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Getting To and From Big Venues: Rideshare and Transit

Facts checked against the sources below on .

Quick answer: Plan the ride home before you buy the ticket. At Red Rocks, rideshare pickup is in the Jurassic Lot, a walk downhill. In Denver, light rail covers Ball Arena and Mission Ballroom. Surge pricing hits after big shows, so check the upfront price, walk a few blocks, or leave a bit early. Info is as of Oct 2026.

The show is the easy part. The hard part is a whole crowd trying to leave at once. Here is how to get in and out of the main Denver-area venues, with the official pages we checked.

How do you get to Red Rocks?

Red Rocks' own page covers driving, carpooling, rideshare, and private buses [1]. We found no train option there.

Red Rocks says parking lots open 2 hours before event door time, and you may have to hike from your assigned spot, so wear comfortable shoes [1]. Cars left overnight and not moved by 10 a.m. the next day may be ticketed or towed [1].

Carpooling helps. Red Rocks points fans to the WayToGo carpool program [1]. The regional planning group DRCOG lists free park-and-rides at the Wooly Mammoth lot, the Federal Center Station, and the Morrison park-n-ride lot, and a carpool finder at MyWaytoGo.org/s/red-rocks [2]. DRCOG describes these as meet-up points for carpooling and does not say how to get from them to the venue, so confirm at MyWaytoGo.org before relying on them.

Free shuttles run inside the park before the show. Red Rocks says complimentary shuttles carry people from farther lots to the amphitheatre gates at no charge, with signed pickup points [1].

Where do Uber and Lyft drop you off and pick you up at Red Rocks?

Red Rocks gives these drop-off spots [1]:

  • Entrance 1: Top Circle Lot
  • Entrance 2: where Red Rocks Park Road meets Trading Post Road
  • Entrance 3: Upper South Lot, for riders who need the accessible shuttle

Pickup is in a different place. Red Rocks says private vehicles, taxis, and Uber and Lyft pick up in the Jurassic Lot, just inside Entrance 2 off Highway 93 [1]. You walk downhill to get there, ideally by the Will Call Trail across from the Trading Post and then down Red Rocks Park Road [1].

Tell your driver the Jurassic Lot, not "the front gate." Share your live location with your group. Do not wait at the top of the hill.

Should you take the shuttle after the show?

Maybe not. Red Rocks says limited free shuttles run after shows from the Top Circle Lot and Trading Post to the Jurassic Lot [1]. But Red Rocks encourages you to walk down Red Rocks Park Road instead, because shuttle loops take time, and riders should expect delays [1].

Our take: if you can walk downhill, walk. You get to your pickup spot before the line forms.

How do you get to Ball Arena by RTD?

Ball Arena is on RTD's rail network. A March 2023 RTD post says all Ball Arena events can be reached via the E and W lines at the Elitch Gardens/Ball Arena station [3]. The arena's own page says the stop is served by D, E, H and W lines [4]. Those two lists disagree. RTD's rail project page says D, H and L line trains are affected by Downtown Loop reconstruction, which began June 7, 2026 and is expected to finish by the end of Q1 2027; it does not say whether the Ball Arena stop is affected [5]. So open the RTD NextRide app or trip planner for your date and see which lines run [5].

Other options from the arena page [4]:

  • An RTD bus stop is next to the grounds at 9th Street and Auraria Parkway.
  • Rideshare, taxi, and limo pickup and drop-off is at the Ball Arena Rideshare lot.
  • Accessible pickup and drop-off is at the roundabout on 9th Street.

How do you get to Mission Ballroom?

Mission Ballroom's FAQ says it strongly recommends rideshare or light rail [6]. The venue is just blocks from the light rail station at 38th and Blake, which is on the A Line [6][2]. DRCOG also lists the 43 bus, to the North Brighton Boulevard and 43rd Street stop [2].

For rideshare, the venue says to catch your ride after the show in the rideshare lot at the corner of 39th and Wynkoop [6].

Driving? North Wynkoop has paid on-site parking. The preferred lot has attendants from two hours before doors until one hour after the show [7]. Overnight parking is not allowed [6][7]. Pick up your car after the show.

How do you get to the Fillmore Auditorium?

We did not open an official Fillmore transportation page, so treat this as a starting point. An March 2023 RTD post says the Fillmore and Ogden Theatre are within walking distance of the Colfax Avenue and Emerson Street and Colfax Avenue and Clarkson Street stops along Route 15 [8]. That post is old. Confirm the route in the NextRide app, and check the venue's own page for rideshare instructions.

How much does RTD cost?

As of Oct 2026, RTD lists a 3-hour pass at $2.75 and a day pass at $5.50 for standard fares [9]. Youth 19 and under ride free on RTD [9]. You can pay by tapping a contactless card or phone, and with Tap-n-Ride your 3-hour passes convert to a day pass automatically so you do not pay more than the cap [9]. Fares change, so check RTD before you go.

What is surge pricing, and how do you beat it?

Uber says that when more people request rides than drivers are available, fares increase via surge pricing, and the upfront price includes it with a note in the app [10]. Uber's driver-facing page lists special events as one cause of surges and notes that some riders wait a few minutes to see if rates drop [11]. Lyft says higher demand during rush hours, events, or bad weather may increase prices [12].

So after a big show, prices go up. Ways to deal with it:

  • Walk a few blocks away from the main pickup zone, then request. Stay in a safe, lit area, and make sure your pickup pin is exact.
  • Wait 10 or 15 minutes in the venue plaza or a nearby spot. Uber's driver page notes some riders wait a few minutes to see if rates drop [11].
  • Check the upfront price first. Uber says the price shown is guaranteed upfront unless the route changes significantly [10]. Lyft says its upfront price can change if your route or destination changes [12].
  • Split it. One car, shared fare.
  • Leave early. You will miss the last song. You will also miss the worst of the line. Your call.

How do you plan a safe ride home?

The CDC says that if you plan to drink alcohol or use drugs, make plans so you do not have to drive [13]. Do that before the night starts, not at the end of it.

  • Pick your ride home before you leave the house. Pick a backup.
  • Charge your phone, and bring a battery if the venue allows it.
  • Share your trip with a friend.
  • Check the plate and driver name in the app before you get in.
  • Do not let a friend drive impaired. Take their keys and call a ride.
  • At Mission Ballroom, remember your car cannot stay overnight [6].

A quick word on Drop

We built Drop because we kept missing shows and then scrambling for a ride home. Drop is the app we built to find shows near you. Go find your next one.

Sources

  1. Red Rocks Amphitheatre. "Getting Here." https://www.redrocksonline.com/plan-your-visit/getting-here/. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  2. DRCOG (Way to Go). "Music: fun commuting to events." https://drcog.org/way-go/fun-commuting-events/music. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  3. RTD Denver. "RTD Rad Things to Do, March 2023" (news post). https://www.rtd-denver.com/community/news/2023/rtd-rad-things-to-do-march-2023. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  4. Ball Arena. "Public Transportation." http://www.ballarena.com/plan-your-visit/public-transportation. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  5. RTD Denver. "Rail reconstruction" project page; home page for the NextRide app. https://www.rtd-denver.com/railproject and https://www.rtd-denver.com/. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  6. Mission Ballroom. "FAQ." https://www.missionballroom.com/faq/. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  7. Mission Ballroom. "Directions." https://www.missionballroom.com/directions/. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  8. RTD Denver. "RTD Rad Things to Do, March 2023" (Fillmore and Ogden walking note). https://www.rtd-denver.com/community/news/2023/rtd-rad-things-to-do-march-2023. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  9. RTD Denver. "Fares." https://www.rtd-denver.com/fares-passes/fares. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  10. Uber. "Will surge pricing be included in the upfront fare?" https://help.uber.com/en/riders/article/will-surge-pricing-be-included-in-the-upfront-fare?nodeId=c8cb4b9e-484d-4997-ad06-3133232f15aa. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  11. Uber. "How surge pricing works." https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/driver-app/how-surge-works/. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  12. Lyft Help. "Ride pricing and charges." https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/all/articles/115012925707-Ride-pricing-and-charges. Accessed 2026-10-18.
  13. CDC. "About Impaired Driving." https://www.cdc.gov/impaired-driving/about/index.html. Accessed 2026-10-18.