Here is the thing about planning a group trip from Great Falls to First Interstate Arena at MetraPark in Billings: the math on driving yourself turns ugly fast. It is 217 miles each way on US-87 through Lewistown and Roundup — roughly four hours of two-lane prairie highway — and that leg lands both ways, which means somebody in your group is stone-cold sober at midnight navigating US-87 south while everyone else recovers from a three-hour PBR performance or a sold-out Luke Bryan set. A Great Falls charter bus rental changes the whole equation: the entire group rides together, the drive is part of the trip instead of a burden on top of it, and nobody has to be the one who draws the short straw.
Below is every logistical detail you need to plan a group run to First Interstate Arena (308 6th Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101) — where the bus drops off, how MetraPark's lots are laid out, which events book vehicles the fastest, and how to get a price quote in under a minute. For the full picture of Great Falls group transportation services, that page covers every occasion.
Why Rent a Charter Bus or Party Bus to First Interstate Arena
First Interstate Arena — known locally as The Metra — is Montana's largest indoor arena, capable of holding up to 12,000 for major concerts and 10,500 for basketball events, on a 189-acre fairgrounds complex owned by Yellowstone County. It hosts 9 to 12 touring concerts a year, the PBR's longest-running stop on its premier series schedule, the NILE Stock Show and Rodeo every October, and MontanaFair every August — which draws an estimated 250,000 people to the grounds over nine days. None of those events are in Great Falls.
All of them require your group to get to Billings and back in a single day, which is the core logistical problem a bus solves.
Driving yourself means five or six cars on US-87 in a loose caravan, at least one separated group somewhere around Roundup, coordinating a meetup point in the MetraPark lots, and then repeating the whole thing at 11 p.m. in the dark. Rideshare is not a realistic option for a group of 20 or more making a same-day round trip — surge pricing on a late-night Saturday in Billings after a 12,000-seat sellout is not a budget-friendly answer, and the US-87 corridor between Billings and Lewistown is not the place to discover your rideshare app has no signal. One bus from Great Falls handles all of it: a single pickup, the four-hour southbound leg together, direct drop-off at the arena entrance, staged pickup after the event, and the drive back north as a group.
There is no better version of that trip for more than a handful of people. Call 406-836-8150 or use the online quote tool to check pricing in under 30 seconds.
Charter Bus & Party Bus Drop-Off at First Interstate Arena
First Interstate Arena sits on the MetraPark fairgrounds north of downtown Billings, near the Yellowstone River. The main entrance to the arena faces 6th Avenue North, and rideshare vehicles and curbside drop-offs use the main entrance directly on 6th Avenue North. For event-specific approach routes and any road closures around the fairgrounds, the official MetraPark parking page is where you confirm current instructions — MetraPark also publishes a printable grounds map on that page covering all lot assignments.
Box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the main phone is 406.256.2400.
For oversized vehicles like charter buses, MetraPark's lots accommodate a wide range of vehicle sizes across the fairgrounds. The grounds hold multiple free general parking areas — including Lower Lot, Arena Front Lot, and Lots A through K — with free parking the default for most events across the complex. For events during MontanaFair week, when the grounds handle crowds of tens of thousands daily, a shuttle operates from the Upper Parking Lot to the arena and Montana Pavilion starting at 4 p.m. each day, which tells you how far the overflow lots can stretch.
A bus drops your group at the arena entrance directly, skipping the lot entirely.
Free general parking spreads across multiple lots at MetraPark, but it also spreads your group across those lots. During MontanaFair or a sold-out PBR night, the Upper Lot fills and a shuttle runs back to the arena. A charter bus drops your group at the front entrance instead — no lot assignment, no shuttle wait, no regrouping.
The Premium Lot, located north of the arena across the Bench Connector road, offers reserved event parking for $10 as a ticket add-on. A pedestrian tunnel beneath the Bench Connector provides safe passage to the arena's front doors — so Premium Lot parkers are not crossing vehicle traffic on foot. For bus groups, however, the better move is curbside drop-off at the main 6th Avenue North entrance: your bus drops everyone at the door, and the bus stages in the general lots or at a designated oversized area until your group is ready.
Contact MetraPark directly before any high-attendance event to confirm current staging and oversized vehicle instructions for your specific date, since those details can shift by event.
Great Falls to First Interstate Arena: The US-87 Route
The primary route from Great Falls to MetraPark is US-87 South the entire way. There is no faster option — the I-15/I-90 freeway loop is roughly 6 hours versus the 4-hour US-87 direct shot. That directness comes at a price: long stretches of two-lane highway through Judith Basin and the Musselshell River country, limited services between Lewistown and Roundup, and cell coverage that drops in and out for miles at a time.
That last point matters if your plan involves coordinating rideshares or keeping a group of separate cars in contact through the back half of the drive.
| Leg | Distance | Typical Drive Time |
|---|---|---|
| Great Falls to Lewistown | ~104 miles | ~1 hr 30 min |
| Lewistown to Roundup | ~60 miles | ~55 min |
| Roundup to First Interstate Arena | ~53 miles | ~50 min |
| Great Falls to First Interstate Arena (total) | ~217 miles | ~4 hours |
Lewistown — about 104 miles south of Great Falls and roughly the halfway point — is the practical fuel and food stop on this run. After Lewistown, there are minimal services through Roundup and into Billings. For a bus group, that means one clean stop in Lewistown rather than a caravan of five cars all trying to park at the same gas station.
Once the group reaches the Billings metro area, US-87 connects to the local street network toward MetraPark and 6th Avenue North. For the final approach, review the official MetraPark directions page before you leave Great Falls, particularly for large-scale event days when road access near the fairgrounds may be modified.
Timing matters on this route. A concert with an 8 p.m. start means your bus should be leaving Great Falls no later than 3 p.m. to allow for a Lewistown stop, arrival in Billings, and time to reach your seats before the opener. On the way back, a midnight-plus dismissal from First Interstate Arena puts the bus into Great Falls around 4 a.m.
For groups where that timeline is part of the plan, building in a post-event stop in Billings itself makes the return leg more comfortable — and that option disappears when everyone is in separate cars with an early-morning alarm ahead of them.
Events That Fill First Interstate Arena Year-Round
First Interstate Arena has hosted Montana's largest indoor events continuously since it opened in 1975 — and earned naming rights from First Interstate Bank in 2019 after a decade as Rimrock Auto Arena following a $27 million renovation after the 2010 Father's Day Tornado. The venue averages 9 to 12 concerts a year and serves as the anchor for several annual events that have their own group transportation rhythm.
PBR Bull Riding (April). The PBR Unleash the Beast stop in Billings is one of the longest-running tour stops in PBR history, with performances on April 17 and 18, 2026 at 6:45 p.m. MT.
PBR weekends are among the fastest-booking events on this route — the venue's capacity for rodeo events is right around 8,700, and this stop sells out consistently. If your group is planning around PBR Billings 2026, book your Great Falls charter bus rental months in advance. For groups interested in Great Falls sporting event transportation beyond just PBR, that page covers the full range.
MontanaFair (August). Montana's largest annual event, MontanaFair runs on the full MetraPark grounds every August and is expected to attract roughly 250,000 guests over nine days. The grounds open at noon each day and run until midnight.
Concerts play inside First Interstate Arena throughout the week, PRCA Pro Rodeo runs in the outdoor arena, and the fairgrounds' multiple lots fill to capacity on peak evenings — which is why MetraPark specifically operates a shuttle from the Upper Parking Lot starting at 4 p.m. daily during fair week. For transit riders, MET bus routes 18M and 16P serve the fairgrounds between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays during MontanaFair, though the fair is not served on Sundays. For the full MontanaFair parking and transportation breakdown, the official MontanaFair guest info page has current details.
A Great Falls party bus rental for a MontanaFair night is a full-day commitment — book well before summer.
NILE Stock Show & Rodeo (October). The Northern International Livestock Exposition runs annually at MetraPark in mid-October, combining elite livestock genetics, trade show exhibits, horse and cattle auctions, and nightly rodeo inside First Interstate Arena. The NILE Ranch Rodeo and Finals are among the signature events, with a concert headliner typically anchoring one of the arena nights.
NILE admission to exhibits is free; rodeo tickets range by section. October on US-87 can bring early-season weather, and that makes the 217-mile drive considerably more of a commitment for separate cars than for one bus keeping your group together.
Major Concerts. First Interstate Arena's concert capacity of up to 12,000 makes it the only venue in Montana that can host stadium-tier touring acts, and the booking calendar reflects that — acts like Chicago, Styx, the Goo Goo Dolls, Luke Bryan, and Shinedown have all played the arena. When a headliner sells out the venue on a Saturday night, post-show Billings roads and the US-87 northbound approach get congested as 12,000 people and their cars compete for the exits simultaneously.
A bus that stages and picks your group up at the arena entrance after the show bypasses that crunch entirely. Check the MetraPark events calendar for the current concert lineup. For Great Falls concert transportation, including multi-event planning, that page covers the details.
Montana State High School Wrestling Tournament (February). Held annually at First Interstate Arena in February, the state wrestling tournament draws families and fan groups from communities across Montana — including Great Falls — for a multi-day championship event. For school groups and families making this trip, a school event bus rental from Great Falls is the straightforward answer: one bus, one pickup, everyone at the arena together.
PBR April weekends and MontanaFair August evenings are the two events where Great Falls group transportation books fastest. PBR Billings has sold out consistently for more than two decades, and MontanaFair's 250,000-attendee week fills vehicles region-wide. For either event, booking several months out is not optional — it is the only way to get the right vehicle at a workable rate.
Rent a Bus to First Interstate Arena: Which Vehicle Fits Your Group
A Great Falls to First Interstate Arena run is a long-distance same-day trip — typically 8 or more hours of total trip time. Vehicle choice matters more here than for a short city-hop because everyone is aboard together for the full commitment. Partybusgreatfalls.com connects you to a network of bus companies serving Great Falls with a range of vehicles for exactly this kind of trip. Here is how the full vehicle lineup breaks down for a MetraPark run.
| Vehicle | Seats | Luggage / Gear | Best For | Key Amenities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15–35 passenger minibus | ~15–35 | Overhead bins; modest underfloor | Smaller groups wanting comfortable highway travel | Powerful A/C, plush reclining seats, maneuverability in fairgrounds traffic |
| 25-passenger party bus | ~25 | Onboard; lighter packing | Groups wanting an event atmosphere on the 4-hour ride | LED lighting, premium sound system with Bluetooth, flat-panel TVs |
| 40-passenger party bus | ~40 | Onboard | Large groups where the ride is part of the occasion | Full-length bar area, color-changing LEDs, wraparound perimeter seating |
| 40–56 passenger charter bus | Up to 56 | Deep undercarriage bays; overhead bins | Large groups, long-distance highway comfort, gear-heavy trips | Reclining seats, climate control, WiFi, power outlets, onboard restrooms, undercarriage luggage bays |
For the US-87 run, the full-size charter bus is the most common choice for groups of 25 or more. Reclining seats, climate control, and an onboard restroom matter across a four-hour stretch through central Montana — especially on a late-night return. The undercarriage bays handle overnight bags if your group is making a weekend of it in Billings rather than a same-day turn.
A minibus is the right fit for smaller groups — 15 to 35 people — and offers easier navigation in MetraPark's fairgrounds lots on busy event nights. For groups going to PBR or a concert where the celebratory energy is the point, a party bus with LED lighting and sound turns the highway leg into part of the event rather than a prelude to it. ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the network — just note your needs when you request a quote.
First Interstate Arena Charter Bus & Party Bus Rental Prices from Great Falls
Pricing for a Great Falls to First Interstate Arena bus rental depends on vehicle size, event date, total hours, and how far in advance you book. Because this is a long-distance same-day round trip — typically an 8-to-12-hour total commitment — per-day rates are the most relevant frame for most groups, and a single cost split among the full headcount usually comes out favorably compared to the combined gas, parking, and time cost of five or six separate vehicles.
To give you an idea of planning ranges: a 40–56 passenger charter bus from Great Falls runs approximately $1,350–$2,850 for a full day, depending on the vehicle and specific itinerary. A minibus for a smaller group lands in a range of roughly $1,100–$2,150 per day. Party buses seating around 25 passengers run approximately $1,850–$2,900 for a full-day booking.
Those are example planning ranges — real pricing moves with the date, demand, and the specific event. On PBR weekend in April and MontanaFair evenings in August, vehicle supply across central Montana tightens fast, and waiting until a few weeks before tends to mean limited choices at higher rates or no availability at all. Use the online tool or call 406-836-8150 any time to check rates for your specific date — Partybusgreatfalls.com returns pricing in under 30 seconds, no account required.
For a closer look at how rates break down by vehicle, see the Great Falls party bus prices page.
Once you split a full-size charter bus across 50 people, the per-person number often rivals what five cars would spend in gas alone — before factoring in the two or three parking passes, the separate late-night US-87 drives, and the fact that nobody in any of those cars could have a drink at the venue. One flat bus cost, one vehicle, everyone at the same door at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Renting a Bus to First Interstate Arena
Where does a charter bus or party bus drop off at First Interstate Arena?
Curbside drop-off for passenger vehicles including rideshares and buses is at the main entrance on 6th Avenue North, the front face of the arena. For event-specific guidance on large vehicle staging and any modified access routes on high-attendance dates, contact MetraPark directly or review the official MetraPark parking page before your trip.
Where does a charter bus park at MetraPark while the group is inside?
MetraPark's grounds include multiple free general lots — Lower Lot, Arena Front Lot, Upper Lot, and Lots A through K — that accommodate larger vehicles. For events like NILE or MontanaFair that draw large crowds, specific lot assignments shift by event. Before any high-attendance date, call MetraPark directly to confirm current oversized vehicle staging guidance for your specific event.
How long is the drive from Great Falls to First Interstate Arena?
Roughly 217 miles on US-87 South through Lewistown and Roundup, about 4 hours under normal conditions. Lewistown at the halfway point (~104 miles) is the practical fuel and rest stop. Budget additional time for winter weather on this corridor — October through March, US-87 through Judith Basin can get icy fast.
Total round-trip time including event dwell is typically 10–14 hours depending on the event length and any stops.
Is parking free at MetraPark?
Yes — free general parking is available across multiple lots for most events. The one paid option is the Premium Lot north of the First Interstate Arena across the Bench Connector, which runs $10 per event as a ticket add-on, with reserved spaces and a pedestrian tunnel to the arena's front doors. All other lots remain free.
The MetraPark parking page includes the interactive grounds map showing all lot locations.
What is the capacity of First Interstate Arena?
First Interstate Arena holds up to 12,000 for concerts, 10,500 for basketball, and 8,700 for ice hockey and indoor football. It is Montana's largest indoor arena. The MetraPark campus covers 189 acres and includes the arena, the Expo Center, Montana Pavilion, an outdoor arena, and the MontanaFair fairgrounds.
When should I book a bus to First Interstate Arena from Great Falls?
For PBR (April) and MontanaFair concert evenings (August), book as early as your event date is confirmed — both are periods when vehicle availability tightens across central Montana. For NILE (October) and major concert weekends, 2–3 months of lead time gives you the best vehicle selection and pricing. For regular-season events with flexible dates, 4–6 weeks usually works, but the earlier you call the more options you have.
Call 406-836-8150 to check availability for your date right now — there's no obligation for a quote.
What events at First Interstate Arena should Great Falls groups plan around?
The four highest-demand periods are PBR Billings in April (one of PBR's longest-running stops, a perennial sellout), MontanaFair concert nights in August (~250,000 on the grounds over 9 days), NILE Stock Show and Rodeo in October, and the Montana State High School Wrestling Tournament in February. Major touring concerts filling the arena's 12,000-seat capacity are individually unpredictable — check the MetraPark events calendar and book your bus as soon as your date locks.
Does the MetraPark box office have regular hours?
The MetraPark box office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and handles ticket questions. For event-night questions, arrive early enough to address anything at the box office before the house opens. Visit Visit Montana's MetraPark listing for a general venue overview.
Can my group stay overnight in Billings instead of driving back to Great Falls the same night?
Absolutely — and for late-ending events like a Friday night PBR session or a midnight concert close, it is often the practical choice. A bus rental can be structured as a one-way trip to Billings, with a separate return pickup the next morning, or as a full round-trip with hotel time built in. When you request a quote through Partybusgreatfalls.com, you can note the itinerary that fits your trip — call 406-836-8150 any time.
For a look at Billings-specific bus options, see the Billings party bus rental page.
Book Your First Interstate Arena Charter Bus or Party Bus from Great Falls
First Interstate Arena is the only venue in Montana where your group can see a 12,000-seat sold-out concert, watch one of the PBR's longest-running tour stops, or experience MontanaFair's nine-day run — and the only realistic way to get a group of 20 or more from Great Falls to Billings and back without burning out one sober volunteer at the wheel on 434 miles of US-87 is one bus. Partybusgreatfalls.com makes comparing charter bus, party bus, and minibus options serving Great Falls fast and straightforward — fill out the quick form online or call 406-836-8150 any time, any day, and you'll have pricing in under a minute with no account and no obligation. The right bus for your First Interstate Arena trip is out there. Finding it takes about 30 seconds.
Planning a different Montana arena trip? The Four Seasons Arena guide covers the right-here-in-Great-Falls home arena run, with its own drop-off and parking details.
