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Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington — 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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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.

4.4$$ DowntownUpdated July 2026
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Quick facts

At a glance

Address
11100 NE 6th St, Bellevue, WA 98004
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. Arrivals split cleanly: theatre patrons approach from the 112th Ave NE side into the double lobby, while convention attendees enter from the NE 6th Street main entrance and register on the ground concourse. 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

Off-peak

Weekday mornings between events — quiet enough to walk through the concourse and see the building itself.

Best days

Event-dependent — check meydenbauer.com/calendar before you plan.

Weeknights

Theatre performances are lower-pressure — arrive 45 minutes early for parking and a pre-show drink at Lincoln Square.

Convention weekends

Downtown Bellevue's energy peaks. Book restaurants and hotels 3–4 weeks ahead.

Nearby

What's around you

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Parks & Trails 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.

Learn how we rate places →

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 spaces on two levels, entered from 112th Ave NE. 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 is at the 112th Ave NE entrance on the theatre side, closer to elevators. 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 ballroom share the building but have separate entrances — check your ticket for which door to use. 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.

Details

Hours & contact

Contact

Address
11100 NE 6th St, Bellevue, WA 98004

Location

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