Top 8 things to do in Indy this weekend: Aug. 17-19
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Check it out! Here’s a few things happening around town this weekend.
Indy Fringe 2018
The 14th annual live theater festival begins this Thursday and runs through Aug. 26. You can catch over 60 acts performing 400 different shows in 7 different venues in the Mass Ave Arts and Cultural District.
The goal is to provide accessible, inexpensive opportunities for audiences to partake in the Indianapolis arts community Show themes include everything from edgy to dramatic to funny to musical to dancing and or even magical. Tickets for the shows cost between $10-15.
A full, online guide to this year’s shows can be found here.
Charitable Events
The Tatum Parker Project is hosting their 9th Annual White & Gold Party this Friday at The Vogue beginning at 8 p.m. At the annual gala, everyone comes dressed in white, to signify being clean of cancer, or gold to represent pediatric cancer awareness. A ticket includes a night of food, dancing, a silent auction with some incredible items to bid on — and a whole lot fun!
All funds raised will help provide Bags of Fun to every child diagnosed with cancer in Indiana, as well as fund pediatric cancer research. Click here for more information and to purchase a ticket.
A second charitable event set to take place this Saturday is Baby Got Brunch 2. Head over to the The Pavilion at Pan Am between 11:30 a.m. (10 a.m. with a VIP ticket) and 2 p.m. for bottomless mimosas, build-your-own bloody mary bar, an open bar, free-flowing coffee and food samples from numerous vendors. General admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets will run you $75. This 21+ event benefits the Patachou Foundation.
SausageFest and Augustravaganza
St. Thomas Aquinas Church’s annual 2-night festival, better known as SausageFest, is this Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. The festival features ice cold beer from Sun King brewery and delicious sausage from L.E. Kincaid and Sons meat market, plus various local vendors providing delicious food and dessert choices. There is also a wine garden for the over-21 crowd and plenty of activities for young guests including inflatables, games, a cake walk and face painting, a back party lot for teens with live music and a main stage with a music lineup including returning favorites as well as emerging local talent.
A second church festival taking place this weekend is the 13th Annual Augustravaganza at Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish this Friday and Saturday between 4 p.m. and midnight. The festival features a fried chicken dinner Friday and a prime rib dinner Saturday in addition to a raffle, a Pacers Fan van visit, BINGO, a 5K walk/run and 1 mile fun run benefiting God’s Bounty, live music and more!
Weekly Music Round-Up
The 8th Annual Indy Folk Fest 2018 is this Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. at the Indy Hostel. Outside of the live music all day on two stages, there will be beer and other vendors. All proceeds from this event will go to Teachers’ Treasures and Children’s Bureau, Inc.! Tickets start at just $12 and children under 8 are free.
It’s the last weekend of the Indiana State Fair, so make sure to catch the last three free performances there including Here Come The Mummies (Fri. at 7:30 p.m.), Robby Krieger of The Doors (Sat. at 7:30 p.m.) and Kirk Franklin – Headlining Gospel Music Festival (Sun. at 7:30 p.m.).
Here is a brief list of some other big performances here in town this weekend, sorted by day…
Friday:
- Smashing Pumpkins – Shiny, And Oh So Bright Tour – 7 p.m. – Bankers Life Fieldhouse
- G-EAZY – The Endless Summer Tour – 7 p.m. – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
- Joe Hess & the Wandering Cowboys – 9 p.m. – The HI-FI
Saturday:
- Rod Stewart W/ Special Guest Cyndi Lauper – 7 p.m. – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
- LSD Tour: Lucinda Williams/Steve Earle/Dwight Yoakam – 6:30 p.m. – Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn
- Red Baraat: Sound the People – 7:30 p.m. – Newfields – The Amphitheater
Sunday:
- Mason Jennings – 7 p.m. – The HI-FI
Twenty-One and Up
What better way to spend a weekend in mid-August than with a pair of beer fests and a ‘magical’ pub crawl?
The 7th Annual Hop Your Face Beer & Music Festival at Fountain Square Brewing Co. is this Saturday beginning at noon. Celebrate the release of their Imperial IPA and enjoy live entertainment, local art, food from Beach Bum BBQ and Der Pretzel Wagon and Mead and Cider from New Day Craft. Advance Tickets are $8 at the Brewery or $10 online, which both beat the $12 you will pay the day of.
On the other side of town, Daredevil Brewing Company in Speedway is hosting their Hops & Flip Flops Craft Beer Festival between 1-5 p.m. The annual festival is a celebration of summer with the opportunity to enjoy craft beer, live music and local food and just have a good time. Proceeds from Hops & Flip Flops Craft Beer Festival are used to benefit local charities and service organizations including Brackets For Good, Speedway Lions Club, and Speedway Trails.
f you’re a big Harry Potter fan, don’t get your cloaks and wands out and head up to Broad Ripple this Saturday evening for the Wizards and Wands Bar Crawl. General admission tickets are $20 which include your own patch knit scarf (while supplies last), a color changing Wizards and Wands stadium cup for your magical drinks and magical drink specials at Broad Ripple bars, including Butter Beer, Polyjuice Potion and Skele Gro shots. Dress up like your favorite character and have a blast!
ArtSparkle POP!
ArtSparkle POP!, the Indianapolis Art Center’s annual summer fundraiser, returns ready to take you back in time to an era that defied the rules of art! Inside, pop culture will adorn the gallery walls. Outside, you will dine on artful food and drinks and dance the night away to live music from Endless Summer Band. Plan to channel your inner Warhol or Lichtenstein and dress to impress.
Want to add a little extra pop to your night? Go for the VIP experience with premium parking and tables, a cocktail hour with access to artists, added entertainment, an open bar and a special gift! Proceeds from this whimsical fundraising event provide critical support to the Indianapolis Art Center’s groundbreaking and award-winning exhibitions, which are open at no cost to the public seven days a week, as well as to classes, exhibitions, outreach and other community programs. This event is 21 years of age and older. Purchase tickets here
Helping Heroes of America’s Ride for Freedom
Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. and motorcycles go out at 12:00 p.m. in this year’s first ever Helping Heroes Freedom Ride at the Marion County Fairgrounds benefiting veterans in need. Single registration is $25 and doubles are $35 for a police-escorted route around I-465 with one stop. At the end of the ride Helping Heroes will host a community event and resource fair open to the public.
The event is family friendly and will include bounce houses and an obstacle course for the kids, live music from American Bombshell Black Market Vinyl Black Dali, food, prizes and a raffle for a 2010 Harley Road Glide and a custom AR-15. MORE INFORMATION
President Harrison’s Birthday
President Benjamin Harrison’s 185th birthday is this Monday, Aug. 20, but the annual wreath laying ceremony at Harrison’s memorial in Crown Hill cemetery will take place Saturday beginning at 10:30 a.m. This patriotic event will honor the history and legacy of the 23rd President with boy scouts, a band concert, speakers, current military personnel and military re-enactors, and a beautiful wreath.
Following the ceremony a one-hour historic guided walking tour highlighting President Harrison and other Crown Hill notables will be led by one of Crown Hill’s excellent Tour Guides. This free event is rain or shine and will only be moved indoors if the weather is severe, so plan accordingly. Meet at President Harrison’s memorial on Section 13, located at the base of the Crown.
His memorial can be located by following the white line painted on the road from either cemetery entrance. A birthday party will take place Monday at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site this Monday between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.