slots into a normal Downtown Bellevue day. Everything arrives at one address, 11100 NE 6th Street: theatre patrons and convention attendees enter the same building, then split inside — theatre-goers to the double lobby, convention attendees to the ground-concourse registration desks. Center Hall A & B — the 36,000-square-foot ballroom — dominates the ground floor and can host a 3,500-seat theatre setup, a 2,000-person banquet, or a 3,600-person reception without a single column in the way. Upstairs, the 12,000-square-foot meeting level splits into breakout rooms of every scale, from executive conference rooms to full-floor plenaries. The theatre itself is a purpose-built 410-seat proscenium with an orchestra pit, professional lighting and sound, and a double lobby with concessions — small enough that every seat feels close to the stage, large enough for touring productions. Between sessions or before curtain, the concourse windows look out across Downtown Bellevue toward the Cascade skyline.
Insider notes
BellevueExplorer local tips
Take light rail if you can
Bellevue Downtown Station opened in 2024 and put Meydenbauer Center five minutes from a train platform. For evening events, skip the garage entirely — park at South Bellevue or Wilburton, take the 2 Line, and walk out to a rush-hour-free ride home. No garage exit line, no I-405 backup.
Beat the pre-theatre dinner rush
Book Old Bellevue restaurants for 5:30 pm, not 6:30 pm. You'll get the room to yourself, be done by 7:00, and stroll the five minutes back to Meydenbauer with time to spare before an 8 pm curtain. Everyone else lands at 6:30, hits a 20-minute wait, and jogs to the theatre.
Best time
When to visit
Weekday mornings between events — quiet enough to walk through the concourse and see the building itself.
Event-dependent — check meydenbauer.com/calendar before you plan.
Theatre performances are lower-pressure — arrive 45 minutes early for parking and a pre-show drink at Lincoln Square.
Downtown Bellevue's energy peaks. Book restaurants and hotels 3–4 weeks ahead.
Nearby
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FAQ
Common questions
Editorial ratings
How we rate it
BellevueExplorer Editorial Ratings are our independent assessment of the visitor experience. Rather than measuring popularity, they highlight the strengths of each destination using consistent editorial criteria. They are separate from public review scores and are based on our published methodology.
Walkability
One block from light rail, inside the Downtown Bellevue walking loop — hotels, restaurants, mall, museum, and park all reachable on foot in under 10 minutes. As central as event venues get.
Accessibility
Step-free entries, elevators to every level, wheelchair seating in the theatre, assistive listening devices, accessible restrooms on every floor. Wayfinding is unusually clear.
Value
Free to walk through between events. Parking is fairly priced for the location. Individual event pricing varies widely — theatre tickets from local producers are a genuine bargain for the room quality.
Date night
The 410-seat theatre is intimate and warm — every seat is a good seat. Pair with dinner in Old Bellevue for one of the best low-key date nights in Bellevue.
Family friendly
Home to Bellevue Youth Symphony and dozens of family-friendly conventions and community events every year. Anime cons in particular draw multigenerational crowds. Stroller-accessible throughout.
Photography
Exterior glass corner at NE 6th and 112th is genuinely photogenic — especially at golden hour. Interior photography is possible in lobbies and the concourse; performance photography is not.
Scenic beauty
Not a landmark building the way BAM is, but the concourse windows frame the Downtown Bellevue skyline and Cascades as well as anywhere in the city. The theatre lobby is genuinely beautiful.
Come prepared
Visitor checklist
- Check meydenbauer.com/calendar for the exact event and start time
- Book parking at the venue garage or in Lincoln Square if it's a large event
- Arrive 45 minutes early for theatre, 60 minutes for large conventions
- Reserve dinner in Old Bellevue or Lincoln Square before the event
- Bring a light layer — the ballroom runs cool
- Screenshot your ticket or badge before you leave home — cell signal inside the ballroom can be uneven during large events
- Save the light rail return schedule if you're transit-only
Practical
Know before you go
Tickets: Meydenbauer Center is the venue, not the ticket seller. Every event handles its own ticketing — theatre productions sell through the producing company (Bellevue Youth Symphony, touring productions, community theatre groups), conventions and trade shows sell badges on their own registration sites, and community events range from free public admission to invite-only. Always start at meydenbauer.com/calendar, click through to the event page, and follow the event's own purchase link. Do not buy from resale sites unless the event page links to one — most events use direct box-office ticketing, and refund and exchange policies are set by each producer, not by Meydenbauer. Screenshot or download your ticket or badge before you leave home; cell signal inside Center Hall can drop during peak events.
Parking: The Meydenbauer Center garage sits directly under the venue with 434 stalls on three levels; the entrance is midblock on NE 6th Street between 110th and 112th Ave NE. Meydenbauer's own North Lot overflow surface parking is entered midblock off 112th Ave NE between NE 6th and NE 8th. Rates are event-based; expect $10–$25 for evenings and large weekend events, and it does sell out. Three overflow garages are within a covered five-minute walk: Lincoln Square garage (largest, cheapest for long stays, four-minute covered walk via the NE 6th skybridge), Bellevue Square garage (free for short stays, five-minute walk), and the Bellevue City Hall garage across NE 6th (free evenings and weekends when open, three-minute walk). Accessible parking is on P1 and P2 near the elevator banks in the venue garage, and every overflow garage has ADA spaces near its elevator core. For a major convention, budget an extra 15 minutes for the garage entry line. For an 8 pm curtain, park by 7:00.
Transit drop-off: Rideshare and taxi drop-offs use the NE 6th Street curb directly in front of the main entrance. Accessible drop-off and pick-up is encouraged through the Meydenbauer Center garage — accessible stalls sit beside the building elevators, with step-free access to the Theatre on Level 2. Bellevue Downtown light rail station (2 Line, opened 2024) is a five-minute walk on NE 6th. RapidRide B Line and regional buses stop at Bellevue Transit Center a block south.
Other: The theatre and the ballroom share one building and one address at 11100 NE 6th Street; follow the event signage and house staff inside to your room or the theatre lobby. Bring a light layer; Center Hall runs cool. If you're combining an event with dinner in Old Bellevue, reserve at 5:30 pm on weekends — the 6:30 slot fills up.
Staying nearby: if you are in town for an event here, see our guide to hotels near Meydenbauer Center.
Details
Hours & contact
Contact
- Address
- 11100 NE 6th St, Bellevue, WA 98004
- Phone
- (425) 637-1020
- Website
- meydenbauer.com
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