13 Indy arts and culture events you won’t want to miss in 2025

In Indianapolis, 2024 was a pretty big year for arts and culture. We had a lot of firsts: the I Made Rock N’ Roll music festival, the Neon Black Dance Festival, the Indy Indie Book Crawl and Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest.

Local artists painted the town for NBA All-Star Weekend, civil rights activist Ruby Bridges spoke at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, and Guy Fieri featured three restaurants on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

(Oh, and Mirror Indy’s arts and culture newsletter, Play List, launched. Haven’t subscribed? Sign up now!)

In 2025, there’s also a lot to look forward to. Check out our list and mark your calendars.

A menstruation researcher talks about periods and politics

🗓️ 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16
🎟️ Free. No tickets required.

Kate Clancy is a biological anthropologist and author who wrote, “Period: The Real Story of Menstruation.” She will give a lecture at Butler University’s Sheldon Auditorium and talk about timely issues, including the ways racism and sexism warp public perceptions of menstruation.

Let short films move you at Indy Dance Film Night

🗓️ 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22
🎟️ $15, online or in-person at the box office

The inaugural event sold out in 2024, so get your tickets now for this year’s showcase at Kan-Kan Cinema. You’ll see short films from some of Indiana’s best performers, choreographers and directors – including Digital Dance Collective, Seda Negra/Black Silk Dance Company & Create Freedom Arts Projects, Strive Dance Company and Indy Movement Arts Collective.

A move theater is full of people, who are holding popcorn or drinks and are looking toward the screen. — A crowd watches short films about dance at the Indy Dance Film Night Jan. 16, 2024, at Kan-Kan Cinema in Indianapolis. Credit: Heather Brogden and Porch Marketing/Indy Dance Council

Kaveh Akbar reads from “Martyr!”

🗓️ 7-9 p.m. Jan. 28
🎟️ Free through Eventbrite

Akbar’s debut novel made it to the New York Times list of the 10 best books of 2024. At Indiana Landmarks, he’ll read from “Martyr!” – written about a young Iranian man who, like him, goes on a journey exploring themes of addiction, the divine and the meaning of sacrifice. He’ll also speak with Indianapolis professor and attorney Aila Hoss.

A man with a beard and dark hair looks at the camera. A green and yellow backdrop that looks like leaves is behind him. — Kaveh Akbar, an award-winning author and poet, will visit Indianapolis Jan. 28, 2024. Credit: Beowulf Sheehan/Tomorrow Bookstore

Indiana Avenue takes the stage at “The Harlem of the Midwest”

🗓️ Jan. 31-Feb. 2
🎟️ $12 through the District Theatre

Five 10-minute plays, written by students at Black Light Training & Development, will highlight the history of Indiana Avenue over three days at District Theatre. The playwrights set their scenes in a jazz club, a barbershop, the Walker Theatre and other places.

Playwrights and actors rehearse scenes from the Harlem of the Midwest festival of plays about Indiana Avenue. Credit: Provided photo/The District Theatre

“Nina Simone: Four Women” explores resilience

🗓️ Feb. 4-March 2
🎟️ $25-$108. There are also student matinees.

The play by Christina Ham – presented by the Indiana Repertory Theatre – imagines the singer-songwriter in conversation with three other Black women, as a way to understand Simone, her music and her resilience during the Civil Rights Movement.

An illustration of Nina SImone on a yellow background with a stained glass window behind her. Text overlay says: "Nina Simone: Four Women by Christina Ham." — Promotional art for the production “Nina Simone: Four Women” features an illustration by Indianapolis artist Tasha Beckwith. Credit: Indiana Repertory Theatre

See Ruth E. Carter’s afrofuturist costume designs

🗓️ March 22-Sept. 7
🎟️ Find ticket info in early 2025.

Carter’s Oscar-winning designs from “Black Panther” will be on display starting in March at the Children’s Museum, which will also celebrate its 100-year birthday. Carter’s career has spanned 40 years, and she was drawn to do an exhibit in Indianapolis after learning about the BUTTER fine art fair.

Costumes, including the Black Panther suit and a large tan dress, are on mannequins in an exhibit. — Ruth E. Carter’s Oscar-winning costume designs will be on display at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis starting March 22, 2025. Credit: Colin Grey/Children's Museum

I Made Rock N Roll returns for Year 2

🗓️ Spring/summer
🎟️ Follow GANGGANG for updates.

Local acts Meet Me at the Altar and Inner Peace opened for headliners including Gary Clark Jr. and Janelle Monáe at the first I Made Rock N Roll festival in May at American Legion Mall. GANGGANG will bring back the celebration of Black rock ‘n’ roll artists for a second year, with more details to come.

Lead Singer of emo band Meet Me @ The Altar, Edith Victoria, performs May 18, 2024, during I Made Rock ’N’ Roll music festival at the American Legion Mall in Indianapolis. Credit: Ted Somerville for Mirror Indy

A new Art & Soul talent showcase debuts

🗓️ April 11
🎟️ Follow Indy Arts Council for updates.

Art & Soul has celebrated Black culture and creativity since 1996. The festival, hosted by Indy Arts Council, puts a spotlight on Indy’s emerging talent through its Featured Artists program. New in 2025: The Madam Walker Legacy Center will host a Featured Artists showcase.

A man holds a microphone, and another man behind him plays the saxophone. — Art & Soul 2024. Credit: Jennifer Wilson/Indy Arts Council

See new murals during WNBA All-Star 2025

🗓️ July 18-19
🎟️ Follow Indy Arts Council for updates.

When the WNBA All-Star 2025 rolls into town this summer, the Indy Arts Council will unveil a new mural of Indiana Fever legend and 10-time WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings. You’ll also get to see two temporary murals at downtown’s Indianapolis Artsgarden, reflecting the “Red Hot Summer” theme.

Tamika Catchings plays in Newark, New Jersey, on June 5, 2011. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

Visit the “new” Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

🗓️ Early April
🎟️ Find updates on the museum’s website.

Take the pit stop challenge and test how fast you can drive when the reimagined IMS Museum opens in April. You’ll also be able to visit galleries with different exhibits. The museum’s education director, Jake Apollos, is working with Butler University education majors to test lessons for students in the new STEAM classroom.

A rendering of how Gasoline Alley will look in the renovated IMS Museum. Credit: Provided photo/Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

Hear Mychal Threets speak at Juneteenth Bookfest

🗓️ June 14
🎟️ Find updates on Central Library’s website.

Threets, a librarian turned viral TikTok sensation, will be the keynote speaker for the BookFest & Juneteenth Celebration at Central Library. At the annual Juneteenth celebration, you can also meet local authors and purchase books.

Turn a new page at Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest

🗓️ Late summer
🎟️ Follow Indiana Humanities for updates.

In October, the first Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest connected local readers and writers of all ages with poets, authors, publishers and bookstore owners. The fest was so popular, it will return for a second year. Local authors and educators Chantel Massey and Mitchell L.H. Douglas, alongside Indiana Humanities, will organize the event, which will feature author talks, writing workshops, booksellers and a family fun area.

Michael L L Collins performing a “jazz poem” at Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest, Oct. 5, 2024. Collins, who is a poet, was a close friend of Etheridge Knight. He now co-hosts “Sometimes Y” at the Chatterbox. Credit: Jennifer Delgadillo/Mirror Indy

Watch a dairy barn turn into an art museum

🗓️ Fall/winter 2025
🎟️ Follow Tube Factory for updates.

Since 2016, the Tube Factory’s contemporary art exhibits have drawn artists and arts lovers from around the country. Now, Big Car Collaborative – based in Garfield Park – is turning a 40,000-square-foot dairy barn into a museum with five exhibition spaces. It is also raising money for a commercial kitchen, communal tables and kitchen equipment to teach people about food and connect people through the culinary arts.