Anuel AA at UBS Arena: Start Time, LIRR Tips and What to Bring

Arms up, lights down: arena night in New York. Photo: ActionVance / Unsplash.

Anuel AA plays UBS Arena in Elmont on Friday, November 6, and the show is listed to begin at 8 PM. The easiest way there from the city is the Long Island Rail Road to Elmont-UBS Arena station, about 30 minutes from Penn Station or Grand Central Madison, so plan your train before you plan your outfit.

Friday night in Elmont is a lot of New York in one building. Here is everything you need to get in, get home and enjoy the night.

What to know

• When: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. Event begins 8 PM, per UBS Arena.
• Where: UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY 11003, right at the Queens and Nassau line.
• Train: LIRR to Elmont-UBS Arena (Fare Zone 4). About 30 minutes from Penn Station or Grand Central Madison.
• From the station: a free shuttle runs to the arena (about 5 minutes), or walk about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Bus: MTA Q2 and Q82 stop at the arena, and NICE Bus N6 serves the campus.
• Bags: nothing bigger than 12 x 12 x 6 inches. No backpacks of any size.
• Money: the arena is cashless. Reverse ATMs are across from Sections 108 and 210.
• Tickets: sold through Ticketmaster, linked from the UBS Arena event page.

Getting there by LIRR

!An empty LIRR platform at Kew Gardens, Queens, with a yellow safety strip along the tracks on a sunny fall day
The LIRR in Queens, on the way out east. Photo: Ryan Fleischer / Unsplash.

UBS Arena recommends the train, and it is the move. Elmont-UBS Arena is a full-time, accessible LIRR station, and the MTA says Hempstead, Huntington and Ronkonkoma Branch trains stop there every day.

From Penn Station or Grand Central Madison, look for a train that stops at Elmont-UBS Arena. UBS Arena puts the ride at about 30 minutes from either terminal, with direct service from Grand Central Madison.

From Jamaica, you are already most of the way there. Eastbound trains running through Jamaica toward Elmont-UBS Arena make the trip short, so riders coming off the E, J or Z can catch the LIRR right at Jamaica Station.

Coming from Westchester or Connecticut on Metro-North? The MTA says to connect to the LIRR at Grand Central and buy your ticket to Elmont-UBS Arena in the TrainTime app.

Two small things that save headaches. Keep your ticket when you get off the train, because the MTA says it is checked at the station before you can exit. And if you have a monthly or weekly LIRR ticket that covers Fare Zone 4, the MTA says it works for this trip.

Check the TrainTime app or MTA.info before you leave for your exact departure. As of this writing, the LIRR's special event timetable page did not list added trains for this show, so plan around the regular Hempstead Branch schedule.

Getting home

The ride home is where people get stuck. Before the lights go down, open TrainTime and screenshot the westbound trains leaving Elmont-UBS Arena after about 11 PM. UBS Arena also suggests activating your mobile train ticket before you leave the building, since the signal gets crowded when a full arena reaches for their phones at once.

The free shuttles run before and after events between the arena, Emerald Parking and the LIRR station, from the shuttle and bus loop on the northwest corner of the arena.

By bus

If you are coming from Queens, the Q2 and Q82 stop at UBS Arena. Check MTA Queens bus schedules for times, since buses after a late show run less often than trains.

Driving and parking

If you drive, buy parking ahead of time through Ticketmaster from the UBS Arena event page. UBS Arena says its parking lots can only be reached from the Cross Island Parkway, so check which exit your lot uses before you leave: the Belmont Park Garage is Exit 26A, while Exit 26B (Hempstead Turnpike East) is only for prepaid Diamond, Ruby and Silver pass holders.

Parking opens two hours before doors and closes 90 minutes after the event, according to the arena.

What to bring (and what to leave)

UBS Arena allows bags no larger than 12 x 12 x 6 inches, and every bag is screened. Backpacks of any size are not allowed. Medical bags and baby bags are permitted after screening. If you show up with something bigger, bag check is available in the Great Hall.

Leave the cash at home. UBS Arena is cashless for food, merch and parking, and reverse ATMs (which turn cash into a card) sit across from Sections 108 and 210. The arena's Know Before You Go page also has a Spanish version for anyone in your crew who reads it better en español.

Why this show hits

Anuel AA, born Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago in Carolina, Puerto Rico, broke through with his debut album "Real Hasta la Muerte" in 2018. That run put him on a string of Billboard Hot Latin Songs hits, including "Ella Quiere Beber" with Romeo Santos, and later "China," "Me Gusta" with Shakira and "La Llevo al Cielo."

For a lot of New York, those songs are the soundtrack of the last eight years: car speakers on the Concourse, house parties in Washington Heights, the summer playlist that never changed. Seeing him in an arena that is a train ride from Penn is a real night out, wherever you grew up.

The bottom line

Take the LIRR, keep your ticket, carry a small bag and screenshot your train home before the first song. Do that, and the only thing you have to worry about Friday is your voice on Saturday.

For the latest on show details, check UBS Arena's event page and the MTA's TrainTime app before you head out.