This was my first year attending the FFF. I honestly had no idea what to expect, so I went in with…read morean open mind, and I'm very glad that I did. After attending, I would advise people to not think of this as an "eat everything and leave so stuffed you're going to burst" type of event because that's far from what it is. Rather, it's more of a way to introduce the public (that pay) to try some small samples of local, regional, and national companies' products and get a chance to purchase them. The overall flow was very good, although I heard that this year's attendance was down significantly. That might partly be because of the fact you have to pay then also pay for more food or that there were two other events going on at the State Fairgrounds. Would I ever pay to attend this? Probably not although I did get to try many different businesses' products that I had seen on the shelves and wanted to try but didn't for various reasons. For people that are just moving to Indy or aren't exposed to many Yelp events that connect you to amazing local businesses, definitely check the FFF out. If you've already tried most of the businesses around central Indiana or at a Yelp event, chances are you've already tried these businesses' products before. Rregardless, there was free Graeter's. I may or may not have tried 4 samples..... That black raspberry dark chocolate chip ice cream though....

This was a neat festival showcasing Indiana talent. Nearly all vendors were from Indiana or close…read moreby. Come hungry, as nearly every vendor is sampling food. There is an area where you can buy prepared food as well. Prices are reasonable for what you get. Vendors either sell their products or will tell you how to procure them -- so many are available at Market District, Kroger, and Fresh Thyme! Grab a 21+ band and try all the local vinos, beers, and liquor. Catch one of the cooking demos (this year featured Ted Allen and local favorite Chef Loreal). $15 was a reasonable entry fee for what you got. I would recommend only planning to attend one day unless you score a deal. There's not enough to keep you busy two days in a row. Take advantage of one of the cooking classes. I took a beginner knife skills class and loved it!

One of my favorite events of the year! There's about six pizza vendors and about six beer vendors…read moreand all of them have multiple types of brews and toppings. I love the size of this event, as it leans to the smaller size and feels super cozy and personal. We got to know a few business owners and ran into several other nice people in the crowd too. I love that you can wander around without worrying that you might lose your group, as you can see everyone in the room. We had a fun Yelp Elite Squad photo booth at the event, but it was the first year I got to walk around and sample as an attendee. This event raises money for Arts 4 Learning, who books artists to attend schools, jails, etc to expand kid's horizons. Very cool! They also had games for the first time this year. You could use tickets to play them and then got to snag a fun prize for extra tickets. I got a succulent to take home and my friend got a to-go beer cup. Great night with wonderful people!

5 stars. We paused…read morefor the cause on Friday night and had a wonderful time sampling pizza, beer, pie, and kombucha! We arrived about 45 after it started and the room was pretty packed. Vendors lined the walls showcasing their featured items as we made our way around the room. The vibe was very chill, super casual, and comfy. We were given a signature tasting glass and two tickets to vote for our favorite beer and pizza vendors. For me, The Missing Brick took the top spot. They offered a crab and shrimp pizza served with a garlic sauce that was yummy and sophisticated! Plus, they shared that they have a 21+ vibe on weekends with music and al fresco dining throughout the spring and summer. I can't wait to join them for the fun when the weather warms up! They ran out of their brisket pizza before we arrived - so I would recommend getting the at the very start. Being fashionably late will leave you cute and hungry! And the pizza was cold...but everybody knows pizza is good hot or cold! Bronzini has won the past couple of years...and I could see why. Their homemade ricotta was a showstopper and the generous portion sizes were appreciated! But still not enough to stay in front of The Missing Brick. I was fortunate enough to cop tickets through Yelp - thanks y'all! My plus 1 and I don't drink beer, so we didn't vote for one of those. Thankfully, one vendor had some bottled water to wash down our samples. We were told there were soft drinks available for purchase, but don't believe that was true. Instead, we enjoyed sampling a variety of kombucha from Circle City. The mango turmeric and pomegranate were my favorites. Gut health has been linked to brain health - probiotics are my jam! We bought a few tickets to play the games, too. Why not? It's for a great cause... we played Plinko and Beer Pong. My handsome plus one did well on both, but challenged me. And I rarely back down from a challenge! Of course, I got the gold cup on the first try! It was a very impressive showing, as I received several compliments from the crowd. Yes, women are better at most things IMO! We took the tickets and traded them for some pretty neat brewery themed prizes. After about an hour or so, we headed home. No idea who won, but I'm looking forward to posting my review for The Missing Brick and stocking up on some mango turmeric kombucha from Circle City. Fun! I'll certainly recommend it to others for next year's event.

The French Market hosted by ST. Joan of Arc is always a fun place to go. They have lots of vendors…read moreranging from food, art, jewelry and so much more.

Ooo la la! What a great festival! St. Joan of Arc puts this festival on every year. It has so many…read moregreat foods that you can't normally get locally. Tarte Flambé, beef bourgeon, fresh Cafe Du Mont beignets, ratatouille, and so much more! They have live music and lots of local venders as well as a bake sale. They have lots of volunteers from the church and school that do a great job of putting this event on. They offer tours of the gorgeous Roman Catholic Church during the event. They offer mass in French also. This is a great festival that if you haven't been you should put on a beret and head over to it.

Indy Burger Battle was legit! An event created by Building Tomorrow, an organization dedicated to…read morepromoting education in East Africa, the battle featured burgers from eight local restaurants. Sun King was also on-site to provide beer for the event. There was a good variety of burgers offered by the restaurants. Some were topped with pulled pork and BBQ sauce, while others had blended patties (beef, lamb, pork). As an event attendee, you can try any and all of the burgers. The winner was Binkley's Chile Burger with jalapenos and topped with chipotle jack cheese. For $22, this event was a great value. Most of the burgers were either sliders or quarter of a 1/2 pound burger. I was full after 4 servings, and boxed the other burgers home. The majority of the restaurants actually donated the food, Hopefully, most of proceeds went back to Building Tomorrow and for a good cause. I definitely recommend this event if they have it again!

This was a great event. For $35 you got to get generous samples of burgers from all over…read moreIndianapolis, as well as a drink ticket. The line to buy tickets at the door was shorter than the line for pre-purchased tickets so it worked out that we bought them there. Overall, there was good music , good food, and a good time. I would definitely return next year.

This festival has some strong points, but also some areas where I think they could improve…read more The website noted there would be 20+ food vendors. It seemed like there were fewer than 10 even if we counted the fair grounds concession stand and the table where they were selling Doritos and other snacks. The ones that were there, however, were excellent! I had some pierogi that were definitely made with fresh dough and were authentic and delicious. The Filipino combo plate was a ton of food for $10 and included adobo, rice, noodles and an eggroll. It was all delicious and fresh. The Korean, Turkish, and African food looked amazing too, and the people selling the food were clearly the ones who prepared it. The entertainment on stage was great! There were adults and kids dancing, doing martial arts demonstrations and singing. They all did an amazing job! I wish there would have been a schedule on the website. The booths were kind of hard to figure out; no one was really walking around the booth areas so it felt a little awkward. Some were selling things and others had information about their country and culture. Maybe those who are more extroverted would have felt more comfortable just diving in without any other visitors to diffuse some of the pressure to be social . A map or listing of booths would also have been helpful. Most of the people in attendance seemed to be those with family members performing and so it seemed a lot of people left after each group performed and then others came in for the next performance with no one really walking around. The cost to get in at $12 cash only at the door seemed a little steep. In fairness the advance price was $8. Parking is $8 at the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds website said to enter gate 3 due to construction, but that was closed...we checked the lots across the street, but those were blocked off...we then drove around the perimeter of the fairgrounds and finally got in gate 6, paid our $8, but then found no signs directing us where to go...we found a worker who was able to direct us, but then found the lot to be full...we finally did get a spot, but some signs would be helpful along with a plan for overflow parking. Better information on the website and better (any!) signage at the fairgrounds would help greatly!

Attended the Indianapolis International Festival, on the last day of this 3 day celebration. This…read moreyear was the 43rd event hosted at the Indiana State Faurgrounds in the Elements Financial Blue Ribbon Pavilion. To get in cost $8 in advance or $12 at the door. More than 50+ ethnic groups represented in Central Indiana gather to share their rich cultural histories and traditions. There are from 20+ food vendors, music performances, and dances. There are cultural booths hosted by volunteers where visitors could connect with learn more about the culture and depending on the booth participate in an activity. I went to see some friends, who were volunteering in the food court area selling Filipino food. I got to try some of their desserts and some of the Korean food. Had a good time seeing the performances and cultural representations.

Everyone should visit the Circle of Lights!! It is magical!! I make sure to go EVERY year!read more

As I continue my journey toward trying to better experience the holiday season in Indy, I felt a…read morestrong obligation to get my lazy butt out of the house and on Monument Circle for the 59th annual "Circle of Lights," a sort of official Indy kick-off of the holiday season that lights what we like to advertise as the world's tallest Christmas tree. In reality, of course, it's Indy's acclaimed Soldiers & Sailors Monument in downtown Indy all lit up with strands of lights that are festival if not exactly an actual Christmas tree (and, I hate to say, also not actually the tallest - though, I appreciate the sentiment). After the pandemic influenced nixed last year's public event, this year crowds returned to Circle of Lights including the official tree lighting, some fireworks, music, and other activities. It was lovely seeing a large crowd back downtown even if I'd have to say the crowd paled a bit in comparison to most years as this event is definitely an Indy holiday season highlight. The event is sponsored by Downtown Indy and presented by IBEW 481, a non-profit devoted to promoting Indy's downtown (that was probably pretty obvious, eh?). Monument Circle is all decked out for the holidays and whether you consider it an actual Christmas tree or not the entire display is quite lovely and unquestionably part of what makes Indy Indy during the holiday season. I grew up without Christmas in my family home, though there's something in the back of my mind that makes me think we may have actually attended this event one year. I will admit that while our lack of holiday devotion was guided by our faith at that time, our faith at that time always was a little wishy-washy. While I'm certainly we never had a tree, gave presents, or celebrated in any tangible sense, I seem to recall we may have attended this once and may have actually driven around to look at lights. Regardless, this felt like the first time for me and I found it enchanting. The crowd was diverse as was the entertainment for the evening. Monument Circle is turned into "Shining a Light," a life-sized snow globe of sorts featuring a multi-million dollar light and audio show. Performers included the Doo Band, America's Got Talent Season 16 group T3, performers from IPL's Yuletide Celebration, area student bands, and others. Admission is free, of course, though finding parking can be a bit of a challenging (and is paid) as the crowd has been known to rise to 100,000. My guess is last night's crowd was significantly less, though it was still one of the better crowds I've seen downtown in a while. I will admit that I'm not quite as fond of the outdoor events, though Christmas at the Zoo remains high on my list for visiting. This event isn't necessarily the most wheelchair friendly considering the parking situation and the fact that quite a bit of downtown Indy is undergoing street renovations, etc. However, this is a truly lovely event. The crowds were warm and friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be together. The tree looked amazing (Okay. Okay. I called it a tree.) and Monument Circle kind of reminded me of everything I love about Indy. This event takes a little extra effort but is definitely worth it.

Living in Indy for over 10 years, I've experienced a lot of beer + food festivals (or a combination…read moreof the two). I had never tried out 12 Chefs of Xmas at the City Market, so I was happy to go this year. Basically, it's 12 locally made beer and food pairings. You get a sample of each, but many vendors were able to give more than one if you loved something so much. My favorite pairing of 2019 was the Ash & Elm Beetlejuice cider (the best cider ever) and Liter House's goat cheese arugula salad. It was a perfect combo. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the other dishes, minus a few that just didn't tickle my fancy. I also loved that only 2 of the dishes were meat-based. It was nice to see a diverse group of pescatarian/vegetarian dishes. That being said, I couldn't reason spending the amount for a ticket as I couldn't enjoy everything at the event. We also took the time to get a free portrait from a local artist. That was a pleasant added bonus and gave us time to slow down so we didn't rush and consume everything. The lines died down too, which was nice. Suggestions for City Market for future years: - market this event more. I'm all over social media and I hardly ever saw this event. - figure out the line/ticketing. It was a mess, to be honest. Our names weren't on the list; one person told us we had to check in again and another said we didn't. I got a ticket, my +1 didn't. It was a mess so figuring that process out would be better. - More seating. No one likes to stand up and have a drink in their hand and have to somehow figure out how to also eat at the same time. - less waste. Give everyone one plate, cup, and eating utensil. There was entirely way too much waste produced from this event.

Checked out this event for the first time yesterday and it was a lot of fun! There are 12 local…read morechefs paired with 12 local breweries to come up with some amazing food/drink combos . I am normally not a beer drinker at all BUT the pairings were made wonderfully that I had a great time trying a lot of beers I would not normally have! I would never go anywhere near a dark beer like a porter but Big Lug Canteen paired it with a creamy Mac & Cheese from Team Indiana and it was absolutely delicious! I loved it! My favorite combo I tried yesterday was this egg roll from Mambos Cheesesteak Grill and The Devil's Trumpet Brewing Co's Pilsner. We were told the creaminess of the beer calms the spicy kick of the egg roll and they were not wrong! I loved everything about this and wished I could have had many more! My friend and I imagined it was one of those come and go events and there was no way we would need 3 hours to try all the food..... but we were WRONG! The food portions were about a bite or two and the beer, they filled up about half way in the cup that was provided. Don't let that fool you! It was a good amount of food and beer by the time you work your way around. We came about an hour after the event started and made it to 7 out of the 12 pairings. Now we know for the future.... come early! It was nice to just find a standing table and chat, eat, and drink some beer

Absolute best place to see a show in Indy. Coolest venue I've ever been to. So much amazing artwork…read moreand absolute best vibes. I've never felt more at home at a venue, people who understand you and the best drinks in town.

This pair of murals were some of the more challenging to find. When Jules "MuckRock" Muck came to…read moretown to paint murals throughout the city, she made stops in some prominent places, and some that are hard to find. Having a hint from her Instagram account, I found this pair of murals very close to each other on the back side of a stripmall, away from the general public's view. If you park in the shared lot of the area, you can walk around the west end of the buildings and find the murals. Healer depicts a larger than life green skull with roses growing from the eye sockets. The back of the skull has the Muck Rock logo on it. To the west of the skull is a black and white mural of a cowboy riding a bucking bronco. When the cowboy puts his hand back for stability, a wave of rainbow colors emerges. The artist has signed the work under the rainbow. It just goes to show you that any surface is game for a muralist to transform. Whether fantastic or factual, the splash of color brightens an otherwise grim loading area. Review #2889