Don’t let the chilly January temperatures stop you from having fun. Naptown delivers a new sober house dance party at Cafe Oztara and a “Lady Bits” improv comedy show.
Need a new third place or co-working space in 2026? Take a tour of P30 on the far eastside.
Ditch doomscrolling for art viewing on First Friday at the Harrison Center, where one artist drew the facial expressions he saw while riding the bus.
Catch a showing of “MJ” a Tony Award-winning musical centered around the making of the King of Pop’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour. Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Bakari Sellers, an attorney and political commentator, at the Madam Walker Legacy Center.
Do your old clothes need a revamp? Learn simple hand-stitching and visible mending techniques at Patina Gallery.
Use this list to stay busy all month long.
Jan. 1-11 🔝
Rose Bowl Watch Party
🗓️ 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1
📍 Ritz Lounge, 2628 N. Harding St.
🎟️ Free
Watch Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the IU Hoosiers take on the winner of the Oklahoma Sooners v. Alabama Crimson Tide game in the Rose Bowl. It’s the Hoosiers’ first appearance in the Rose Bowl since 1968.
Have You Seen This DJ?
🗓️ 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2
📍 State Street Pub, 243 N. State Ave.
🎟️ Pay what you can
Tell a friend to tell a friend to start their new year dancing to underground music. Don’t wanna dance? The arcade lounge will be open.
First Friday: Factory Arts District
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2
📍 Factory Arts North, 1125 Brookside Ave., and Factory Arts South, 1011 Mass Ave.
🎟️ Free
It can be overwhelming choosing between art galleries on First Friday. A stop at the Factory Arts District means you can see works from artists at more than 20 studios and galleries. This month at Speck Gallery, “Queens of Art” will show works from four female Indiana artists: Dana Powell-Smith, India Cruse Griffin, Tania Michelle Wineglass and Faith Blackwell.
First Friday: Harrison Center
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2
📍 Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
🎟️ Free
Walk the different floors to view art exhibits, including “Circle City Made” by Cierra Johnson, who shares her personal experiences and her community’s history through collage, graphic design and photography.
Stop by to see “Listen” by Elizabeth Guipe Hall, featuring wax and collage artworks inspired by recorded bird songs; and “Everyday Poetics” by Chris Hill, who drew the facial expressions he observed while riding the bus or walking.
Indy’s Grown & Sexy R&B Music Festival
🗓️ Jan. 3-4
📍 La Flaca at the Square, 3733 Commercial Drive
🎟️ $48.80, 21+
Dress in white for the ultimate ’90s R&B experience with performances by H-Town, Changing Faces, Kut Close, Surface and Rome. Hit the dance floor to two-step or swap to some runs and riffs.
Indy Cinema Screening
🗓️ 1:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free, 17+
If you missed “Oppenheimer” when it was in theaters, make up for it with a free screening in the Clowes Auditorium Theater at Central Library.
Magic: The Gathering at Haughville
🗓️ 5:30-7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5
📍 Haughville library branch, 2121 W. Michigan St.
🎟️ Free, 12+
Check off a New Year’s resolution by learning a new card game, “Magic: The Gathering,” with some guided practice. You don’t need to bring any cards.
Big Queer Hangout
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7
📍 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, 1433 N. Meridian St.
🎟️ Free, 19+
Get free resources, STI and COVID-19 testing and information about community organizations at this community fair.
Kids’ Playwriting Workshop
🗓️ 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8
📍 East 38th Street library branch, 5420 E. 38th St.
🎟️ Free, but must register
Children will create their own short play through games and creative exercises.
LAN Party
🗓️ 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, Jan. 9
📍 Ritz Lounge, 2628 N. Harding St.
🎟️ $5-10
Naptown’s pop-up gaming cafe is back. The game of choice this time? Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo Switch. Entry is $5 if you bring a Switch or controller.
‘Lady Bits’ Comedy Show
🗓️ 8 p.m. Jan. 9-10
📍 The Blackbox at IF, 719 E. St Clair St.
🎟️ $13
A rotating case of Indy’s finest femme comedians solve mysteries and improvise your favorite musicals.
Intro to Patchwork
🗓️ 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10
📍 Patina Gallery, 2201 E. Michigan St.
🎟️ $20-30 (sliding scale)
Do your old clothes need a revamp? At this workshop, you’ll learn simple hand-stitching and visible-mending techniques to personalize your item. Materials, including fabric scraps, needles and thread, will be provided.
Indy Story Slam
🗓️ 4-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11
📍 Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St.
🎟️ $11-21.30
Every third Wednesday of the month, storytellers and audiences get together with Storytelling Arts of Indiana for a friendly storytelling competition. Eight regular Indy Story Slam writers will share 10-minute stories based on a theme, and those who make into the top three get a cash prize.
Jan. 12-18 🔝
‘MJ’ the Musical
🗓️ Jan. 13-18
📍 Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St.
🎟️ $63.50-108
Michael Jackson is considered to be the greatest entertainer of all time. Now, his unique and unparalleled artistry is on tour in “MJ,” the Tony Award-winning musical centered around the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour.
If you didn’t know already, the King of Pop is getting a biopic, “Michael.” It’s set to release in April starring his nephew, Jaafar Jackson.
Uncharted: The Resurrection Mixtape
🗓️ 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14
📍 Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle
🎟️ $15-65
In Act 1, you’ll hear Mahler’s “Urlicht” layered with Biggie and Tupac’s rapping about life in “Everyday Struggle” and “Me Against the World.” Act 2 will focus on social justice and transcendence with an opening of Mahler’s fifth movement, with painful pleas from both rappers.
Indy rapper and Chreece founder Oreo Jones will perform some Biggie songs. Conductor Steve Hackman will lead the performances.
House Blend
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15
📍 Cafe Oztara, 1446 E. Washington St.
🎟️ Free
DJ Bro-Fi is starting a monthly sober event at Damien Center’s Cafe Oztara. Sip some mocktails and jam out to house music every third Thursday of the month.
Indianapolis Home Show
🗓️ Jan. 16-25
📍 Indiana State Fairgrounds West Pavillion and Expo Hall, 1202 E. 38th St.
🎟️ $3-15; free for kids under 5
The Indianapolis Home Show features hundreds of exhibitors, expert advice and displays for home remodeling, decorating, landscaping and construction. Think of it like a mall for homeowners and interior design buffs.
Heathers the Musical
🗓️ Jan. 16-25
📍 Footlite Musicals, 1847 N. Alabama St.
🎟️ $15-25
In this comedy that looks at the joys and anguish of high school, teenage misfit Veronica Sawyer hustles her way into the most powerful clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers.
Ball State University 2026 Senior Showcase
🗓️ Jan. 16-17
📍 The Cabaret, 924 N. Pennsylvania St.
🎟️ $50
Experience the talent of Ball State University’s graduating BFA Musical Theatre Class of 2026.
Open House at P30
🗓️ 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17
📍 P30, 3039 N. Post Road
🎟️ Free
P30 is a staple on the far eastside. Get a free tour of the nonprofit community coworking space complete with conference rooms, curated local art on the walls, meeting spaces and Black-owned businesses.
Related
Rewriting the narrative of the Far Eastside
P30 is changing Indy’s view of Post Road.
The Janeways
🗓️ 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17
📍 Turntable Indy, 6281 N. College Ave.
🎟️ $21
The Janeways are an all-female ’80s and ’90s rock ’n’ roll cover band. Wherever they go, you’ll hear them pay homage to Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Poison and Joan Jett.
Songbirds in the Snow
🗓️7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17
📍Unitarian Universalist Church, 615 W. 43rd St.
🎟️ $25; free for 12 and under
Indy Folk Series brings together three young, Indiana-based singer-songwriters — Molly Milton, Spenser Johns and Sarah Grain — to share their talents with the audience and each other. If you can’t make it in person, tune in on Zoom.
Naptown Needledrop
🗓️7-9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17
📍Take Care Records, 6215 Allisonville Road
🎟️ $5
DJ Wes Clay will be locked in on the turntables playing house music. And don’t worry, there will be time to find records, books and DVDs in the shop.
Jan. 19-25 🔝
MLK Day Celebration
🗓️ 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19
📍 Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave.
🎟️ Free, but must RSVP
Bakari Sellers, an attorney, political commentator and former South Carolina state representative, will be the keynote speaker at 44th annual MLK Day of Celebration. He will discuss the power of unity, reflection and activism.
Kindergarten Readiness
🗓️ 10:30-11:15 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22
📍 Wayne library branch, 198 S. Girls School Road
🎟️ Free, but must register
Parents can get tips from a former kindergarten teacher on how to improve their children’s early literacy, math readiness and social skills.
Going…Going…Gone! The Live Auction Comedy
🗓️ 7 & 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24
📍 The Blackbox at IF, 719 E. St Clair St.
🎟️ $15
The long-form improv “live auction comedy” allows the audience to get in on the fun by bidding on props with play money – and taking home the items they win. Every performance features a different cast and story, so it’s never the same show twice.
Want to see both performances in one night? Use the code “OUTOFHERE” to save $5.
MYO Winter Concert
🗓️ 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25
📍 Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle
🎟️ Free
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra created the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra almost 30 years ago. Every year, they put on a free winter concert to showcase talented young musicians performing beloved orchestral classics and a commissioned piece.
Jan. 26-31 🔝
Indy Dance Film Fest
🗓️ 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27
📍 Kan-Kan Cinema & Bar, 1258 Windsor St.
🎟️ $15
The celebration of movies and movement is getting a makeover. The newly renamed Indy Dance Film Fest will feature short dance films from across the U.S. with a focus on Hoosier artists.
Get Curious
🗓️ 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28
📍 1656 Club, 1656 English Ave.
🎟️ $12.51
If you’ve been craving a creative reset, a little introspection and a space to meet new people, this event might be for you. Bring a friend or float in solo. All are welcome.
Better Together: Celebrating Us
🗓️ 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free
Children and adults are invited to discover their roles in shaping the story of the U.S. This event will include a screening of the new PBS docuseries, “The American Revolution.” Families can make art, listen to Indigenous storytelling and local history presentations, and play Revolutionary War trivia mini golf.
‘Quotable’
🗓️ 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31
📍 Arts for Lawrence, 8920 Otis Ave.
🎟️ $20-$25
Crossroads Dance Indy will transform six original works inspired by quotes that explore tradition, love, beauty, perception, longing and power into a dance production.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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