Rent a Bus to Empower Field at Mile High: The Complete Empower Field at Mile High Transportation Guide

The drive from Fort Collins to Empower Field at Mile High is 65 miles of I-25 South on a calm Tuesday. On a Broncos Sunday, those 65 miles look exactly the same on a map and nothing like that in practice. Traffic thickens well before the US-34 interchange, the exits feeding Bryant Street back up hours before kickoff, and the moment 76,000-plus fans start heading for the exits after the final whistle, the local grid around Mile High Stadium Circle can stay gridlocked for 45 minutes.

Most Northern Colorado groups spend more time researching parking than planning the actual trip.

A Fort Collins charter bus rental to Empower Field at Mile High changes the equation. Your group loads up in one vehicle, rides I-25 South together, drops near the gate, and has a bus waiting when the game ends — while everyone else is walking 15 minutes east to hail an Uber at the Ball Arena lot. Fill out the quick form on Partybusfortcollins.net or call 970-658-4323 and you'll have pricing for your specific date and group size in under 30 seconds.

No account required. No callbacks. Just options.

For more on Fort Collins sporting event transportation, that page covers the full picture for group trips across the Front Range.

Why a Fort Collins Party Bus Rental to Empower Field at Mile High Makes Sense

Start with the parking math. On-site parking at Empower Field is almost entirely locked up by season ticket holders with pre-sold permits. The limited public gameday inventory — Lot C at $55 per space and Lot A carpool at $45 for vehicles with four or more people — is first-come, first-served, and Lot C, the early tailgating lot, typically sells out within 30 to 60 minutes of opening six hours before kickoff.

A group from Fort Collins that leaves at a reasonable hour arrives to find the best lots full and the off-site options — Ball Arena garage, Auraria Campus, street parking west of Federal Boulevard — adding a walk to the equation before the game even starts.

After the game, the picture gets harder. The official rideshare pickup zone is not at the stadium — it's at 5th and Walnut Street near the Ball Arena lot, approximately a 15-minute walk east of Empower Field, per the official Empower Field fan guide. After 76,000 fans pour out simultaneously, that 15-minute walk becomes a slow crowd shuffle, surge pricing on Uber and Lyft routinely doubles or triples within the first 20 minutes after the final whistle, and the rideshare queue at Ball Arena can stretch well past an hour on sold-out game days.

That's the trip home your group is signing up for if nobody secured a private bus.

One Empower Field party bus rental covers the whole group for a predictable rate — drops everyone near the gate, handles the I-25 run so nobody has to think about it, and stages nearby for a post-game pickup that skips the walk and the wait entirely. That's the whole case, and it's not complicated.

Charter Bus and Party Bus Drop-Off at Empower Field at Mile High

For groups arriving by vehicle, the primary drop-off zone is the northeast corner of the stadium near Gate 5 on Mile High Stadium Circle, per the official Empower Field fan guide. That puts your group at the main entrance — not in a remote lot a hike away. Charter buses and oversized vehicles should coordinate their specific approach and staging arrangement in advance; the official lot-specific directions page covers the approach routes from Federal Boulevard and from both directions on I-25, and the stadium's guidance notes that directions are subject to change with road closures on event days — so confirming your approach before game day keeps the bus from circling Bryant Street looking for a closed entrance.

The post-game pickup is where the comparison between a private bus and a rideshare becomes the sharpest. Rideshare pickup requires walking east to 5th and Walnut Street near Ball Arena — roughly 15 minutes after your group exits — and that walk happens at the same moment tens of thousands of other fans are doing it. With a private bus, the vehicle is staged nearby and your pickup window is set in advance.

Your group walks out and boards. That's the whole difference.

Parking at Empower Field at Mile High: Lots, Prices, and What Sells Out First

The stadium's official Broncos gameday parking page is direct about the situation: on-site lots are primarily reserved for season ticket holders with pre-sold permits. Public access on gameday comes through a limited first-come, first-served inventory across two main options. Lot C — the early tailgating lot — opens six hours before kickoff at $55 per space and typically sells out within 30 to 60 minutes.

Lot A (Carpool) opens 4.5 hours before kickoff at $45 per space for vehicles with four or more occupants — but tailgating is not permitted in Lot A, so it functions purely as a parking option, not a pre-game setup area. ADA-accessible parking is available first-come, first-served in Lot L ($35) and Lots D or G ($40) with a valid state-issued placard.

For groups that don't arrive in the first hour of lot openings, off-site options fill the gap: Ball Arena garage, Auraria Campus, Denver Aquarium, and Riverside Church all appear on the official offsite parking map, with walk distances varying. The cost picture on the off-site lots shifts by event, so checking the official Empower Field parking page before your visit is always the right call — the stadium's own guidance is more current than any third-party site.

One detail that surprises Fort Collins groups: oversized vehicles, including charter buses, need their approach route and parking arrangement confirmed in advance. Lot assignments and approach roads change by event, and the gate that works for a regular-season game may not be the same for a playoff or a concert weekend. The lot-specific directions page is the right starting point for current routing.

What Size Bus to Rent for Empower Field at Mile High

The right vehicle comes down to two things: how many people are in your group and how far you're coming from. For a 65-mile round trip on I-25, comfort on the highway matters as much as capacity. Partybusfortcollins.net connects you to a range of vehicle types through a large network of bus companies serving Fort Collins and Northern Colorado, so your group rides in the right vehicle for the trip — not whatever happens to be available.

For groups of 15 to 35 coming down from Fort Collins, Loveland, or Greeley, a minibus tends to be the practical sweet spot — enough room for the group, strong highway A/C for Colorado's variable weather, and reclining seats for the 65-mile run. Larger outings — corporate groups, fan clubs, or parties that want the undercarriage bays for tailgate gear and onboard restrooms for the drive home — fit cleanly into a full charter bus. The 50-passenger party bus is the call for big groups who want LED lighting and sound from the Fort Collins pickup all the way to the Gate 5 drop.

Empower Field at Mile High Party Bus and Charter Bus Rental Prices

Pricing for a Fort Collins party bus or charter bus rental to Empower Field varies by vehicle size, total hours (covering the drive down, game time, and post-game wait), and the event date. To give you an idea of planning ranges: a 15–35 passenger minibus runs roughly $200–$250 per hour on weekdays or $200–$275 per hour on weekends, with per-day rates from approximately $1,100 to $2,150. A 40–56 passenger charter bus runs roughly $200–$350 per hour on either day, with per-day rates from approximately $1,350 to $2,850.

A 25-passenger party bus runs roughly $250–$350 per hour weekday and $275–$375 per hour on weekends.

Those are planning ranges — the actual quote for your date and itinerary will move with demand, vehicle availability, and your specific pickup and drop-off points. The fastest way to get an accurate quote is the quick form on Partybusfortcollins.net or a call to 970-658-4323 — pricing in under 30 seconds, any time, any day. The Fort Collins party bus prices page has a deeper look at how the ranges break down by vehicle type.

The per-head math tends to close the argument. Split a 40-passenger party bus across 35 people and the bus often runs less per person than driving separately — each car paying $45–$55 for an on-site parking spot (if one's even available), plus gas down I-25, plus the coordination of who picks up whom and who stays sober for the drive home. One flat bus rate covers it all.

Tailgating at Empower Field at Mile High: What the Rules Actually Say

Tailgating is permitted at Empower Field at Mile High before publicly ticketed events — Broncos games, concerts, and other stadium events — subject to specific rules the Broncos publish on their official tailgating page. The rules are enforced, and stadium management can issue citations, remove parking passes, or revoke season tickets for violations. Here's what matters for group trips:

• One permit, one space. Each parking permit covers exactly one space for one vehicle. Tailgating must stay directly behind or in front of your vehicle — no spreading into adjacent spaces, no saving spots for other vehicles, no blocking drive lanes or pedestrian aisles.
• Wrap it up 45 minutes before kickoff. All tailgate activities must conclude 45 minutes before kickoff. Drive lanes must stay clear from the moment lots open through the end of the game.
• Grills are in; open fires are out. Gas and charcoal grills are permitted. Open flames — bonfires, pit fires — are prohibited. Hot coals must be properly disposed of in a trash container, not dumped on the lot surface.
• Glass containers are prohibited. No glass bottles anywhere on stadium grounds. No commercial activity, food sales, or distribution of products without prior written approval from the stadium.
• Lot restrictions apply. For Broncos games, tailgating is NOT permitted in the Lot A carpool section or the B-Valet area. Lot C is the designated early tailgating lot, opening six hours before kickoff at $55 per space — it sells out fast.

For groups arriving by charter bus: tailgate gear — folding chairs, grills, coolers — rides in the bus's undercarriage bays and unloads at your lot. No towing anything onto stadium grounds. One space, one setup, one vehicle.

That's the rule, and it applies whether your vehicle is a sedan or a 56-seat coach.

Concerts at Empower Field at Mile High: How a Bus Makes It Simpler

Empower Field hosts stadium-scale concerts throughout the year, and the transportation challenge for a major show is nearly identical to a Broncos game — except on concert nights, the on-site parking is sold in advance through Ticketmaster and tends to move fast once tickets go on sale. Arrive without a pre-purchased parking pass and you're pushed to off-site lots or street parking, adding a walk and a scramble to the beginning and end of the night. The stadium's directions and parking page covers the current concert parking options for upcoming events.

Coming up, Morgan Wallen's Still the Problem Tour brings two sold-out nights to Empower Field — May 29 and May 30, 2026, with gates opening at 4:30 PM and the show starting at 5:30 PM. Over 160,000 fans are expected across both nights, and Bryant Street and the surrounding blocks will move the way they do on a Broncos playoff game. RTD adds rail service for major concerts; the RTD website covers current schedules and event-day service additions for each show.

The general pattern: E and W line trains run to Empower Field at Mile High Station, four minutes from Union Station, with added frequency on sold-out event nights.

A Fort Collins concert bus rental to Empower Field handles the whole night cleanly — drop at the northeast corner near Gate 5, no circling Federal Boulevard for a lot that may already be full, and a bus staged for a post-show pickup when the encore wraps. For two-night events like Morgan Wallen in May, booking both nights on a single reservation keeps the logistics simple and locks in vehicles before demand peaks.

Getting to Empower Field from Fort Collins and Nearby Cities

Groups coming from Northern Colorado take I-25 South directly into Denver — the straightest shot from Fort Collins to the stadium. Per the official lot-specific directions page, southbound travelers on I-25 use Exit 211C toward 23rd/20th Avenue as the primary approach to the lots on the north and west sides of the stadium. Northbound travelers coming from south Denver suburbs use Exit 210C for 17th Avenue.

Road closures and traffic management plans can shift approach routes by event — the lot-specific directions page carries printable event-day maps and the stadium recommends using the Denver Broncos app for real-time routing on game day.

Every one of those times balloons on game day. The I-25 corridor between Highway 34 and downtown Denver typically backs up well before kickoff, with the merge zones and the exits feeding Bryant Street being the worst bottlenecks. For Broncos home games, build in a 30–60 minute buffer beyond your normal drive time.

For major concerts or sold-out events with a hard start time — like the Morgan Wallen shows in May — plan the Fort Collins pickup at least 2.5 to 3 hours before gates open to arrive with time to spare and find parking or reach your drop-off zone before traffic locks up.

RTD Light Rail, Rideshare, and Charter Bus Compared

RTD operates two light rail stations within walking distance of Empower Field at Mile High. Empower Field at Mile High Station — the closer of the two — is served by the E and W lines and sits a 4-minute ride from Union Station downtown. Decatur/Federal Station, about 0.3 miles south of the stadium (a roughly 7-minute walk), serves the W line along with bus routes 1, 15L, and 16.

RTD adds train frequency on major event days but does not run dedicated game-day bus service from Fort Collins — BroncosRide was permanently discontinued in 2021 and has not been reinstated. Current service information is on the RTD website, and the NextRide app lets you search "Denver Broncos" for event-day routing from anywhere in the metro.

For Fort Collins specifically, the light rail picture is a two-step problem: you first have to reach the light rail system, which means driving to Denver and parking near Union Station or a park-and-ride, then boarding the train for the final 4 minutes to the stadium. You've already paid for parking somewhere else, and you've added two transfers to a trip that's already an hour-long drive. Rail is the right call for Denver-area fans already near Union Station.

For Northern Colorado groups, a private charter bus is the option that handles the whole trip — from your Fort Collins pickup to the stadium drop and back — without a transfer in the middle.

For a group of one or two coming from the Denver metro, the light rail or a rideshare is often the cleaner call — no reason to fill a 20-seat bus with two people. But once your group grows past a few cars' worth of people, the coordination cost of separate vehicles — staggered arrivals, parking in different lots, multiple cars navigating the post-game grid — tips decisively toward one bus. That's who this guide is written for.

Tips for Your First Visit to Empower Field at Mile High

A few things first-timers from Fort Collins consistently miss, straight from the stadium's published policies:

• Clear bag policy is strictly enforced. Per the official Empower Field clear bag policy, each person may bring one clear bag (maximum 12" x 6" x 12") plus one small clutch measuring 4.5" x 6.5" or smaller. Non-compliant bags — backpacks, tinted bags, oversized totes — are turned away at the gate. Locker bag check is available outside Gate 8 for a fee. Pack your group accordingly before you leave Fort Collins, not at the gate.
• Cashless venue. Empower Field is fully cashless. Reverse ATMs near sections 105, 114, 122, and 133 convert cash to prepaid cards, but the lines get long on busy game days. Load up a card before the trip.
• General gates open two hours before kickoff. Club-level access starts three hours out. Aim to arrive at your designated gate at least an hour before event start for security screening — lines get substantial on sellouts. Lot C tailgaters who want the full six-hour window need to leave Fort Collins very early.
• No re-entry. Once your group exits Empower Field, you cannot return with the same ticket. Plan any gear drops or vehicle retrieval from the bus before entering the gates.
• Water bottles policy. Empty clear plastic water bottles up to 1L (34 oz) are allowed through security — not sealed factory bottles, not stainless steel. Fill stations are available throughout the venue.
• Game day approach from I-25. Southbound travelers from Fort Collins use Exit 211C toward 23rd/20th Avenue. The stadium's guidance notes that directions are subject to change with event-day road closures — check the lot-specific directions page and download printable maps before departure. The Denver Broncos app provides real-time traffic and arrival routing for each lot.

Frequently Asked Questions About Renting a Bus to Empower Field at Mile High

Where does a charter bus drop off at Empower Field at Mile High?

The primary vehicle drop-off zone is the northeast corner of the stadium near Gate 5 on Mile High Stadium Circle, per the official Empower Field fan guide — that's where rideshare vehicles are directed and it puts arriving groups at the main entrance. Charter buses and oversized vehicles should coordinate their specific approach and staging with the stadium in advance, since lot assignments and approach roads can shift by event. The lot-specific directions page is the right starting point for current routing.

Where do rideshares pick up after Broncos games?

Post-game rideshare pickup is at 5th and Walnut Street near the Ball Arena lot, approximately a 15-minute walk east of the stadium, per the official fan guide. Surge pricing typically doubles or triples in the first 20 minutes after the game ends. A private bus stages nearby and picks up your group at the stadium, eliminating the walk and the post-game queue entirely.

How far in advance should I book a bus from Fort Collins to Empower Field?

For regular-season Broncos home games, two to four weeks of lead time is workable — but the best vehicles and pricing go earlier, so booking as soon as your date is confirmed is always the smarter move. For playoff games, marquee concerts (Morgan Wallen's May 2026 shows, for example), and any sold-out event that draws groups from across Northern Colorado, book as early as possible. Demand for Fort Collins-area charter buses peaks hard around postseason games and major events, and the supply of vehicles that fit a specific group size is limited.

Do I need a permit for a charter bus to park at Empower Field?

On-site parking at Empower Field is primarily reserved for season ticket holders with pre-sold permits, and oversized vehicles need their approach and parking arrangement confirmed in advance with the stadium. The lot-specific directions page covers the approach routes for each lot, and the stadium recommends checking event-day maps before arrival since road closures can shift the routing.

How much does it cost to rent a bus from Fort Collins to Empower Field?

Pricing depends on vehicle size, total rental hours, and the event date. To give you an idea: a 15–35 passenger minibus runs roughly $200–$250 per hour on weekdays or $200–$275 per hour on weekends; a 40–56 passenger charter bus runs roughly $200–$350 per hour. A 25-passenger party bus runs roughly $250–$350 per hour on weekdays or $275–$375 per hour on weekends.

Those are planning ranges, not guarantees — the real price moves with the date, vehicle, and total hours. Call 970-658-4323 or use the quick form on Partybusfortcollins.net for an actual quote in under 30 seconds.

Does RTD light rail serve Empower Field at Mile High from Fort Collins?

Not directly. RTD's E and W light rail lines serve the Empower Field at Mile High Station — a 4-minute ride from Union Station downtown — and the Decatur/Federal Station about 0.3 miles south of the stadium serves the W line. For Fort Collins groups, reaching the light rail system requires driving to Denver first and parking near a park-and-ride or Union Station, adding a leg before the train.

There's no direct Fort Collins-to-stadium rail service. RTD's discontinued BroncosRide bus service (suspended in 2021, confirmed permanent) is not coming back. The RTD trip planner covers current service from anywhere in the metro.

What's the bag policy at Empower Field at Mile High?

Each person may bring one clear bag (maximum 12" x 6" x 12") plus one small clutch measuring 4.5" x 6.5" or smaller. Backpacks, non-clear bags, and oversized containers are not permitted at the gates. A locker bag check is available outside Gate 8 for a fee.

See the official Empower Field clear bag policy page for the complete list of permitted and prohibited items before your trip.

Can we tailgate with a charter bus group at Empower Field?

Yes — tailgating is permitted for Broncos games and most publicly ticketed events, subject to the stadium's rules: one permit equals one space, all setup stays behind or in front of your vehicle, and tailgating wraps up 45 minutes before kickoff. Lot C opens six hours before kickoff at $55 per space for early tailgating and sells out fast. Gas and charcoal grills are allowed; open fires are not.

Tailgating is not permitted in Lot A or the B-Valet area. Review the full Denver Broncos tailgating rules before your event.

How far is Empower Field at Mile High from Fort Collins?

About 65 miles via I-25 South — roughly an hour off-peak. On Broncos game days and sold-out concert nights, that run can extend to 90 minutes or more once the merge zones south of Highway 34 slow down. Plan your Fort Collins departure at least 2.5 to 3 hours before kickoff or gates on major event days.

Book Your Empower Field at Mile High Bus Today

Whether it's a Broncos regular-season game, a playoff run, a sold-out Morgan Wallen night in May, or any other event that fills 76,000 seats on Bryant Street — the bus is the cleanest way for a Northern Colorado group to make that trip. Partybusfortcollins.net makes it straightforward: fill out one quick form or call 970-658-4323, compare vehicles and pricing from a large network of bus companies serving Fort Collins and the surrounding area, and lock in your transportation before the good vehicles go. No account required, no callbacks, no obligation — just pricing in under 30 seconds.

Also planning a Broncos preseason tune-up at Canvas Stadium or a night at Red Rocks Amphitheatre? Those guides cover their own drop-off details and Northern Colorado routing. And for the full scope of Fort Collins group transportation services, that page covers every occasion and event type.

Call 970-658-4323 any time to get a quote and get your group moving.