Indianapolis, IN, is a Hub for Major Entertainment Events
The festivities never end here, as the region plays host to several well-known events throughout the year.
Sarah Myer wasn’t planning to make Indianapolis her home after graduating from Butler University. “But what I quickly learned is how easily you can get connected and involved in this city,” she says. And Myer didn’t just mean at the local level – she discovered a city built for major national and international events.
“We have the backbone of hospitality needed, from restaurant staff to public safety to volunteers, to deliver on these kinds of events. And the accessibility is just unmatched,” says Myer, who’s now chief marketing officer of Indiana Sports Corp, a nonprofit founded in 1979 as the nation’s first sports commission.
Blake Roebuck, vice president of corporate relations at the Indy Chamber, agrees with Myer that Indianapolis’ accessibility is something few cities can offer for major events.
“Once you get from the best airport in North America for the last 10 years to downtown, you don’t need a vehicle anymore,” he says. “Your hotels are connected to restaurants, entertainment, music and some of the best food in the country for the price point. It’s all in a package that is walkable, bikeable and scooter-able.”
Curious to learn more about the company the Circle City keeps? Here’s a look at the major entertainment events coming to Indianapolis in 2024 – and annually.
In This Article
NBA All-Star Game
February 16-18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
It’s been nearly 40 years since Indianapolis hosted the NBA All-Star Game, and after losing the 2021 game to the pandemic, the city is extra hungry to host it again. Two days of events, including Hoosier Historia, will build anticipation for the game. Hoosier Historia will invite artists from across the state to design and paint their interpretations of the highest-ranked high school basketball moments on 6-foot basketball sculptures.
“Our city has this way of leveling up on these events,” Myer says. “The All-Star event is so much more about the art and culture that is woven throughout the sport. It’s giving us a lot of opportunity to shine a light on much more than just basketball, which is already an Indiana obsession.”
Learn more about the 2024 NBA All-Star Game here.
U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials
June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium
Swimming trials on a football field? Yes, you read that right.
“The swimming trials have my heart and soul right now. It’s never been done before in an NFL stadium,” Myer says.
The event is expected to draw 30,000 fans per day. On top of that, the trials will impact thousands of young Hoosiers’ lives. “We’re simultaneously trying to teach 50,000 kids to be swim-safe statewide by the end of 2024,” Myer says.
Learn more about the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials here.
NCAA Men’s March Madness Tournament
Rounds 1 and 2
March 22-24 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis has a long tradition of hosting major NCAA sporting events, starting with the men’s Division I basketball tournament – aka March Madness. Indy held the entire tournament in 2021. Plus, the city has welcomed the Final Four eight times, and will host it again in 2026 and 2029. IUPUI and the Horizon League will be the official hosts for 2024, as teams pour into Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The tournament highlights Indianapolis’ strong relationship with the NCAA, which relocated its headquarters here in 1999. The move also means Indy will host at least one major NCAA event each year through 2039.
Learn more about the 2024 Men’s March Madness Tournament here.
NFL Scouting Combine
February and March at Lucas Oil Stadium
The NFL Combine has been part of Indianapolis for decades.
“It’s been here for 30 to 40 years now,” Roebuck says, pointing to Indy’s steakhouses, walkability and affordability as key reasons why. You might even catch a glimpse of Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones dining at St. Elmo Steak House, or Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh pouring over notes at the ball & biscuit.
A lesser-known reason the Combine keeps coming back: Lucas Oil Stadium’s connection to IU Health. Fiber optic lines run directly to Methodist Hospital, ensuring excellent care for athletes and physical assessments for teams. The Combine will return in 2024, though there is a possibility that – like with the draft – the NFL might take it on the road.
Learn more about the NFL Combine here.
Gen Con
August at the Indiana Convention Center
Billing itself as The Best Four Days in Gaming, Gen Con draws tens of thousands of attendees from around the world. The event, founded in 1967 by Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, showcases the latest in tabletop role-playing games (RPGs), trading card games (TCGs), board games and beyond. More than 500 exhibitors and 20,000 events, including an annual costume contest, keep gamers coming back year after year.
Learn more about Gen Con here.
BUTTER Art Fair
Labor Day weekend at The Stutz
Only in its third year, BUTTER Art Fair is already on the national radar, catching the attention of The New York Times.
“It’s an art experience like no other,” Myer says. Founded by Indy-based creative agency GANGGANG, BUTTER showcases the work of Black artists from Indiana and across the country. The fair is also transparent about its impact. The 2022 BUTTER Art Fair made $250K in art sales, with 100% of the proceeds going back to the artists.
Roebuck shares Myer’s enthusiasm for BUTTER.
“It shows one of the superpowers of Marion County is the diversity that we have here,” he says. “I can’t imagine Indianapolis without BUTTER and GANGGANG anymore.”
Learn more about BUTTER Art Fair here.
Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships
August at Lucas Oil Stadium
DCI, known as Marching Music’s Major League, empowers the next generation of musicians and performers by producing international drum corps competitions. The best of the best gather at Lucas Oil Stadium to compete in the DCI World Championships.
The three-day event brings a unique look – and sound – to downtown, as marching ensembles encircle Lucas Oil. But the real show is inside the stadium, where drums, horns, batons and streamers create a spectacle unlike any other event in Indy. That uniqueness shows DCI’s staying power, which has been going strong for more than 50 years.
Learn more about the DCI World Championships here.
Big Ten Football Championship
December at Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium has hosted every Big Ten Football Championship since the title game debuted in 2011. The last four championships surpassed stadium capacity, packing Lucas Oil with around 67,000 fans — including some with standing room-only tickets. The excitement spills out of the stadium, too, with the Big Ten Fan Fest taking place on nearby Georgia Street and at the Indiana Convention Center.
The game will stay in Indianapolis through at least 2024, the same season the Big Ten expands to 16 teams by adding USC and UCLA. Indianapolis has plenty going for it to keep the championship, including strong relationships with the Big Ten Conference and NCAA.
Learn more about the Big Ten Football Championship here.
Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show
December at Indiana Convention Center
The Indy 500 does more than draw race fans from all over the world. It’s also made Indianapolis – and the whole state of Indiana, really – a hub for the automotive industry. The PRI Trade Show is one of the best examples of this. More than 70,000 attendees from the U.S. and 70 countries converge for three days to see the latest in race technology, from drag racing to tractor pulling and more.
“Indy’s clearly a home run of a welcoming place for those folks because they identify with the racing legacy that we have,” Roebuck says. “That first or second weekend of December every year, downtown is packed.” PRI even moved its membership headquarters to Speedway. It’s in good company, too, with both American and Japanese automotive plants spread throughout the state.
Learn more about the PRI Trade Show here.
This article was sponsored by Life in Indy.