You've got a Timberwolves group, a concert group, or a suite full of coworkers headed to Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, and the first real question isn't what to wear — it's where the vehicle actually stops. Target Center doesn't sit in a sea of surface lots like a suburban arena. It sits at 600 1st Avenue North, wedged into the Warehouse District between 6th and 7th Streets, surrounded by parking ramps, a skyway system, and a downtown street grid that gets tight fast on a game or show night.
Here's the short version: a charter bus or party bus drops your group at the skyway-level entrance or the Life Time Lobby on 1st Avenue, and the vehicle then moves off to a reserved ramp spot instead of circling the block. Below is exactly how that works — pulled from Target Center's own parking and accessibility pages, the city's charter bus permitting rules, and Metro Transit's own directions — plus what size vehicle fits your group, what shapes the price, and what changes once the doors open.
Why Rent a Party Bus or Charter Bus to Target Center?
Downtown Minneapolis parking is not one big lot — it's 38 separate ramps and lots spread across the Warehouse District, according to Target Center's own parking page. That's great news if you're one car looking for any open ramp. It's a headache if you're trying to keep 20 or 40 people together, because everyone ends up in a different ramp, on a different level, walking in from a different direction.
A Target Center party bus rental erases that problem in one move. Your whole group loads at one pickup point, rides together, and gets dropped at the skyway entrance while the vehicle handles its own reserved parking. Target Center's group sales page lists "bus parking accommodations" as part of what it helps groups arrange — proof that a private bus isn't an afterthought here, it's a normal way people show up.
Through Minneapolisminibuscompany.com, comparing a charter bus, party bus, or minibus for a Target Center trip takes about a minute online or one call to 651-333-3490. You get vehicle options and pricing from a network of bus companies serving Minneapolis, instead of hunting for parking on your own.
Charter Bus & Party Bus Drop-Off at Target Center
Target Center runs three entrances, and which one your group uses depends on your tickets. The main skyway-level entrance opens for every ticketed guest. A south skyway entrance opens for select events only.
And the Life Time Lobby entrance on 1st Avenue is reserved for guests with floor tickets, according to the arena's own know-before-you-go page. A charter bus or party bus curbside drop works best at the 1st Avenue side, right where the Life Time Lobby sits, putting your group at street level instead of routing everyone up through a ramp to reach the skyway.
The building connects to Ramps A and B and to the Mayo Clinic Square ramp through enclosed skyway walkways, per Target Center's getting here page — useful to know if part of your group is meeting up after using a different ramp, since the skyway keeps that walk out of the weather.
ADA Drop-Off & Accessible Entry at Target Center
If anyone in your group needs step-free access, the arena's own accessibility guidance is specific: the ADA drop-off and pickup point sits at 1st Avenue and 6th Street, right at the Life Time Lobby, per Target Center's ADA information page. Elevator access runs through Ramps A and B at the skyway level. Guests can bring a personal wheelchair, and Target Center keeps a limited number of house wheelchairs to help transport guests to their seats, though those chairs stay with the venue rather than the guest.
Guest Services can be reached at 612-673-1300 (also available by text at 952-592-5520) if your group needs an escort at any entrance.
Charter Bus Parking Near Target Center: Permits, Rates & the Zone 6 Overnight Lot
Here's the detail most first-time planners miss: a charter bus can't just pull into a downtown ramp and grab a spot the way a car does. Minneapolis requires charter buses serving Target Center, Target Field, U.S. Bank Stadium, and Orchestra Hall to reserve a parking permit in advance, according to the city's parking operator, MPLS Parking. Skip that step and there's no guarantee of a spot when the vehicle rolls up.
Reservations go through MPLS Parking online or by calling the venue directly at 612-343-7275 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and Target Center's own parking page lists the going rates: $30 for standard event parking and $40 for overnight parking. Overnight bus parking is limited to one specific location — Zone 6, at 950 Hawthorne Avenue — and that permit has to be printed and displayed in the windshield, per MPLS Parking's charter bus rules. RVs and tailgating aren't part of the deal; this is parking, not a staging party.
Downtown Ramps A, B & C Near Target Center
For smaller vehicles, Target Center's own directions page names Ramps A, B, and C as the closest structures, all connected to the skyway. SpotHero reservations through the arena's booking partner run up to 50% below drive-up pricing when booked ahead, per that same parking page. That's a fine option for a Sprinter van or a couple of cars, but for anything bus-sized, the MPLS Parking permit above is the one that actually matters.
Getting to Target Center: Driving Routes & the I-394 Approach
Target Center's own getting here page lays out the approach from each direction. From the north, that's I-35W south to the Washington Avenue exit, then a right turn toward the ramps. From the south, it's I-35W north to the downtown exits, following the 5th Avenue exit toward 7th Street.
From the east, I-94 west to the 11th Street exit, then over to Hennepin Avenue. From the west, the simplest line is I-394 east, exiting directly into Ramp A or B.
That west-side approach matters right now: Target Center's own directions page currently flags reduced lanes and bridge repair work on I-94 between downtown and Highway 100. If your pickup point is west of the city, routing in on I-394 instead of fighting that stretch of I-94 is the smarter call, and it's worth confirming current conditions before a specific event date.
For groups flying in from outside the Twin Cities, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) handles the pickup end. MSP's own guidance for bus operators sets a 13-foot-6-inch clearance at both Terminal 1's Silver Ramp and Terminal 2's Ground Transportation Center, and buses waiting on an arriving flight can stage free for up to two hours in Holding Lot B, east of Signature Flight Support on Post Road, per MSP's bus operator information page. That holding lot is what keeps a charter bus from idling at the curb while your group clears baggage claim.
Target Center by Light Rail and Bus: Why Groups Still Book a Private Charter
Target Center sits close enough to transit that Metro Transit calls the walk from the Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue Station "an easy walk to Target Center," per its own directions page. Both the METRO Blue Line and METRO Green Line serve that stop, and downtown bus routes 4, 5, 14, and 22 plus the C and D Lines all reach the arena from the north and south, with routes 61 and 94 covering the east side and routes 9 and 14 covering the west.
That works fine for one or two people who already live near a station. It works less well for a birthday group, a corporate outing, or a suite of 25 people trying to arrive together, because everyone still has to get themselves to a station first, then find each other on the platform. A private charter bus or party bus skips that entirely — one pickup, one group, one drop at the arena, with nobody splitting off to chase a train.
Leaving Target Center After the Final Buzzer or Encore
Getting out is where a private bus earns its keep. Target Center runs a no re-entry policy for every event — once you step outside during a game or show, you don't get back in, according to the arena's own posted arena policies. That means your whole group needs to be together and ready before anyone heads for the exits, not trickling out one at a time to look for a ride.
Because Target Center is a downtown arena and not a stadium ringed with surface tailgate lots, there's no sprawling lot to walk across afterward — but there is a crowd funneling through the same skyway doors and down the same downtown blocks all at once. Set a single meet-back point with your group before the final buzzer or the last song — the Life Time Lobby entrance on 1st Avenue is easy to describe and easy to find even in a crowd — and have the bus staged nearby so it's ready the moment your group reaches the curb.
Target Center Bag Policy & Arena Rules Every Group Should Know
A few Target Center rules are worth passing along to your group before you leave the bus, straight from the arena's own policy pages:
- Bags top out at 5" x 9". Diaper bags and medical bags are allowed but subject to search. Strollers are not permitted inside.
- Backpacks and coolers stay out. Weapons, outside food and drinks, video cameras with detachable lenses, backpacks, coolers, drones, e-cigarettes, and pets other than service animals are all turned away at the door.
- Concessions are cashless. Apple Pay and Google Pay work at concession stands, but the box office does not accept either — or cash. Bring a card.
- Box office hours are limited. The box office is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., so same-day, walk-up ticket questions on a Tuesday or Saturday need to go through Guest Services instead.
Since nothing on that list fits in a cooler or a backpack anyway, storing gear in the bus's storage bays instead of trying to carry it through the door keeps your group moving at the entrance instead of getting pulled aside for a bag check.
What Size Party Bus or Charter Bus Fits Your Target Center Group?
Group size is really what decides the vehicle, not the occasion. Here's how the vehicle lineup breaks down for a Target Center run:
| Vehicle | Typical seats | Best for | Notable features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter van | Up to ~14 | Suite groups, small corporate outings | Leather seating, individual climate control, tinted windows |
| 25-passenger minibus | ~20–25 | Mid-size fan groups, birthday parties | Reclining seats, strong A/C, overhead storage |
| Party bus | ~15–40 | Groups wanting the pregame energy built in | Built-in bar area, LED lighting, sound system, wraparound seating |
| 35-passenger minibus | ~30–35 | Large corporate or family groups | Underfloor storage, reclining seats, WiFi |
| Charter bus | Up to 56 | Large fan groups, conventions, multi-stop nights | Undercarriage bays, onboard restroom, power outlets |
For a rowdier group wanting to keep the energy going on the ride over, a Target Center party bus rental with a built-in sound system and LED lighting sets the tone before the doors even open. For a larger office outing or a group hitting more than one downtown stop, a full-size charter bus's undercarriage bays handle gear that would otherwise crowd the aisle.
Target Center Party Bus & Charter Bus Rental Prices
There's no single number for a Target Center trip, because the quote moves with a few clear factors: the vehicle size you need, how many hours you're booking it for, the date and event (a Tuesday night show prices differently than a Timberwolves playoff date), and how far the pickup point is from downtown.
To give you an idea of what that looks like: a 25-person group booking a minibus for a 5-hour Timberwolves game night — pickup from a hotel near the airport, drop at Target Center, and a wait through the game for the ride home — might land somewhere in the neighborhood of a few hundred dollars an hour, split across the group. Remember, that separate MPLS Parking permit for the bus itself, covered above, is not part of that bus quote. Pricing always depends on your date, hours, and vehicle, so the fastest way to get a number is to compare quotes through Minneapolisminibuscompany.com or call 651-333-3490 — it takes about a minute either way, and there's no obligation attached.
Once you split one vehicle across 20, 30, or 56 people, the per-person cost usually beats everyone driving separately and each paying their own ramp rate. Check the Minneapolis bus rental prices page for a broader sense of what shapes pricing across different trip types.
Who Books a Charter Bus to Target Center
The same door-to-door setup works for pretty much every kind of Target Center trip — the group just changes.
Timberwolves and Lynx fan groups use a sporting event bus rental to keep a season-ticket group or a big watch-party group together instead of scattering across three different ramps. Concert-goers lean on a concert transportation package when a big-name show means every ramp downtown fills fast. Companies hosting clients in a suite turn to corporate transportation so nobody on the client side has to think about parking at all.
And a Target Center night doubling as a birthday celebration gets the built-in party bus treatment on the way there and the way home.
What's Playing at Target Center in 2026
Target Center runs a packed calendar on top of the Timberwolves and Lynx home schedules. Per the arena's own event listings, the back half of 2026 includes J. Cole on August 18, Tame Impala on August 28, Kacey Musgraves on September 22, and Doja Cat on October 4, with additional touring acts added through November. Big-name concert dates are exactly when downtown ramps fill earliest and the skyway gets most crowded, so locking in a vehicle as soon as your group has tickets is worth doing rather than waiting until the week of the show.
How Booking a Target Center Charter Bus Works
Getting a bus lined up for Target Center is a short process:
- Request a quote with your group size, pickup location, and event date.
- Compare vehicles and pricing from bus companies serving Minneapolis — this takes about a minute online, or you can call 651-333-3490 and talk it through.
- Confirm your pickup window for after the event, so the bus is staged and ready the moment your group reaches the curb instead of waiting on a rideshare in a crowd.
Minneapolisminibuscompany.com doesn't own the vehicles you'll be comparing — it connects you to a network of bus companies serving Minneapolis, so you're never limited to a single fleet or a single price.
Frequently Asked Questions About Target Center Bus Rentals
Where does a charter bus or party bus drop off at Target Center?
The Life Time Lobby entrance on 1st Avenue works best for a curbside drop, putting your group at street level near the arena's main skyway access. Floor-ticket holders use that same Life Time Lobby entrance; everyone else enters through the main skyway-level entrance, with a south skyway entrance opening for select events only.
Where does the bus park during a Target Center event?
Charter buses need their own reserved permit through MPLS Parking, separate from regular car parking. Standard event bus parking runs $30, and overnight bus parking runs $40 and is limited to Zone 6 at 950 Hawthorne Avenue.
How much does it cost to rent a party bus or charter bus to Target Center?
Pricing depends on vehicle size, hours booked, the date and event, and your pickup distance from downtown Minneapolis. Compare quotes through Minneapolisminibuscompany.com in about a minute, or call 651-333-3490 for a number specific to your date.
What's the closest light rail station to Target Center?
The Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue Station, served by both the METRO Blue Line and Green Line, sits an easy walk from the arena, per Metro Transit's own directions.
Is there tailgating at Target Center?
No. Target Center is a downtown arena surrounded by parking ramps and structures, not surface lots, so there isn't a tailgate lot the way suburban stadiums have. Groups gather inside or in nearby restaurants and bars before the doors open instead.
What's the bag policy at Target Center?
Bags are limited to 5" x 9", with diaper and medical bags allowed subject to search. Backpacks, coolers, and outside food and drinks are not permitted, and strollers are not allowed inside.
Can we leave Target Center and come back in?
No. Target Center enforces a no re-entry policy for every event, so your group should plan to stay in for the full game or show once you're inside.
How early should our group arrive at Target Center?
Arriving 45 minutes to an hour before doors gives your group time to clear the bag check, find seats, and settle in before tip-off or the opening act — earlier for a big concert date when the skyway and entrances get busy fast.
What size bus fits our group?
A Sprinter van covers up to about 14 people, a minibus handles 20 to 35, a party bus fits roughly 15 to 40 with room to move around, and a full-size charter bus covers groups up to 56. Group size is the main factor, not the occasion.
Are ADA-accessible buses available for a Target Center trip?
Yes — accessible vehicles can be arranged through the network. Mention it when requesting a quote so the right vehicle is lined up ahead of your date.
Is there construction affecting the drive to Target Center right now?
Target Center's own directions currently flag reduced lanes and bridge repair work on I-94 between downtown and Highway 100. Groups pulling from the west are better off routing in on I-394, which feeds directly into Ramp A or B.
How far in advance should we book a bus for a Target Center concert or Timberwolves game?
As soon as your group has tickets. Major concert dates and playoff-caliber Timberwolves games are when downtown vehicle availability tightens fastest, so earlier requests get first pick of vehicle size and pickup time.
Does Target Center have its own group transportation contact?
Yes. Target Center's group sales team can be reached at [email protected] and lists bus parking accommodations among what it helps arrange for groups, generally starting around 10 to 20 tickets depending on the event.
Book Your Target Center Party Bus or Charter Bus Today
Whether it's a Timberwolves playoff run, a Lynx game, or a touring concert stop, a private bus keeps your group together from pickup to the Life Time Lobby doors and back again — no scattering across 38 different ramps, no losing half the group on the skyway. Also heading to a game at U.S. Bank Stadium or out to the Minnesota State Fair? Those guides cover their own drop-offs and parking rules.
Compare charter buses, party buses, and minibuses for your Target Center trip through Minneapolisminibuscompany.com in about a minute online, or call 651-333-3490 any time for a free quote with no obligation attached.
