If you are moving 20, 40, or 56 people to a show at The Fillmore New Orleans, the question that actually keeps an organizer up the night before is not the setlist — it is where does everybody get dropped, and where do we all meet when the lights come up? The Fillmore sits on the second floor of a downtown casino at the foot of Canal Street, and that one detail changes how a group arrives, parks, and leaves.

This guide answers it plainly, using the venue's own published information, and then walks you through everything else a group night out needs: which vehicle fits your crew, what shapes the price, how the surrounding streets behave on a sold-out night, and which festival weeks make local buses hard to find. Party Bus New Orleans books these concert runs across the metro, so the advice below is what we tell our own groups before they reserve — written for the person in charge of getting everyone there together, on time, and back to the hotel without splitting into five rideshares on Convention Center Boulevard.

Venue address

6 Canal St — 2nd floor of Caesars New Orleans

Capacity

~2,200 — mostly standing, GA floor

Where the bus drops

Canal St entrance, before the Caesars valet lane

Bus parking

Caesars garages, Convention Center Blvd

Box office

Opens 2 hrs before doors · 504-881-1555

From MSY airport

~11–15 miles · 20–30 min via I-10

What and Where Is The Fillmore New Orleans?

The Fillmore New Orleans is a roughly 2,200-capacity concert hall built on the second floor of Caesars New Orleans (6 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130) — the downtown property that, until its 2024 rebrand and renovation, everyone in the city knew as Harrah's. If a group member is searching old directions, that name change is the first thing that throws them off.

The room is mostly an open standing floor, with a handful of stadium seats behind the sound booth and large VIP box areas seating up to about 1,000 along the sides. That layout matters for a group: there are no assigned seats on the general-admission floor, so the crew that arrives together and walks in together is the crew that stands together. A single bus drop is how you keep 40 people from filtering in across 30 minutes and losing each other in a packed room.

Its location is the other thing worth knowing up front. The Fillmore sits right at the river end of Canal Street, on the seam between the Central Business District and the Warehouse District, a block from the Mississippi and three blocks from the convention center. That puts it inside the busiest downtown traffic and event-closure zone in the city — which is exactly why how you arrive is worth planning, as you will see next.

Where Your Bus Drops Off and Picks Up at The Fillmore

Here is the part most concert-transport pages leave vague. The Fillmore is not a stand-alone theater with its own bus lane — it lives upstairs inside a working casino, so the meet point is the casino's street frontage, not a marquee curb.

Per the venue's own plan-your-visit guidance, guests enter The Fillmore through the Canal Street entrance, directly before the Caesars New Orleans valet entrance, then head to the second floor. (Guests 21 and over can also cut through the casino floor via the Masquerade Lounge.) That Canal Street door is where your bus unloads — everyone steps off a few feet from the escalators up, instead of regrouping across a parking deck.

For the bus itself, the published guidance points all vehicles to the Caesars self-parking garages on Convention Center Boulevard — the 501 Convention Center Blvd garage runs daily, and the 601 Convention Center Blvd garage runs Friday through Sunday. After your group is inside, your bus waits there rather than idling on Canal, which is a tow-away zone and a busy through-street on show nights.

The one-line version: unload at the Canal Street entrance just before the Caesars valet lane, then the bus parks in the Caesars garage on Convention Center Boulevard. That single fact — the venue is upstairs in the casino — is what keeps a 40-person group from circling a one-way grid looking for a door that isn't on the street they expected.

The Fillmore New Orleans, 6 Canal Street — on the second floor of Caesars New Orleans at the river end of Canal Street, between the CBD and the Warehouse District.

One detail first-timers miss: the venue runs a clear-bag policy. Bags up to 12" x 6" x 12" are allowed (a small clutch up to 4.5" x 6.5" is fine too), but backpacks and multi-compartment bags are turned away at the door regardless of size. On a bus, that is a non-issue — everyone leaves the extra bag in their seat and walks in clean.

The box office opens two hours before door time on show days and can be reached at 504-881-1555.

Confirm the Garage and Door When You Book — Here's Why

Caesars New Orleans just finished a multi-year, $435-million rebuild that demolished the old porte-cochère and reworked the Canal Street frontage and a new hotel tower. Where valet runs, the walk through the casino floor, and which garage is open on a given night have all changed during that work.

What that means for you: a set of directions written before the renovation may point at an entrance or drive that no longer exists. When you reserve with us, we confirm your group's exact unload point and the open garage for your show date — because we keep up with the downtown changes so you do not have to. Call 504-264-9422 and we will set the meet plan for the night you are actually going.

Which Vehicle Fits Your Group?

The right vehicle for a Fillmore night is the one that seats your whole crew and matches how you want the ride to feel — a low-key shuttle from the hotel, or a rolling pregame with the music already going. Here is how the fleet breaks down for a downtown show.

Vehicle Typical capacity Best for On-board feel
Sprinter van / 14-passenger Sprinter limo Up to ~14 Small crews, VIP-box groups, hotel runs Leather, USB charging, easy curbside drop
Party bus ~15–50 Birthdays, bachelorette nights, the pregame on wheels Built-in bar, LED lighting, premium Bluetooth sound
Minibus ~15–35 Mid-size groups, quick CBD and hotel hops Powerful A/C, plush reclining seats
Full-size charter bus Up to 56 Large fan groups, out-of-town parties, multi-stop nights Reclining seats, climate control, overhead storage, restroom

For a concert specifically, the party bus is the popular pick — with a full-length bar, color-changing LED lighting, and a Bluetooth sound system, the pregame starts the second you pull away from the hotel and runs right up to the Canal Street door. For a larger group coming in from across the metro or out of state, a 40- to 56-passenger charter bus keeps everyone in one vehicle with room to spread out on the ride home. ADA-accessible vehicles are always available — just tell us before your departure date and we will match the bus to the group rather than the other way around.

What It Costs and How Pricing Works

Group bus pricing is not a single sticker number, and any honest booking will tell you that. Your 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 the show and the wait for the encore.
  • Date and demand — a quiet Tuesday prices differently than a Jazz Fest Saturday.
  • Mileage and pickup — a CBD hotel pickup is a shorter run than gathering a group out in Metairie or Slidell.

For real ranges to give you a starting point: a 14-passenger Sprinter limo runs about $170–$344 per hour; 15- to 20-passenger party buses about $204–$378; 20- to 30-passenger party buses about $244–$414; 35- to 50-passenger party buses and minibuses about $294–$490; and a 40- to 56-passenger charter bus about $150–$300 per hour or $1,200–$2,500 per day. Pricing depends on mileage, time of year, and vehicle type, but you will never be surprised by hidden costs.

Here is the part worth knowing. Caesars garage parking runs about $30 a day, or free for Caesars Rewards members who play 30 minutes — fine for one car, but a five- or six-car caravan means five or six parking transactions, five or six people stuck staying sober to drive, and at least one straggler still circling for a spot when the opener starts. One bus folds the whole crew into a single flat quote, one drop, and nobody stuck staying sober for the group.

Once your group passes a few cars' worth of people, that is usually both simpler and better value. Review how our pricing works and call 504-264-9422 for an all-inclusive quote in under 30 seconds.

Getting There: Downtown Streets, Traffic, and Timing

The Fillmore's location is a gift and a trap. It is steps off the Pontchartrain Expressway (US-90) / I-10 interchange, so a bus can drop you almost at the door — but Canal Street, Poydras Street, and Convention Center Boulevard form a one-way grid that clogs fast when there is anything else happening downtown, which in New Orleans is most weekends.

MSY → The Fillmore — about 11–15 miles via I-10 and the Pontchartrain Expressway, typically 20–30 minutes off-peak. Confirm live routing on Google Maps.
From… Approx. distance Typical drive time (off-peak)
Louis Armstrong Airport (MSY) ~11–15 miles 20–30 minutes
French Quarter ~1 mile 5–15 minutes
Uptown / Garden District ~4 miles 15–25 minutes
Metairie ~8 miles 15–25 minutes
Slidell (across the lake) ~32 miles 40–55 minutes

The friction first-timers underestimate is the Canal Street streetcar line and the cross-traffic at Poydras. The historic streetcars share the road, the lights are timed for a steady crawl, and a sold-out Fillmore empties 2,000-plus people onto the same sidewalks at once. A bus group skips the parking-deck shuffle entirely: you unload at the Canal door, the route through the grid is handled for you, and you walk straight upstairs.

We build a realistic buffer into the pickup so the bus is staged and ready when the encore ends — not stuck behind a streetcar two blocks away.

When To Book Early: The New Orleans Calendar

New Orleans runs on a festival calendar, and on the big weeks, downtown bus supply gets thin fast — not because of The Fillmore alone, but because every operator in the metro is committed. If your show lands on one of these dates, reserve as soon as you have tickets:

  • Mardi Gras season (January–February, Fat Tuesday Feb 17, 2026). Parade routes shut down St. Charles, Canal, and much of the CBD for days; whole stretches of downtown go to credentialed and emergency vehicles only. A Fillmore show during Carnival needs a route built around live closures — and the vehicles book out weeks ahead.
  • French Quarter Festival (mid-April). Free stages take over the Vieux Carré a few blocks from the venue, packing the riverfront and the CBD edge with crowds and rolling closures.
  • Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 23–May 3, 2026). Two weekends of 400,000-plus visitors, with hotels full and buses across the city booked solid. A concert night during Jazz Fest is the single hardest weekend of the year to find a last-minute bus.
  • Essence Festival (early July). The convention center and Superdome fill, and Convention Center Boulevard — where your Fillmore bus parks — is packed for the long weekend.
  • Sugar Bowl and bowl/playoff season (late December–January). Superdome events a few blocks away pull rideshare and parking demand straight into the CBD, and surge pricing jumps the moment a game lets out.

The consequence of waiting is simple: on these weekends the right-size vehicles go first, and a group that calls the week of the show pays a premium or settles for whatever is left. Lock your date early and the choice stays yours. Call 504-264-9422 the moment your tickets are in hand.

Why a Bus Beats the Alternatives for a Fillmore Night

We are a bus company, but we will be straight with you: for one or two people, a single rideshare or the Canal Street streetcar to the door is the cheaper, simpler call — no reason to charter a bus for a pair.

The math flips the moment your party grows past a few cars' worth of people. Rideshare to a downtown casino on a sold-out night means a scattered arrival, separate fares, and a brutal post-show surge as 2,000 people request rides on the same block at once. Everyone driving means a fistful of $30 garage transactions and someone stuck staying sober in every car.

A single bus replaces all of it — one drop at the Canal Street door, one staged pickup when the lights come up, one flat rate split across the whole group, and nobody drawing straws for who stays sober. That is the group the rest of this guide is written for, and the night it makes the most sense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does a bus drop off at The Fillmore New Orleans?

At the Canal Street entrance to Caesars New Orleans, directly before the valet lane — The Fillmore is on the second floor, so you unload at the casino's street door and head up the escalators. Guests 21 and over can also enter through the casino floor via the Masquerade Lounge. Your bus then parks in the Caesars self-parking garage on Convention Center Boulevard while you are inside.

Where do buses park near The Fillmore?

The venue points all vehicles to the Caesars self-parking garages on Convention Center Boulevard — 501 Convention Center Blvd runs daily and 601 Convention Center Blvd runs Friday through Sunday. Garage parking runs about $30 a day, or free for Caesars Rewards members who play 30 minutes. With a bus, the garage is handled for you so your group walks straight in.

We confirm the open garage for your show date when you book.

How much does it cost to rent a bus to The Fillmore?

Pricing depends on vehicle size, total hours (including the show and post-show wait), the date, and mileage. As a guide: 14-passenger Sprinter limos run $170–$344/hour; small party buses (15–20) run $204–$378/hour; mid-size (20–30) run $244–$414/hour; large party buses and minibuses (35–50) run $294–$490/hour; and full-size charter buses run $150–$300/hour or $1,200–$2,500/day. We provide an all-inclusive quote in under 30 seconds with no hidden costs.

Call 504-264-9422 or use the online tool.

What is the bag policy at The Fillmore?

The Fillmore runs a clear-bag policy. Bags up to 12" x 6" x 12" are allowed, plus a small clutch up to 4.5" x 6.5", and everything is subject to search. Backpacks and multi-compartment bags are prohibited regardless of size.

Traveling by bus makes this easy — leave the extra bag in your seat and walk in with just what is allowed.

Can the bus wait for us during the show?

Yes. The bus is reserved as a block of hours, so it drops your group at the Canal Street door, stages in the garage or nearby during the show, and is ready for an arranged pickup when the encore ends. You set that pickup window with our team in advance so the bus is right there when you walk out — no post-show surge fare, no regrouping on a packed sidewalk.

What's the closest airport, and can you handle an out-of-town group?

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) is about 11–15 miles away, roughly 20–30 minutes via I-10 and the Pontchartrain Expressway off-peak. One bus collects your whole group at baggage claim and runs straight to the hotel or the venue, instead of splitting everyone across a dozen rideshares on arrival day — we handle it as part of our New Orleans airport transportation service.

How far in advance should we book?

As soon as your show date is set, especially if it falls during Mardi Gras, French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest, Essence Festival, or bowl season — those weeks commit the city's bus supply weeks ahead, and the right-size vehicles go first. For an ordinary show night, two to four weeks of lead time is workable, but the earlier you call, the better your options and your price.

Book Your Bus to The Fillmore New Orleans Today

The perfect ride to Canal Street is just a call away. Whether it's a bachelorette crew rolling to a sold-out show, a birthday group that wants the pregame on board, or 50 friends coming in from across the metro, Party Bus New Orleans has access to a huge fleet of party buses, charter buses, minibuses, Sprinter vans, and Sprinter limos across New Orleans — and we drop your group at the Canal Street door while everyone else hunts for a garage spot. Give us a call any time at 504-264-9422 for an all-inclusive price quote, or use our online tool for instant availability!

Sources & Last Verified

Venue access, parking, and policies at The Fillmore and Caesars New Orleans change with renovations and event schedules, so we date our facts and link them to the parties that publish them. Address, entrance, parking, and bag-policy details verified June 2026; confirm show-specific details against the official pages below before your trip.