Opening night at College Park Center drew in students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of UTA on Wednesday.

The venue’s visitors showed up in droves and parked in lots as close as the College Park parking garage and as far as Lot 50, which is on the south end of campus.

UTA and Arlington police, as well as crowd control hires, guided drivers into the College Park parking garage and to Lot 47, next to the Business Building. But other drivers opted to park farther out fields like Lots 49, 50, 51 and 52. Student attendees, especially those who live on campus, didn’t have to travel far, with the advantage of having student parking.

Some drivers made it on campus between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., while others showed up 30 minutes later. By 7:15 p.m., parking attendants closed access to the College Park parking garage. Attendants said only a few spaces remained. At about the same time, Lot 47 traffic wasn’t active.

Traffic guards had a lot of down time until after the women’s game, when visitors left the venue. The same trend occurred at halftime during the men’s basketball game and minutes before it ended.

One visitor, alumnus Craig Griffin, opted to avoid traffic and walked from Lot 50 to the center, more than an hour before the men’s basketball game.

“Instead of trying to weave up and down, we just thought it would be better to park out here,” he said, about avoiding traffic lines.

Griffin, who said he planned his day around the opening event, described himself as a general sports fan and said he had to come out to support his alma mater. He also admired the new venue, where he said he wished he could have had his commencement ceremony.

“It would have been nice to have it in the proper arena as opposed to a hall,” Griffin said.

Another guest, alumnus Fred Myers said he didn’t mind the traffic. He walked from one of the farther lots and said he was excited to attend the festivities.“It’s a very good look for the university,” he said about center. “This is bigger and better things for the basketball team.”