If you've ever tried to find a parking spot near Rice Park on a Friday night when both Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and Grand Casino Arena (formerly Xcel Energy Center) have packed houses, you already know how this story goes. The Lawson Ramp blinks FULL. The RiverCentre Ramp — connected by skyway to the arena — is gone before the Wild even drop the first puck.
Downtown meters run until 10:00 PM, so there's no free-after-six reprieve while you circle. And the walk from whatever ramp you eventually find runs longer than anyone planned when they were getting dressed for the show. A St. Paul charter bus or party bus rental changes the whole equation: your group pulls up to Washington Street, steps off curbside in front of the Ordway's entrance, and walks straight across from Rice Park.
The parking hunt belongs to someone else's evening.
Ordway Center (345 Washington St, Saint Paul, MN 55102) has anchored the Rice Park arts district since 1985 — Broadway touring productions on the Music Theater stage, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concerts in the Concert Hall, and Minnesota Opera performances that sell out before word of mouth fully kicks in. Whether you're organizing a corporate subscriber night, a birthday-show combo for 20, a family coming in for the holiday run of The Music Man, or a group of opera subscribers who want to arrive together, this guide covers the logistics exactly: the Ordway's verified drop-off protocol on Washington Street, where the bus stages during the show, and why the four-minute proximity to Grand Casino Arena makes a charter bus the clearest possible answer on concurrent-event nights. For bus options and pricing in St. Paul, see the St. Paul concert and event transportation page or call 612-661-1670 to compare vehicles for your Ordway visit.
Why Rent a Bus to Ordway Center for the Performing Arts?
The case for a St. Paul party bus or charter bus rental to the Ordway isn't complicated — it's arithmetic. The Ordway's parking page lists seven ramps within walking distance: the Lawson Ramp, the Kellogg Underground Ramp, the RiverCentre Ramp, Landmark Towers, the Lowry Ramp, the Treasure Island Ramp, and the Victory Ramp. That sounds like plenty.
Those same seven ramps also serve Grand Casino Arena, a four-minute walk from the Ordway's front entrance — the 17,954-seat home of the Minnesota Wild that hosts over 150 events a year. On any night when the Ordway's Music Theater is at capacity and Grand Casino Arena has a sellout, those seven ramps fill well before curtain. The RiverCentre Ramp goes first, because it connects directly to the arena via skyway.
The Lawson Ramp follows. Rideshare surge pricing begins around the same window.
A charter bus to the Ordway skips all of it. One vehicle collects the group — from the Minneapolis suburbs, from downtown hotels, from MSP airport, wherever — and drops everyone curbside on Washington Street per the Ordway's own parking protocol. The bus stages at an off-site lot during the show and returns for pickup after the curtain.
Nobody is late because they missed the Kellogg Boulevard exit. Nobody is watching surge prices tick upward on a January sidewalk at 10:45 PM. And once you split one charter bus across 30 or 40 people, the per-head cost often lands near what two downtown ramp passes cost per couple — without the ramp hunt and the post-show rideshare scramble attached to it.
Charter Bus & Party Bus Drop-Off at Ordway Center
Charter buses and party buses drop off guests in front of the Ordway on Washington Street. That instruction comes directly from the Ordway's official directions and parking page: buses are encouraged to unload guests curbside on Washington Street, and Ordway security staff will meet the bus at the curb and direct the vehicle to off-site parking. The drop happens on the Washington Street side facing Rice Park — which means your group steps off and is already looking at one of the best corners in downtown St. Paul, with the park fountain, the Landmark Center, and the Saint Paul Hotel all within eyeline from the curb.
There's no circling for a bus-accessible entrance. The front door is right there.
After the group unloads, the bus moves to off-site staging. The Ordway's parking page recommends two off-site locations for buses: the Comcast & River Park Plaza lot on Robert Street and the Sears lot on Rice Street. Both are close enough that a clean post-show pickup on Washington Street is straightforward — the key is setting the pickup window before the group goes inside, not at intermission.
"We'll text when the lights come up" works fine when the time and the pickup spot are agreed on in advance.
There is no on-site garage or bus parking deck at Ordway Center. The venue was built with curbside drop-off as the standard group arrival model, which makes the charter bus workflow exactly right for how the Ordway is designed to receive large groups. Your bus arrives on Washington Street, the security team coordinates, and the group walks straight to the entrance.
That's not a workaround — it's the system.
Washington Street curbside is the Ordway's published protocol for buses. Security staff meets the bus at the curb and directs off-site staging — so your group arrives at the front entrance while the parking logistics are handled on the venue's side, not yours.
Downtown St. Paul Parking Near the Ordway: What Planners Learn the Hard Way
The ramps the Ordway lists on its parking page are genuinely close — all within a few blocks of Washington Street. On a Tuesday matinee or a low-traffic weeknight, they're a fine option for cars. On a Friday or Saturday evening with a sold-out Broadway show, the situation tightens considerably.
Downtown parking meters run Monday through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, so a 7:30 PM curtain means you're paying at meters through the full search — no free-after-six window to soften the hunt.
There's a second detail that most groups don't know until they're already in the ramp: charter buses and large minibuses can't use standard downtown parking garages. The Grand Casino Arena parking page lists the RiverCentre Ramp at a 6'9" height clearance and the Kellogg Underground Ramp at 7' — well below the 11–12 foot profile of a standard charter bus. This is exactly why the Ordway's parking protocol routes buses to off-site lots on Robert Street and Rice Street rather than any of the nearby ramps.
Those lots can handle a full-size charter bus. The downtown ramps cannot. For groups arriving by charter bus, the off-site protocol isn't a limitation — it's the correct plan, and it keeps the bus close enough for a smooth post-show pickup.
How Concurrent Grand Casino Arena Events Affect Ordway Center Parking
Grand Casino Arena — formerly Xcel Energy Center, renamed in September 2025 — sits at 199 West Kellogg Boulevard, a four-minute walk from the Ordway's front entrance on Washington Street. The arena holds 17,954 for hockey and hosts more than 150 events annually, making it one of the busiest venues in the upper Midwest. That proximity is part of what makes downtown St. Paul a great entertainment destination.
It also creates a specific problem for anyone driving to the Ordway on a night when both venues have crowds.
The downtown ramps the Ordway recommends are the same ramps Grand Casino Arena directs its patrons to — and the RiverCentre Ramp connects to the arena directly via skyway, which means arena patrons treat it as their primary facility. When a Wild home game runs concurrently with a sold-out Music Theater show, the RiverCentre Ramp can fill two hours before either event starts. The Kellogg Underground Ramp follows.
Minnesota Wild home games run October through April, which maps almost perfectly onto the Ordway's Broadway season and the full run of Minnesota Opera and SPCO concerts. Concurrent-event nights happen regularly — not occasionally.
A charter bus rental to the Ordway on a Wild-game night is the cleanest possible answer. Your group drops on Washington Street before the ramps hit capacity, the bus stages at the Robert Street or Rice Street lots that can actually accommodate it, and pickup after the show is arranged in advance — while the arena's 17,954 fans work through the same downtown ramp queue your group skipped entirely. If your group is headed to Grand Casino Arena on a different night, the Grand Casino Arena transportation guide covers drop-off and parking over there.
Transportation Options for Your Ordway Center Group
A charter bus or party bus rental isn't the only way to reach the Ordway — but past a certain group size, it's the simplest. Here's an honest look at every option, scored on what actually matters for a Rice Park theater night.
| Option | Cost shape | Arrive together? | Drop-off point | Best group size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter bus or party bus rental | One flat rate, split across the group | Yes — one vehicle, one Washington Street arrival | Washington Street curbside, steps from the entrance | 15–56 |
| Sprinter limo or Sprinter van | One flat rate for the group | Yes, for smaller groups | Washington Street curbside | Up to 14 |
| Rideshare (Uber / Lyft) | Per car each way + post-show surge | No — multiple vehicles, multiple arrival times | Street curbside, varies by drop | 1–4 per car |
| Driving & parking | Per-car ramp fee + gas | No — caravans split up | Walk from whichever ramp you find | 1–2 cars |
| Metro Transit Green Line | Per-person fare | Only if everyone boards the same train | Walk from Central Station (~4 blocks) | Any, but no group coordination |
For one or two people, the Metro Transit Green Line from Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul is a legitimate option — the Central Station stop is about four blocks from the Ordway, and the fare is a few dollars. For a group of 15 or more, the coordination overhead of multiple cars or rideshares — especially on any night when Grand Casino Arena has an event — tips decisively toward one bus. That's the group the rest of this guide is written for.
What's Playing at Ordway Center: The 2026-2027 Season
The Ordway's 2026-2027 season runs on both stages from now through summer 2027 — Broadway touring productions on the Music Theater stage, one-night and multi-night concerts in the Concert Hall, and a full Minnesota Opera mainstage run. Here's what's on, with dates that matter for transportation planning.
Music Theater (Broadway): The season opened with Dirty Dancing: The Musical (August 12–September 6, 2026) — the kind of show that generates group bookings from bachelorette parties to corporate team nights in equal measure. Mystic Pizza follows October 6–11; The Music Man runs December 8–27 (a holiday group staple with multiple runs per week that fill suburban group bookings fast); Oh, Mary! plays January 6–17, 2027; and Legally Blonde closes the Broadway lineup February 19–21, 2027. The full calendar is at the Ordway season calendar.
Minnesota Opera returns to the Ordway stage with three productions the company has never performed here before: the world premiere of The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (October 31–November 8, 2026), Handel's Ariodante (March 13–21, 2027), and Verdi's Falstaff (May 8–16, 2027). Opening nights for Minnesota Opera productions draw the metro's most loyal subscriber base — groups that tend to plan arrival around the evening, not just the curtain. Full season details are at the Minnesota Opera season page.
The Ordway Concert Hall opens the SPCO's 2026-2027 season September 18-20, 2026, with artistic partner Gábor Takács-Nagy conducting Beethoven's Second Symphony alongside works by Ruth Crawford Seeger, Charles Ives, and Aaron Copland. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's nearly 80 performances this season make the Concert Hall one of the Twin Cities' most active classical venues through June 2027. The SPCO's Ordway Concert Hall page has the full schedule.
Single-night events like Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves: Live at the Ordway (October 17, 2026) and Hot Sardines: Holiday Stomp (December 4, 2026) sell quickly and often fall on nights when Grand Casino Arena also has events — exactly when a charter bus reservation matters most.
October, November, and December are the three highest-demand months for buses heading to the Ordway corridor. Multiple overlapping show runs, SPCO concert nights, and Wild home games all compete for the same downtown parking supply and the same vehicle availability. If your Ordway trip falls in that window, book your St. Paul party bus or charter bus rental as early as your date is confirmed.
December in particular — The Music Man runs all month — is one of the busiest periods in the Twin Cities bus market overall.
Pre-Show Dinner at Rice Park Before the Curtain
One of the best arguments for arriving by bus is what happens in the 90 minutes before the show. Your group drops on Washington Street with time to spare, Rice Park is right there across the street — a small, elegant square that predates the Capitol Building — and dinner is a 60-second walk in two directions. The stretch between the pre-show reservation and the curtain is part of the evening.
Arriving by charter bus makes it easy to actually use it instead of spending that window hunting for a ramp.
The St. Paul Grill at The Saint Paul Hotel (350 Market Street) sits on the northwest corner of Rice Park and overlooks the square directly — the classic pre-curtain reservation for Ordway shows for decades. Prime steaks, Lake Superior walleye, a serious bar program. Dinner service runs Monday through Saturday until 9:30 PM (Sunday until 8:30 PM).
Book a table when you book the bus; the 90-minute window before a Friday or Saturday Broadway curtain fills the room fast, especially during The Music Man run in December and any Minnesota Opera opening night. A dinner reservation plus an Ordway charter bus booking from Stpaulpartybuscompany.com is the whole evening taken care of before the week even starts.
For groups who want something more casual, Sakura Restaurant & Bar (350 St. Peter St) is half a block away with sushi, tempura, and a full bar in a bi-level space that handles large parties without a reservation crunch. Cossetta (211 7th St W) runs Italian classics a few blocks west toward the Capitol — a reliable group option when the hotel is already full. The point is that the bus drops the group with time, the dinner is within walking distance of Washington Street, and the post-show pickup is arranged on the same block.
Nobody is watching surge pricing tick upward at 11:00 PM trying to get home.
What Size Bus Fits Your Ordway Center Group?
The vehicle comes down to headcount and what kind of evening it is. Here's how the options from the full lineup break down for an Ordway night out in St. Paul.
For a small VIP group — eight to twelve colleagues at a corporate subscriber event, a bridal party coming in for Legally Blonde, or a private birthday dinner-and-show setup — a 14-passenger Sprinter limo gives you premium leather seating and USB charging at every seat without the footprint of a full bus. It handles Washington Street drop-off cleanly, fits easily into the off-site staging areas the Ordway recommends, and is the right scale for a group that wants a clean arrival without reserving a 56-seat vehicle for 10 people.
Groups of 15 to 35 land naturally in the minibus range — powerful climate control, plush reclining seats, and enough room to travel comfortably from the western suburbs or across I-94 from Minneapolis. The minibus handles Washington Street curbside drop without issue, fits into the Robert Street and Rice Street off-site lots, and doesn't require a full-size bus setup for a mid-size theater group. For a corporate event group coming in from a downtown Minneapolis office, a minibus is often the cleanest fit — one vehicle, one departure time, everyone on the same schedule.
For larger groups — 40 or more coming in for a Minnesota Opera production, a sold-out Music Man run, or a company block where every seat needs to arrive together — a 40-56 passenger charter bus is the natural choice. Deep undercarriage bays handle winter coats, bags, and anything else the group is carrying; onboard restrooms eliminate the intermission scramble for the lobby bathrooms; and the full-size charter bus is exactly what the Ordway's curbside staging protocol was designed to receive on Washington Street. Call 612-661-1670 to compare options for your specific headcount and date.
Ordway Center Party Bus & Charter Bus Rental Prices
What shapes the rate for a charter bus or party bus rental to the Ordway? Four things: vehicle size, total hours (travel to the show, wait during the performance, ride home), the date, and where the group is coming from. A Friday Broadway opening night from Plymouth prices differently than a Tuesday matinee from Bloomington.
To give you a planning range: a 15–35 passenger minibus typically runs $200–$275 per hour on weekdays and $200–$275 on weekends; a 25-passenger party bus runs about $250–$375 per hour; a 30-passenger party bus runs $325–$425 per hour on a weekend; and a full 40-56 passenger charter bus runs $200–$350 per hour or $1,350–$2,850 for a day rate. These figures are planning ranges to give you a baseline — the real number for your trip moves with the specific date, itinerary, and vehicle type.
Split one charter bus across 40 guests and the per-head cost — covering the full evening from pickup to drop-off — often runs near what two downtown ramp passes and a post-show rideshare cost per couple anyway. Except there's no ramp hunt, no cold wait on Washington Street at 11:00 PM, and no one drawing straws for who has to drive home instead of having a glass of wine at the St. Paul Grill first. Stpaulpartybuscompany.com makes it easy to compare quotes from a large network of bus companies serving St. Paul and the Twin Cities — no account required, free to check pricing online or by phone any time. See the St. Paul party bus prices page for the full rate breakdown, or call 612-661-1670 for a quote on your specific date and group size.
On a December night when The Music Man is sold out and the Wild are home at Grand Casino Arena, a charter bus to the Ordway is not just convenient — it's the only version of the evening that doesn't involve circling a full ramp. One flat rate, Washington Street drop-off, bus staged nearby, and pickup when the curtain falls.
Getting to Ordway Center from the Twin Cities and MSP Airport
Most Ordway groups arrive from one of three directions: the western Twin Cities suburbs along I-94 (Plymouth, Maple Grove, Minnetonka), the south metro on I-35E (Bloomington, Burnsville, Eagan), or across the river from Minneapolis via I-94 east. Off-peak, those runs are 20–35 minutes to downtown St. Paul depending on the origin. On a Friday evening before a 7:30 curtain, the I-94 corridor east of Minneapolis can stretch to 45–50 minutes with normal rush-hour volume.
A group that boards a charter bus together doesn't have to think about that — one consistent departure time, one arrival at Washington Street, and nobody late because they missed the Kellogg Boulevard exit.
For groups flying in — families coming in for a special production, subscribers from out of state, or corporate guests arriving at MSP the day of the show — the MSP airport transportation guide covers the full pickup protocol. The short version: MSP is about 12 miles from the Ordway via I-35E north to I-94 east, and a charter bus collects everyone at the arrivals level instead of the group scattering across multiple rideshares on arrival day. The "where do we meet after the flight" question disappears when there's one vehicle at one pickup point.
Groups based in Minneapolis have a scenic alternative to I-94 on evenings when the eastbound lanes are slow: the Robert Street Bridge crosses the Mississippi directly into downtown St. Paul, a route that can save time when I-94 traffic is stacking near the Snelling Avenue on-ramps. A Minneapolis party bus rental for a cross-river Ordway night follows the same Washington Street drop-off protocol — same curbside arrival, same post-show pickup, same evening. The two downtowns are closer than most people realize until they're not fighting a ramp on foot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly does a charter bus drop off at Ordway Center?
Per the Ordway's official parking and directions page, buses drop off guests curbside in front of the Ordway on Washington Street, directly across from Rice Park. Ordway security staff meets buses at the curb and directs the vehicle to off-site parking after the group unloads. There is no on-site bus garage — the drop is on Washington Street, steps from the main entrance.
Where does the bus park during the show?
The Ordway recommends two off-site options for bus parking after the Washington Street drop: the Comcast & River Park Plaza lot on Robert Street and the Sears lot on Rice Street. Both are close enough for the bus to return to Washington Street for a coordinated post-show pickup. Confirm the current staging plan when you book, as lot operations can shift by season.
Can a charter bus park in the downtown ramps near the Ordway?
No. Standard downtown parking ramps near the Ordway have height clearances that a charter bus or large minibus can't clear. The RiverCentre Ramp sits at 6'9" and the Kellogg Underground Ramp at 7' — well below the 11–12 foot profile of a standard charter bus. This is exactly why the Ordway routes buses to the Robert Street and Rice Street off-site lots, which can accommodate full-size vehicles.
For guests in personal vehicles, the nearby ramps are fine; for groups on a charter bus, the off-site protocol is the correct plan.
What if Grand Casino Arena has an event the same night as my Ordway show?
Grand Casino Arena is four minutes on foot from the Ordway — and its patrons share the same nearby ramps, including the RiverCentre Ramp (connected to the arena via skyway). On concurrent-event nights, those ramps fill well before curtain. A charter bus bypasses this entirely: your group drops on Washington Street before the ramps hit capacity, and the bus stages at Robert Street or Rice Street — where height restrictions aren't an issue — while the arena crowd sorts through the same downtown ramp queue.
Wild home games run October through April, which overlaps almost the entire Ordway Broadway and opera season.
What's playing at Ordway Center in 2026-2027?
Broadway on the Music Theater stage: Dirty Dancing: The Musical (August 12–September 6, 2026), Mystic Pizza (October 6–11), The Music Man (December 8–27), Oh, Mary! (January 6–17, 2027), and Legally Blonde (February 19–21, 2027). Minnesota Opera productions at the Ordway: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (October 31–November 8, 2026), Ariodante (March 13–21, 2027), Falstaff (May 8–16, 2027).
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra opens the Concert Hall season September 18-20, 2026. Full current calendar at the Ordway season calendar.
How much does it cost to rent a party bus or charter bus to the Ordway?
To give you a planning baseline: a minibus runs $200–$275 per hour; a 25-passenger party bus runs about $250–$375 per hour; a 30-passenger party bus runs $325–$425 per hour on weekends; a full charter bus runs $200–$350 per hour or $1,350–$2,850 per day. The real quote for your trip depends on the vehicle, the date, your origin, and the total hours. Stpaulpartybuscompany.com shows pricing in under 30 seconds — use the online form or call 612-661-1670 any time, no account required, no obligation.
When should I book for a sold-out Ordway show?
As early as your date is confirmed. October, November, and December are the highest-demand months — multiple overlapping shows, SPCO concert nights, and Wild home games all compete for the same bus availability and the same downtown parking pool. For Minnesota Opera opening nights and sold-out Broadway weekends, four to six weeks of lead time is the safe window.
December is consistently the most competitive month in the Twin Cities bus market. Two to three weeks works for most other dates outside those peak windows — but the earlier you call, the more vehicle options are available. Call 612-661-1670 to check availability for your show date.
Is accessible transportation available for Ordway Center groups?
Yes — ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the network. Note your group's needs in the quote request and a support team can help confirm the right fit. At the Ordway itself, wheelchair transport assistance is available from the Washington Street curbside to the seat upon arrival, and accessible seating is arranged through the Ordway's box office at ticket purchase.
Can a party bus work for a birthday or celebration group heading to the Ordway?
It's one of the most natural fits. A St. Paul birthday party bus rental for an Ordway Broadway night means the celebration starts on the ride in — the group travels together, arrives on Washington Street as a unit, and the post-show pickup is already sorted before anyone checks their phone for surge prices. For groups of 20–40, a party bus with Bluetooth sound and LED lighting on the ride over makes the evening more than just the show.
Book Your Ordway Center Bus Rental Today
Whether it's a sold-out Minnesota Opera premiere, a holiday run of The Music Man, an SPCO opening weekend, or a corporate evening out with the whole team at Rice Park, getting a group to Ordway Center is exactly what Stpaulpartybuscompany.com makes easy. Fill out the quick online form or call 612-661-1670 any time — free quotes, no account required, and a large network of charter buses, party buses, minibuses, and Sprinter limos serving St. Paul and the Twin Cities. Your group drops curbside on Washington Street, walks straight across from Rice Park to the entrance, and the post-show pickup is already arranged for when the curtain falls.
The parking headache belongs to someone else's night.
