Rent a Bus to Old National Centre: Concert & Event Group Guide

Old National Centre sits at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and downtown Indianapolis, which means the venue itself is easy to find — but showing up for a sold-out night in a caravan of cars is a different story. The on-site lots fill early, metered spots on New Jersey Street disappear by the time doors open, and rideshare surge pricing after the encore is its own kind of headache. The single question that settles your group's night before it starts is simple: how does everyone get there together, and how does everyone get home?

This guide answers it plainly, using the venue's own published information, and then walks through everything else a group trip needs: the three distinct rooms inside the building, what the parking situation actually looks like on a busy show night, and why a charter bus or party bus rental in Indianapolis turns that whole logistics problem into a non-event. Party Bus in Indianapolis runs group trips to Old National Centre regularly — so the advice below comes from doing it, not from a press release.

Venue address

502 N New Jersey St, Indianapolis, IN 46204

Phone

(317) 231-0000

Three main rooms

Murat Theatre (2,500) · Egyptian Room (2,000) · Deluxe (up to 400)

Main parking lot

501 Alabama St — $15 reserved, fills fast on show nights

Drop-off zone

N. New Jersey St in front of the venue

Box office hours

Fridays noon–6 PM; 2 hours before any event

What Is Old National Centre?

Old National Centre, 502 N New Jersey St, Indianapolis — three distinct rooms under one historic roof, steps from Massachusetts Avenue.

Old National Centre is the oldest existing stage house in downtown Indianapolis, and it has been putting on shows since 1910. The building started life as the Murat Shrine Temple, designed by Oscar D. Bohlen with the Moorish and Egyptian architectural flourishes you still see today — the 208-foot tower is the giveaway from blocks away. Before Clowes Memorial Hall opened in 1963, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra called this building home.

Now it's operated by Live Nation and hosts roughly 300 public and private events a year across nine distinct event spaces.

What makes Old National Centre different from a single-room venue is that three rooms with very different personalities run under the same roof, which means your group's experience depends entirely on which room is hosting your show. Here's the breakdown.

Murat Theatre

The Murat Theatre is the flagship — a 2,500-seat performing arts theater with reserved seating, ornate balconies, and the kind of sight lines that justify the word "theater." Broadway touring productions, major comedy acts, and arena-level performers who want something more intimate than Gainbridge Fieldhouse play here. If your tickets say "Murat Theatre," you're in the main hall, and the experience is closer to a seated concert or show than a standing room crowd.

Egyptian Room

The Egyptian Room, added in 1922, is the standing-room concert hall with the ancient Egyptian murals and ornate chandeliers that give the space its name. Capacity runs up to 2,000 for a concert setup, with a large stage, a terrazzo dance floor, and cabaret-style seating on risers along the sides. This is the room for touring indie acts, jam bands, and mid-level headliners — the shows where you're on your feet the whole time.

Drop-off for the Egyptian Room is specifically on Locust Street, just behind the theatre, which has a step-free ramp entrance and avoids the busier New Jersey Street traffic at showtime.

Deluxe

The Deluxe is a 7,421-square-foot room that fits 200 to 400 guests and functions as a flexible event space — DJ nights, private events, smaller touring acts who don't need the full Egyptian Room setup. If you're heading to a late-night dance event or a more intimate show, check your ticket carefully: Deluxe has its own entrance and isn't immediately obvious from the main New Jersey Street façade.

Drop-Off and Pickup: Where Your Bus Goes

Here's the part most group organizers skip over until they're already in the parking garage trying to figure out where to meet — so let's cover it upfront.

The main drop-off and pickup zone for Old National Centre is on N. New Jersey Street in front of the venue. That's the primary curbside for the Murat Theatre and the Grand Lobby entrance. Your group steps off directly at the marquee, walks straight in, and skips the walk from any of the surface lots.

For the Egyptian Room, the recommended vehicle drop-off is on Locust Street, just behind the theatre — it's a quieter approach with a step-free ramp, which matters if anyone in your group has mobility considerations.

The one-line version: Murat Theatre and main entrance — drop on N. New Jersey St. Egyptian Room shows — drop on Locust St behind the building. Know which room you're going to before your bus leaves, because the approach is different.

After the show, the same spots work for pickup — but with one important caveat. On a sold-out Egyptian Room night, the post-show crowd spills out onto New Jersey Street and Mass Ave simultaneously. Rideshare cars circle because there's nowhere to wait, surge pricing kicks in within minutes of last call, and the group text thread dissolves into "where are you?" loops.

A private bus rental in Indianapolis gives you a pre-set pickup spot and time you locked in before the show, so there's no circling, no surge, and no regrouping in a crowd.

Parking: The Honest Picture

Old National Centre has two on-site parking options, and both have limits that matter on a busy show night.

The Main Lot (501 Alabama St) is the primary option — accessible from Alabama Street, directly in front of the marquee. Reserved spots cost $15 paid in advance; general parking is first-come, first-served and can be purchased as an upgrade through the Live Nation site when you buy your tickets. Daily rate is $10 outside of event nights.

The catch: this lot is not large, and it fills early on sold-out Murat Theatre or Egyptian Room nights. If you're arriving within 30 minutes of doors, the main lot is often already at capacity.

The North Lot sits at the corner of New Jersey Street and North Street, accessible from North Street. Same pricing structure, same first-come dynamic. Together, these two lots serve a venue that hosts 2,500 people in the main theater alone — the math on available spaces vs. attendees is not in your favor if you arrive late.

Overflow options nearby include the Massachusetts Avenue Parking Garage (47 S Massachusetts Ave) and the Denison Parking Garage (20 E Michigan St), both of which are walking distance but add time on a cold January night or a rainy fall Friday. SpotHero and ParkWhiz listings around the venue fill up fast for headliner shows — reserve in advance if you're driving separately.

We recommend checking the official Murat Theatre parking page before your event to confirm current lot availability and pricing for your specific show date, since Live Nation events occasionally reserve specific lots for VIP or production use.

Why a Charter Bus Makes Sense for Old National Centre

Indianapolis doesn't have a subway system. The closest IndyGo routes to Old National Centre — Route 11, Route 2, and Route 5 — run infrequent late-night service, which doesn't solve the "11:30 PM after the encore" problem for a group of 20 people from Carmel or Fishers. That leaves three real options: everyone drives and parks separately, everyone scrambles for rideshares, or your group books a charter bus or party bus rental in Indianapolis and none of that is your problem.

Here's what separates those three options for a real group heading downtown.

Option	Parking cost	Arrive together?	Post-show pickup	Best for
Private charter bus / party bus	None — one drop-off on New Jersey St	Yes — one vehicle, one arrival	Pre-arranged, no surge	Groups of 15–56
Rideshare (Uber / Lyft)	None, but surge pricing post-show	No — multiple cars, multiple ETAs	Surge-priced, unpredictable wait	1–4 people
Everyone drives and parks	$15/car reserved (if available) or $20–$30+ garage	No — caravans split up	Parking lot traffic crawl	Very small groups, 1–2 cars

The post-show math is where the bus really earns it. A sold-out Egyptian Room show lets out 2,000 people onto New Jersey Street at roughly the same time. The main lot traffic crawls for 30–45 minutes as cars queue to exit onto Alabama Street.

Rideshare cars can't wait on New Jersey Street — they circle, ETAs inflate, and the surge multiplier climbs. Your group, meanwhile, walks out to the curbside pickup point you arranged before the show and boards a bus that was already waiting. That's the difference.

Which Vehicle Fits Your Group?

We offer a range of vehicles, so your group isn't paying for seats it doesn't need. Here's how the fleet breaks down for an Old National Centre run:

Vehicle	Typical capacity	Best for	Key amenities
14-passenger Sprinter limo / Sprinter van	Up to ~14	Small VIP groups, birthday nights out, work outings	Premium leather, USB charging, tinted windows
Party bus (15–50 passengers)	~15–50	Concert groups who want the party to start on the ride over	Built-in bar, LED lighting, Bluetooth sound, flat-panel TVs, dance area
15–35 passenger minibus	~15–35	Mid-size groups, corporate outings, bachelorette parties	Plush reclining seats, powerful A/C, overhead storage
40–56 passenger charter bus	Up to 56	Large fan groups, multi-group outings, company events	Reclining seats, climate control, WiFi, power outlets, onboard restroom, undercarriage bays

For a concert group heading to the Egyptian Room, a 25- to 40-passenger party bus is the right pick — the built-in bar and sound system keep the energy up from your hotel block or neighborhood pickup point all the way to the New Jersey Street drop-off. For a larger group taking in a Murat Theatre show — a Broadway production, a comedy headliner — a full-size charter bus seats up to 56 and gives everyone room to recline on the way home. ADA-accessible vehicles are always available; just let us know your needs when you book.

Getting There: Routes and Timing

Old National Centre sits in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, which puts it within reach of virtually every neighborhood and suburb in the metro. But "downtown Indianapolis" on a Friday or Saturday show night means navigating I-65 and I-70 merge traffic, the Monument Circle one-way grid, and limited curbside options on event nights. A few distances and realistic drive times:

From…	Approx. distance	Typical drive time (off-peak)
Carmel / Hamilton County	~20–22 miles	25–35 minutes
Fishers	~22 miles	25–35 minutes
Broad Ripple / Nora	~7–9 miles	15–20 minutes
Greenwood / Southside	~14–16 miles	20–30 minutes
Lawrence / East Side	~10–12 miles	15–25 minutes
Plainfield / Avon / West Side	~16–20 miles	25–35 minutes

Those estimates are off-peak. On a Saturday night with a sold-out show at Old National Centre — and possibly a concurrent Pacers game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse just six blocks away on Conseco/Pennsylvania — downtown surface streets back up from the I-65/I-70 interchange well before showtime. The curbside parking on New Jersey Street disappears by 6:30 PM for a 7:00 PM show.

One bus bypasses all of that. We drop your group curbside on N. New Jersey St., and the route back out is planned around the post-show traffic flow — not guessed at by someone who drove downtown twice last year. Call 317-238-3326 to lock in your date.

The Massachusetts Avenue Factor

Old National Centre sits one block east of Massachusetts Avenue — Indianapolis's arts and restaurant corridor — and that proximity is either a bonus or a logistical wrinkle depending on your plan. The good news: if your group wants to do dinner before the show, the options within a five-minute walk are genuinely good. Salt on Mass handles pre-theater seafood and steaks with floor-to-ceiling skyline views.

Bru Burger Bar is right there for something more casual. The Rathskeller, the German biergarten a block and a half away, is one of the better pre-show options in the city. Goodfellas Pizzeria is literally next door to the venue for a quick slice before doors.

The wrinkle: if your group tries to do dinner on Mass Ave in five separate cars on a Friday night, the parking situation on Massachusetts Avenue is exactly the same chaos as the venue lots. One bus covers the entire evening — dinner pickup at The Rathskeller (901 E New York St), show drop-off at Old National Centre, post-show pickup at the same curbside spot. That's the flexibility a single vehicle gives you that a caravan of cars never can.

Shows and Events: What Plays Old National Centre

Old National Centre hosts roughly 300 public and private events a year across its nine spaces, which means the calendar is nearly always active. A few categories where group bus rentals in Indianapolis consistently make sense:

Major touring concerts in the Egyptian Room. The Egyptian Room's 2,000-person standing-room capacity puts it squarely in the range for mid-tier headliners and cult-favorite touring acts — the shows where the crowd is on its feet from opener to encore. Post-show rideshare demand on these nights is the highest of any Old National Centre configuration. This is the show type where pre-booking your Indianapolis party bus rental pays off most obviously.
Broadway in Indianapolis / Murat Theatre productions. The Murat Theatre hosts the Broadway in Indianapolis touring series and major comedy/performance acts with reserved seating. These shows tend to draw older audiences and larger family groups — exactly the crowd that benefits most from a pre-arranged bus that's waiting at the curb when the curtain comes down, no app refresh required.
Deluxe late-night events. DJ nights and 18+ events in the Deluxe room run later than Murat Theatre shows, which means the post-show rideshare problem is worse. Groups heading to a Deluxe event who want a 1 AM pickup on a Saturday should plan their transportation well in advance — rideshare wait times in downtown Indy after midnight on weekends are not short.
Corporate and private buyouts. Old National Centre regularly hosts private events in the Corinthian Hall, Great Hall, and other spaces. Company groups shuttling employees from suburban offices to a downtown private event is one of the most common Indianapolis charter bus requests we handle — it cuts out the parking reimbursement form and the "who's the designated driver" conversation before the open bar starts.

For the current event calendar at Old National Centre, the Live Nation venue page is the authoritative source, since Live Nation operates the building. Confirm your room — Murat Theatre, Egyptian Room, or Deluxe — when you check your tickets, because the drop-off point and post-show crowd behavior differ between rooms.

Bag Policy and Venue Rules

Old National Centre enforces a clear-bag policy — the same standard you see at most Live Nation venues. Each attendee may bring one clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag no larger than 12" × 6" × 12", plus a small clutch no larger than 4.5" × 6.5". All bags are subject to search at entry.

Backpacks, tote bags, and opaque bags are not permitted.

One practical note for groups: the per-person bag restriction means your group's "communal tote of extra layers and snacks for everyone" doesn't pass through the gate. Pack individually, keep it clear, keep it within size. Anything that doesn't make the cut stays in the bus's overhead storage or undercarriage bays during the show — which is a real advantage of having the vehicle on-site rather than a garage three blocks away.

Food and beverage service inside the venue starts one hour before performances. The Massachusetts Avenue strip surrounding the building has multiple dining and bar options if your group wants to eat before doors, but reservations on weekend show nights fill fast — make them in advance if your plan involves a pre-show dinner.

Trip Types We Cover for Old National Centre

Different groups, same destination. A few of the runs we handle most often for Old National Centre:

Concert groups. The most common run — 20 to 40 people from a suburban pickup point to the New Jersey Street curbside drop, with a pre-set post-show pickup time so no one's staring at a surge screen after the encore.
Bachelorette and birthday groups. A party bus pickup from Broad Ripple or a downtown hotel block, pre-show drinks on the bus, drop-off at Old National Centre, and a post-show loop to Mass Ave bars or a late-night stop. The itinerary is yours — we handle the routing.
Corporate event shuttles. Company groups from Carmel, Fishers, or the north suburbs heading to a private event in the Corinthian Hall or Great Hall. One bus cuts out the parking reimbursement form and the "who's the designated driver" conversation before the open bar starts.
Broadway group outings. Church groups, theater subscribers, and school groups heading to a Murat Theatre production — where everyone arrives dressed for the occasion and would rather not parallel-park on a one-way downtown street in the dark.
Multi-stop concert nights. Groups who want to start at a Mass Ave restaurant, head to the show, and then continue to a late-night bar in Fountain Square or the Bottleworks District afterward. A bus rental in Indianapolis keeps the whole itinerary on one vehicle instead of regrouping across three Ubers at every stop.

What It Costs to Rent a Bus to Old National Centre

Party Bus in Indianapolis offers all-inclusive pricing online in under 30 seconds — you know the exact number before you ever book. The quote is shaped by a handful of clear factors:

Vehicle size — a 56-passenger charter bus and a 14-passenger Sprinter limo are different rates.
Total hours — how long the vehicle is reserved, including pre-show pickup time and post-show pickup window.
Pickup location and mileage — a Broad Ripple pickup is a different run from a Carmel or Greenwood origin.
Date and event — weekend show nights and high-demand dates price differently than a Tuesday evening.

Here's the per-person math that usually settles the question. Say your group of 35 books a party bus for a Saturday Egyptian Room show. Split the charter cost 35 ways, and each person's share typically lands at or below what they'd spend on parking ($15+) plus a surge-priced rideshare home ($25–$40+) — with the built-in open bar, the pre-show music, and the guarantee that everyone gets home in the same vehicle.

Call 317-238-3326 for a free, no-obligation quote — or use our online tool for instant pricing in under 30 seconds.

Booking and Timing

Booking a party bus or charter bus to Old National Centre is straightforward once you have three things: your group size, your show date, and your pickup location. Here's the process:

Request a quote with your headcount, show date, and pickup point.
Confirm the vehicle and drop-off approach — Murat Theatre front entrance on New Jersey St, or Egyptian Room drop on Locust St.
Set your post-show pickup window. Agree on a time and a pickup spot before you go in, so the bus is ready and waiting when the lights come up.

On timing: Old National Centre books sold-out shows on weekends year-round, but a few windows fill the calendar especially fast for group transportation. Gen Con in August brings 70,000+ attendees to the Indiana Convention Center and overlaps with Old National Centre's weekend concert schedule — downtown transportation availability drops sharply during that week, and bus availability goes with it. The holiday Murat Theatre season (November through early January) includes Broadway touring shows and family productions that draw larger groups with longer lead times.

For those dates, booking 6–8 weeks out is the practical floor; 3–4 months ahead is better. For a regular Saturday Egyptian Room show outside of peak periods, 2–4 weeks of lead time is workable — but the right-size vehicle goes first.

Gen Con warning: Gen Con week in August is the single tightest week of the year for downtown Indianapolis transportation. If your show falls during Gen Con, treat it like a major sporting event — book as soon as you have tickets, not a week before the show.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does a charter bus drop off at Old National Centre?

The main drop-off zone is on N. New Jersey Street in front of the venue, which puts your group directly at the Grand Lobby and Murat Theatre entrance. For Egyptian Room shows specifically, the recommended vehicle drop-off is on Locust Street behind the theatre — it's a step-free approach and avoids the busier New Jersey Street curbside. Know which room your show is in before your bus leaves so the route is correct.

How much does parking cost at Old National Centre?

Reserved parking in the main lot at 501 Alabama Street costs $15, purchased in advance through the Live Nation/Ticketmaster site as an "upgrade" when you buy your tickets. General parking is first-come, first-served and fills quickly on sold-out show nights. The north lot at North Street and New Jersey Street is the secondary option.

Overflow garages nearby — Massachusetts Avenue Parking Garage and Denison Parking Garage — are available but add a walk. Check the Murat Theatre parking page before your show for current lot status.

What is the bag policy at Old National Centre?

Old National Centre enforces a clear-bag policy. Each guest may bring one clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag no larger than 12" × 6" × 12", plus a small clutch no larger than 4.5" × 6.5". All bags are subject to search at entry.

Opaque bags, backpacks, and totes are not permitted — anything that doesn't qualify stays in the vehicle.

What are the three rooms at Old National Centre?

The Murat Theatre is the main 2,500-seat performing arts theater with reserved seating, used for Broadway touring shows, major comedy acts, and seated concert events. The Egyptian Room is a 2,000-capacity standing-room concert hall with a large stage and terrazzo dance floor — the room for general admission rock, indie, and touring acts. The Deluxe is a 7,421-square-foot flexible room for 200–400 guests, hosting DJ nights, private events, and smaller shows.

Confirm which room your event is in before you book transportation — the drop-off point differs between rooms.

Is there public transit to Old National Centre?

IndyGo serves the area with Routes 11, 2, and 5, with stops near Alabama Street and North Street approximately two minutes on foot from the venue. That said, IndyGo's late-night service frequency is limited, which makes it impractical for most concert groups needing a post-show ride home after 10 PM or later. A private charter bus is the only option that picks your entire group up at one spot and drops everyone at their destination with no transfers.

How far in advance should I book a party bus to Old National Centre?

For a regular weekend show outside of peak events, 2–4 weeks of lead time is workable for most vehicle sizes. For shows that fall during Gen Con (August), the Indianapolis 500 weekend (May), or the holiday Murat Theatre season (November through early January), treat the booking timeline the same as a major sporting event — 6–8 weeks minimum, 3–4 months preferred. Downtown Indy transportation fills fast during those windows, and the vehicle sizes that fit a concert group are the first to go.

Call 317-238-3326 to confirm availability for your date.

Can a bus pick up at multiple locations before dropping us at Old National Centre?

Yes. If your group is coming from multiple neighborhoods or a hotel block and a few private residences, one bus can run a sweep route — Carmel pickup, Broad Ripple pickup, downtown hotel pickup — before dropping everyone at New Jersey Street for the show. That's something five separate rideshares can't coordinate without someone arriving 20 minutes after the opener starts.

Let us know your pickup points when you request a quote and we'll build the route around your group.

What happens to the bus while we're at the show?

The bus is booked as a block of hours, so it can wait off-site during the show and come back to the pre-arranged pickup point at the time your group specifies. You won't pay for a parking space the bus occupies at the venue — it waits off the main downtown grid and returns when you're ready. Coordinate your post-show pickup time with our team before you go in, so everyone knows exactly where to meet when the lights come up.

Book Your Old National Centre Bus Today

The ride to Old National Centre should be as good as the show itself — not a parking scramble or a post-show surge-pricing lottery. Whether it's a sold-out Egyptian Room concert, a Broadway touring production in the Murat Theatre, a company event in the Corinthian Hall, or a bachelorette night that starts on Mass Ave and ends at the Deluxe, Party Bus in Indianapolis has the vehicle and the plan to get your group there together and home the same way.

Give us a call any time at 317-238-3326 for an all-inclusive price quote in under 30 seconds — or use our online tool for instant availability. Your group deserves to walk into Old National Centre already in the right mood, not still stressed about where to park.

Sources & Last Verified

Venue details, parking pricing, and bag policy verified against official venue and operator sources in June 2026. Parking prices and lot availability change by event — confirm current details before your show.