The first time you drive a Brooklyn Park group into downtown Minneapolis for a night at Target Center, the exits sneak up fast. Highway 100 dumps you onto I-394 East, and before the skyline even registers, a sign is already pointing you into Ramp A or B. Circle the block once looking for a spot big enough for a bus, and you've burned the ten minutes you needed to actually get everyone to their seats before tip-off. One question settles it: where does a bus actually drop, and where does it wait while your group is inside?
Here's the short version. A charter bus or party bus can pull into the skyway-level ramps right at the arena, your group walks in out of the weather instead of hiking from a distant lot, and the bus stages nearby until you're ready to head back to Brooklyn Park. Below is exactly how that works, using Target Center's own published parking and drop-off rules, plus what size vehicle fits your group, what a rental runs, and the 2026 event calendar worth planning around.
Why Rent a Bus to Target Center from Brooklyn Park?
Getting a group of any real size from Brooklyn Park to a Timberwolves game, a Lynx game, or a concert at Target Center means someone is driving I-394 or I-94 in the dark, someone is hunting for a downtown ramp with room for more than one car, and someone is standing outside in a Minnesota winter waiting on a rideshare that never seems to show up when 19,000 people are trying to leave at once. A Brooklyn Park charter bus rental booked through Brooklynparkminibuscompany.com erases all three problems in one move.
Instead of two or three cars splitting up, paying for separate ramps, and losing each other on the walk in, your whole group rides together, gets dropped inside the skyway system, and has one bus waiting when the final buzzer sounds. It works the same whether you're organizing Brooklyn Park sporting event transportation for a Wolves or Lynx night or a Brooklyn Park concert transportation run for a touring act. One quote covers pickup anywhere in Brooklyn Park, a drop right at the arena, and a bus staged for the ride home.
Charter Bus & Party Bus Drop-Off at Target Center
Target Center sits at 600 First Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55403, between 6th and 7th Streets in the Warehouse and Entertainment District, per the arena's own Target Center getting here page. The building connects directly into the downtown skyway system, and the two parking ramps built into that skyway connection — Ramp A and Ramp B — are the ones that matter most for a bus group.
Guests who need elevator access are directed to "park in Ramp A or B and enter the arena on skyway level," per Target Center's Target Center ADA accessibility page. That's the detail that makes those two ramps the smart call for a group riding in on a minibus or charter bus too: skyway-level entry means your group never sets foot outside between the ramp and the arena doors, which matters a lot more in a Minnesota January than it does in October.
The arena's separate ADA drop-off and pick-up point sits on 1st Avenue North at the Life Time Lobby entrance, at the corner of 1st Avenue and 6th Street. If part of your group needs a step-free drop right at the door rather than a ramp walk, that's the spot to request. Once inside, ticketed guests use the Main Skyway entrance, with the South Skyway entrance opening for select events and the Life Time Lobby reserved for floor-ticket holders.
Bus Parking at Target Center: Ramp A, Ramp B & the Motorcoach Permit
Target Center's own guidance is direct on this point: groups arriving "by bus or motor coach should reserve spots through www.mplsparking.com or by calling the venue directly at 612-343-7275" between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. weekdays, per the arena's Target Center parking page. Standard bus parking runs $30, and overnight bus parking runs $40 — and neither is a walk-up option.
Downtown Minneapolis backs that up with its own rule: any charter bus headed to "Target Center, Target Field, US Bank Stadium, Orchestra Hall, Orpheum Theatre, State Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, etc." has to buy a parking permit before arriving, per MPLS Parking's charter bus permit page. Permits go through an online portal, the permit has to be printed and displayed in the front window, and the bus has to park only between the posted zone signs — no RV parking and no tailgating in the bus zones. Overnight parking, for anyone routing a multi-day trip through Target Center, is only available in Zone 6 at 950 Hawthorne Avenue.
Questions on the permit go to [email protected] or 612-343-7275.
That permit step is the single most common thing a first-time group misses. Bring a bus to Target Center without one, and there's no lot to just pull into — the permit is booked and confirmed before your Brooklyn Park group ever leaves the driveway.
For everyday transportation providers, not buses, downtown Minneapolis has roughly 25,000 spaces across 38 ramps and lots, with SpotHero advance bookings running up to 50% off the drive-up rate. None of that changes the bus rule, though — oversized vehicles need the dedicated permit, not a general parking ramp ticket.
Driving to Target Center from Brooklyn Park: Routes & Traffic
Brooklyn Park sits roughly 13 to 15 miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis, and the drive typically runs 25 to 40 minutes depending on where in the city you start and how close to game time you're leaving. Two roads carry most of that trip.
The most direct route for a lot of Brooklyn Park pickups is Highway 100 South to I-394 East, which Target Center's own directions flag as exiting "directly into Ramp A or B" — the same skyway-connected ramps covered above. The other common option is Highway 252 south into I-94, which carries traffic down through North Minneapolis and into downtown, landing near the Hennepin Avenue and 4th Street exits closest to the arena. Both routes see real congestion in the hour before a Wolves or Lynx tip-off, and Target Center notes that construction has affected both I-94 and I-394 in recent seasons, so it's worth checking current conditions before pickup time rather than assuming last month's drive time still holds.
The upside of booking a charter bus rental for the run is that the routing headache lands on the bus, not on your group. The pickup time gets built around game-day traffic instead of an optimistic midday drive estimate, and the bus already has its parking permit sorted before it ever leaves Brooklyn Park.
Target Center Transportation Compared: Bus, Driving, Transit & Rideshare
This is a bus comparison website, so it's only fair to lay out the honest picture. A private bus isn't the right call for every trip — but for a real group, it usually wins on the things that matter most.
| Option | Cost shape | Arrives together? | Getting inside | Best group size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter bus / party bus | One flat rate, split across the group | Yes — one vehicle, one drop | Skyway-level, Ramp A/B, no walk outside | 15–56 |
| Everyone drives | Ramp fee per car, gas per car | No — separate ramps, separate walks | Depends which ramp fills first | 1–2 cars |
| Rideshare | Per car each way, plus post-event surge | No — multiple cars, multiple ETAs | Curbside drop, then a walk in | 1–4 per car |
| Metro Transit (Green Line / bus routes) | Downtown Zone fare per rider | Only if the whole group catches the same bus or train | Warehouse District/Hennepin Ave Station, short walk | Small groups comfortable with transit |
For a couple of people, hopping the Green Line to the Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue Station is a fine, cheap option — Metro Transit itself lists that station as "an easy walk" to the arena, per Metro Transit's Target Center page. But that same page notes buses were replacing METRO Blue Line trains at all stations as of early August 2026, so if your group is counting on the Blue Line specifically, it's worth double-checking current service before you plan around it. Bus routes 4, 5, 14, and 22 along with the METRO C and D Lines also serve the arena from the north, which is at least a partial option for anyone coming down through Brooklyn Center.
None of that solves the problem for a real group, though — the moment you're coordinating more than a few riders, one bus beats splitting fares, splitting rides, and hoping everyone regroups at the same door afterward.
What Size Bus Fits Your Group for Target Center?
Group size is really the whole decision. A small suite group doesn't need the same vehicle as a 40-person work outing, and picking the right one keeps you from paying for seats nobody uses.
| Vehicle | Typical seats | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 20-passenger minibus | Up to 20 | Suite groups, small watch parties, a family heading down for a Lynx game |
| 35-passenger minibus | Up to 35 | Office outings, larger friend groups, club-level bookings |
| Party bus | 15–50 | Birthdays and celebration nights that start the moment the bus pulls away from the curb |
| Charter bus | Up to 56 | Large fan groups, company events, and any trip where everyone needs to arrive together |
Whichever size fits, the pitch is the same: your group loads once in Brooklyn Park, rides together down Highway 100 or 252, and steps off inside the skyway at Ramp A or B instead of scattering across separate ramps.
Target Center Party Bus & Charter Bus Rental Prices
Pricing for a Target Center run depends on a handful of clear factors: the size of vehicle you need, how many hours you're booking it for (including how long the group is inside), the date and event, and the mileage from your Brooklyn Park pickup point. There's no single sticker price, but Brooklynparkminibuscompany.com lets you compare vehicles and rates in about a minute using the quote tool, or by calling 612-206-8050.
To give you an idea: a 22-person Brooklyn Park group heading to a Friday-night Lynx game books a 25-passenger minibus, with pickup along Zane Avenue at 5:30 p.m. and drop at Ramp B by around 6:15 p.m. — well ahead of a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. A 5-hour booking at that size might run somewhere around $700 to $900, or roughly $32 to $41 a head, once the ride down, the parking permit hassle, and the ride home are all folded into one number. Pricing shifts with the date, the vehicle, and demand, so the fastest way to get an exact figure for your trip is to check the Brooklyn Park bus rental prices page or call for a free quote.
Target Center Bag Policy & Entry Rules
A few rules are worth knowing before your group ever gets off the bus. Straight from Target Center's own Target Center know-before-you-go page:
- Bags are limited. Permitted bags run no larger than 5" x 9", with diaper bags and medical bags exempted from that limit. Everything gets searched at entry.
- No strollers. Strollers are not allowed inside the arena at all.
- The arena is cashless. Concession and merchandise stands take Apple Pay and Google Pay, but not cash — and the box office doesn't take mobile payment at all, so plan ahead if anyone needs a physical ticket.
- Re-entry isn't allowed. Once your group exits the building, that's it for the night — another reason to keep the bag limits in mind rather than planning a trip back out to the bus mid-event.
None of that changes what a bus does for you at the curb, but it does mean the group should leave anything oversized on the bus in the first place, rather than finding out at the door.
Leaving Target Center After the Final Buzzer
Getting out is where a bus earns its keep. When a sellout crowd hits the skyway doors at once, the ramps clear slowly and every rideshare in downtown Minneapolis is trying to serve the same few blocks at the same time — which is exactly when surge pricing and long waits show up.
With a bus, none of that is your group's problem. The bus stages in its permitted ramp spot during the event, everyone regroups at a set pickup point after the final buzzer or the last encore, and the ride back up Highway 100 or 252 to Brooklyn Park is already handled — no standing on a downtown curb refreshing a rideshare app, no separate cars trying to find each other in the same crowded ramp.
Target Center's 2026 Event Calendar
Target Center runs a packed calendar between Minnesota Lynx games and touring concerts, and the busiest dates are exactly when bus parking permits and downtown ramps fill up fastest. A sample of what's on the books, per Target Center's event calendar:
- Minnesota Lynx (WNBA): home games include August 8 and 9, August 24, September 18, and September 24, 2026.
- J. Cole — August 18, 2026.
- Tame Impala with Dominic Fike — August 28, 2026.
- Kacey Musgraves — September 22, 2026.
- Doja Cat — October 4, 2026.
- Zac Brown Band with Brothers Osborne — October 23, 2026.
- Katseye — November 7, 2026, and MercyMe — November 15, 2026.
- NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament subregional — March 19–21, 2027, a multi-day event worth booking the overnight Zone 6 bus permit for rather than day-of parking.
Minnesota Timberwolves home games run through the fall and into spring as well, though the NBA schedule for a given season typically isn't finalized until later in the summer — worth a quick check of Target Center's own calendar closer to your date.
Booking Your Brooklyn Park to Target Center Bus Rental
Locking in a bus for a Target Center trip through Brooklynparkminibuscompany.com is a short process:
- Request a quote with your group size, Brooklyn Park pickup location, the event, and the date.
- Compare vehicles and pricing — minibus, party bus, or full charter bus, whichever fits your headcount.
- Set your return pickup window so the bus is staged and ready the moment your group is back at the meeting point.
If your trip touches more than one stop — a dinner before the game, a hotel drop for out-of-town guests — the Brooklyn Park group transportation services page covers multi-stop itineraries. Otherwise, fill out the quick form or call 612-206-8050 and compare pricing in about a minute.
Frequently Asked Questions About Target Center Bus Rentals
Where does a charter bus drop off at Target Center?
Groups arriving by bus or motorcoach use Ramp A or Ramp B, the two skyway-connected ramps Target Center itself points to for elevator-level access. From either ramp, your group walks straight into the arena through the skyway without ever stepping back outside. A separate ADA drop-off sits on 1st Avenue North at the Life Time Lobby entrance, at the corner of 1st Avenue and 6th Street.
Does a bus need a parking permit at Target Center?
Yes. Any bus or motorcoach heading to Target Center needs a parking permit purchased in advance through mplsparking.com or by calling the venue directly at 612-343-7275, per both Target Center's own parking page and the city's charter bus parking rules. There's no walk-up bus parking.
How much does bus parking cost at Target Center?
Standard bus parking runs $30, and overnight bus parking runs $40, per Target Center's published rates. Overnight parking is only available in Zone 6 at 950 Hawthorne Avenue.
How far is Target Center from Brooklyn Park?
Roughly 13 to 15 miles, with a typical drive of 25 to 40 minutes depending on the time of day and which part of Brooklyn Park you're starting from. Game-day traffic on I-394 and I-94 can stretch that window, so building in extra time before tip-off is worth it.
What's the fastest route from Brooklyn Park to Target Center?
Highway 100 South to I-394 East is the route Target Center's own directions point to for exiting directly into Ramp A or B. Highway 252 into I-94 is the other common option, running south through North Minneapolis into downtown.
Is the light rail near Target Center running normally right now?
Not entirely. As of early August 2026, Metro Transit was running buses in place of METRO Blue Line trains at all stations while work continues, per its own service alert. The Green Line, which also serves the nearby Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue Station, was unaffected.
It's worth checking current status before counting on the Blue Line specifically.
What's the bag policy at Target Center?
Bags can't be larger than 5" x 9", though diaper bags and medical bags are exempt. Strollers aren't allowed inside at all, and everything is searched at the door.
Is Target Center a cashless venue?
Yes. Concession and merchandise stands accept Apple Pay and Google Pay but not cash, and the box office doesn't take mobile payment at all.
Can we park overnight near Target Center for a multi-day event?
Yes, but only in one designated spot: Zone 6 at 950 Hawthorne Avenue. Standard event bus parking doesn't allow overnight stays, so a multi-day trip like the 2027 NCAA tournament weekend needs the overnight zone booked specifically.
How much does it cost to rent a bus from Brooklyn Park to Target Center?
Pricing depends on vehicle size, total hours, the date, and mileage from your Brooklyn Park pickup point. A 5-hour minibus booking for a group of around 20 to 25 might run in the neighborhood of $700 to $900, though the fastest way to get an exact number is a free quote by phone or online.
How far in advance should we book a bus to Target Center?
The earlier the better, especially around big concert dates and the 2027 NCAA tournament weekend, when both downtown bus parking permits and vehicles get requested well ahead of time. For a regular-season Lynx game or a weeknight show, a couple of weeks of notice is usually workable.
Book Your Target Center Party Bus or Charter Bus Today
Whether it's a Lynx game, a concert, or the 2027 NCAA tournament weekend, a bus from Brooklyn Park to Target Center through Brooklynparkminibuscompany.com means your group rides down together, walks into the skyway at Ramp A or B instead of a distant lot, and has a ride waiting the second the event lets out. Also planning a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium or the Minnesota State Fair? Those guides cover their own drop-offs and parking rules.
Fill out the quick online form or call 612-206-8050 to compare vehicles and pricing for your Target Center trip in about a minute.
