This was a super fun event. I took my friend, Sandy, and we enjoyed the wine sampling. We got to keep the Dig In wine glasses.

Let's face it. This is my favorite festival of the year and I always leave feeling miserable for one of two reasons: 1.) redheads can't handle the sun (it's no secret) or 2.) I've gorged myself into blob status. Miserable or not, I keep coming back for more. Who can pass up a day filled with 84 chefs and 48 farms celebrating our wonderful state's creativity in the food and drink industry? Not this sunburnt, food-baby filled lady. read more

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DigIN is my FAV-ORITE day of the year, the day where all of the finest Indiana chefs come together and feed the crowds using the finest ingredients cultivated by the finest Indiana farmers. If you enjoy eating, then you're going to relish in this mega feast. Every second counts at DigIN, so if there's one thing I've learned about this festival, it's that you should invest in the early bird tickets. That extra hour of eating means you have 60 precious minutes to taste the 40+ dishes available because once the general admission crowd comes pouring into the park...there's no guarantee that you're going to get a bite of everything! Take it from a hungry pro: you don't miss out on Indiana's best celebration of our food and the hands who grow and prepare it! read more

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Still a great event. You can try a bunch of food and drinks in one spot, and get too full too quickly. It's a must to come prepared though. Think water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, even your own lawn chairs to set up shop in the shade. I think next time I will ask them to customize my food samples. Think I can step aside so I am not holding up the line. While the food is still amazing and there is so much variety, I am not a big fan of sauces/dressings and stinky cheeses. I like to taste food in their natural states! read more

I had the opportunity to volunteer for this event and wouldn't change my decision on that. My friend and I signed up for the Sunday morning shift and planned to grub after working. I was at tent six with the latest and greatest Tinker Street and Chef Kellner. The team of people there were awesome. I got to chat it up with chefs fiancé and test the food before I was the passport checker. When the crowd came passport checking was easy peasy, chat about food and check passports! Volunteer next time, this awesome event can't happen with the dedicated foodies of Indianapolis! Once our shift was over we grabbed passports and ate our way through the afternoon. We saw lots of guests carrying around larger trays. This is key, but luckily Yelp! helped us out and handed out trays that would be returned at the closing of the event. The tray pretty much allows you to stack your food instead of consuming it in 2.3 seconds. I can't say my favorite booth, they were all so good! My friend and I ventured over to the local products tent and found a few new favorites. I posted a picture of Best Boy, they have specialty mustards. The ones I sampled had great flavors and I'll be watching for them at the Market District next week. I also found my new favorite almond butter, Revival. The creator was there and we were able to hear her whole story. I purchased her almond butter and a jam that was also being sold with it from Home Ec Preserves. Next year: tray, bug spray, reusable water bottle, tray, and volunteer again! read more

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Best food festival of the year! Ok, it was my first food festival, but there's so much to love about Dig IN! Chefs come from all over the state to serve Hoosier farm to table food at what can only be described as a giant public picnic complete with music, friends, drinks and gourmet food! Did you know that DigIN pays for the vendors' main Indiana ingredient? How awesome is it to have a festival that supports local farms in such a delicious way! Recommendations: -Parking can be tricky especially if you're not familiar with the area, so be prepared to walk and/or pay for parking. -Ride your bike along the canal to the festival if you can! Military Park is right off the canal making it an accessible stop on your bike ride. -Wear sunscreen and comfortable shoes. -Bring lawn chairs, blankets, etc. for the real picnic feel. -Come early, come hungry and leave happy! read more

Dig IN - Passport in hand for DigIN foodie adventures - Festivals Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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This was my first time to #DigIN, and it didn't fail to impress. Positives: - location. The location was great. Let's admit it: Military Park is perfect for these types of events. Centrally located, lots of parking, beautiful space. - veggie options. For being a vegetarian, there are lots of options! Worth the full amount for price of admission? That's up to you to decide, but I was full with most of the veggie options tried. - variety. It seemed like a great variety of food options. Soups to cookies. Tacos to local veggies. Negatives: - food ran out. With an hour still left of the festival, it felt like nearly all of the vendors ran out of food. What's up with that?! I feel like if a fest goes till a certain time, the food should be full till the end. - water. It's HOT outside. Charging water for customers that spend that much money while eating all of that food and adult beverages isn't the best idea (my opinion). Overall, a very fun event! If you eat meat, definitely a festival for you. Don't eat meat? Not sure if I'd pay that much but that's my opinion! Great event and great organization of the event, Dig IN! read more

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Year after year I keep coming back. Why? Where else can you sample a gazillion (yes that's a number) fabulous dishes from the best chefs in Indy? I also say gazillion because I made an all star attempt at eating all 44 dishes this year and failed. I purchased the hour early ticket, organized a game plan, came in with a Dig In tag team posse (Krysha M. & Dan M.), took extra breaks but still could not eat every single dish during the 6 hours of allotted gluttony. I couldn't even make a dent sampling my way through 16 breweries and 12 wineries. The shame.... Oh, those dishes... were talking sweet grilled peach shortcake with lavender creme (Circle City Sweets), soft and savory oriental brisket steamed buns with pickled chilies (J. Ford), Goat A Go Go (240 Sweet/Artisan Foodworks), juicy spicy mouthwatering smoked beef sammys (Goose the Market), peppery chicken and its lunch goodness (Chef Craig Baker), Raclette with Heirloom Potato (Duos), Wagyu Meatball Bahn Mi (Joseph Decuis A.K.A the most gorgeous booth & and longest Dig In line except this year -see below-) and refreshing watermelon juice with a kick (National Born Juicers). Just to name a few favorites. But why...why...only one water fill station for 3000+ people? This was the longest line at Dig In this year?! So thankful for the refreshing move from plastic to fill-up but next year I would recommend tripling and spacing water stations throughout the festival space. So come clad in your best eaten dress/skirt/or pants & come hungry for the best event of the year. This is an event you don't want to miss and it's a must to wear something with elastic. read more

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Let me start out by saying this is one of the many amazing events that makes living in downtown Indy so much fun. You just can't beat being able to walk down the street to this amazing event, prepared to imbibe and sample the day away. Especially if you are into great food, wine and beer. It is THE perfect opportunity to try out a great new restaurant or a new dish from one that you are already familiar with, all in one place. We had early entry and arrived a bit before 11. There was already a pretty big line, but once we made it in, there were virtually no lines, and we were able to get to many of the places we wanted to try without a problem. The lines weren't too long until about 2pm, and at that point we were basically way too full to continue eating through our passports. There were only a handful of places that I saw close early. Scratch truck was one, possibly because their portions were huge! I am sorry for you if you missed it because it was UNBELIEVABLE!!! See below- My favorites included Scratch Truck's Bourbon Braised Brisket, which used Spring Mill's Bourbon, Tritons Dead Eye Stout, and Fischer Farms Brisket, garnished with house made caraway pickles. My mouth is watering as I write this. One World Catering had yummy Moroccan meatballs, and Napolese had gigantic Focaccia Caprese Sandwiches. Bee Coffee's Plum Buzz Coffee Soda-made with Anderson orchard Plums and Upland's Malt vinegar extracts was soooo good! Delicia's Chili spiced beet salad-I didn't really like it at first but then kinda grew on me. Everyone we were sharing a table with was complaining that either they hated beets and/or it was too spicy. I also really liked the Pancetta & Chicken Salad Bib Lettuce Wrap from Northside Social. It wins for me in the category of "Most likely for me to try to recreate at home". Duos had a Chanterelle Vegetable Bisque, which was good,but would've been better had it not been a 90 degree day with 7o% humidity. I really appreciated the chefs that kept in mind the weather in planning their dishes. I too am on the Nicey Treat bandwagon as the consensus is they had a really great & fun Sweet Corn Popsicle. As far as beer and wine, there were a zillion great options, but since it was so hot out I stuck with New Day Meadery's South Cider which isn't quite as filling as beer and is light and refreshing. I also loved the fact that there were large tubs of free cold bottled water throughout the grounds. I can see how vegetarians would have a problem finding many options at DigIN, but since I am "meat-atarian" I was really happy (and full) by the time we left. I also agree as someone else mentioned that this event should be pushed back to September for cooler weather. Both years we attended it wound up being one of the hottest days of the year. And I am not sure the new VIP thing they introduced this year was really necessary. Early entry vs regular is probably good enough. That being said, this is one of my favorite events in Indy and for me, not to be missed. read more

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Wow! What a showcase of Indiana food and drink. The selection was overwhelming! Two things bring this event down to 4 stars: long lines and exhausting heat. The weather is uncontrollable, and hot is better than rain, but it was oppressively hot after 3hrs standing in the sun. I couldn't enjoy the food offerings because my body just wanted to sit and rehydrate in the shade and be still. 5,000 people showed up. That's a good indication for how fun it was, I think. read more

Love, love LOVE me some DigIN! We've paid the extra VIP for the last two years and once you try it, there's no going back. In addition to regular admission, you get free parking, early admission, access to the VIP tent with shade and table/chairs, special samples not available outside the VIP tent, and real, air conditioned bathrooms. This is an amazing showcase of Indiana chefs. Dishes are inventive and unique. Some are already on restaurant menus and some are being tested at the event. It's a foodie paradise where you can talk turkey (so to speak) with fellow foodies and chefs. I was so happy this year to see that instead of distributing bottled water, they had cold water kegs where you could fill your own reusable bottle or glass. This event is nearly perfect, but if I could change just a few things: - add another water station (and ideally one in the VIP lounge); there were long lines for water, even with several filling lines - Space the wine/beer tents a bit apart so that they can serve from two sides of their tables; again, this would cut down on long lines - encourage tasting tables to keep utensils separate from plates so patrons do not have to take a new utensil each time unless they want to - the waste just kills me! - have three waste containers - trash, recycle, and compost - invite someone from the skin cancer association, dept or health, etc. to have a sunscreen booth where they offer free spray on sunscreen read more

If you consider yourself one of those who are into food, then this is probably your version of GenCon. Imagine 5 tents filled with chefs from restaurants from all over Indiana serving tastings of some of their favorite dishes with a row of food trucks AND beer and wine tents. You no longer have to imagine this.. because that's what Dig IN is all about! Your price of admission gets you a passport that allows you one tasting at each spot along with a few extras in case you find something you love. The lines move pretty fast, and if you get there later in the day, the lines are shorter - but you run the risk of some of the chefs running out of food. Your best bet is to pay a couple of extra bucks and get the VIP treatment.. early entry and a special tent. I think the VIP's even had interns running to get the food for people. Okay, maybe not.. but it would have been a lot cooler if they did! This is one day you'll want to mark your calendars for boys and girls! read more

My son and I started our day at Dig In as volunteers. The staff seemed very organized and I was impressed with how quickly we were able to get such a large amount of people in to the event so quickly. After our shift we then got to enjoy the delicious goodness that is Dig In! We sampled from almost all of the booths. My son enjoyed trying duck for the first time as well as many other new foods. The duck meatballs looked like a work of art! They were visually very interesting and my son said they tasted great. We both agreed that the minestrone soup from Duos was the best dish! It was absolutely delicious! The owner was also very nice and personable. My son decided that we should have their soup at least once a week. I really love the venue change and added shade that Military Park offers. I also appreciate the smaller cups so that sample sizes of the adult beverages are given to keep things a bit safer. I was however a bit disappointed by the amount of vegetarian dishes that were offered. There just really weren't many and they weren't marked on the passport as being vegetarian which made it a little difficult to seek them out. Lastly, I wish that water was given out to attendees for free. I wonder if the organizers could allow a company or even a few to donate water and perhaps brand them for an added incentive to keep everyone well hydrated? read more

Dig IN - Festivals Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Christmas just got trumped... but for real. I have been counting down the days for this festive feast and tour of fresh, savory/sweet/devine dishes and refreshing beverages for months. There is a bit of strategy involved in making your rounds. I don't care how hard you try, I don't think it is physically/emotionally/spiritually possible to sample all 44 creations and indulge in all 27 drinks. But every damn year, I try. I always map out my favorites that I know run out early - Circle City Sweets / Circle City Soups / Joseph Decuis / Oakleys. The Yelp Lawn club was great to relax- and take a break from eating (first world problems) I wish there was more than one water station, though. read more

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I have to update my review just to say I loved the new location in Military Park this year - tons more shade and more room to see where the lines actually were. I got to almost half of the food vendors, and I still found myself wishing I had made it to even more just by looking at everyone's pictures! I was so full though that I literally had to stop myself. That's not a bad thing! The beverages were also might tasty! I like the idea of voting for the local favorite, but I don't think many people were keen to pay $10 for those tokens. (I personally would have, but my group was in a hurry to leave once they were tired so I didn't get a chance to.) If you like watching the Food Network or any cooking shows, I highly recommend the chef competition! You get to not only watch close up but get to smell all the great things they come up with. This will continue to be on my can't-miss list every summer! read more

Dig IN - Nitrogen frozen popcorn from Revery! - Festivals Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Dig In is a farm to fork event--in other words, Indiana chefs, food producers and farmers come together to celebrate Indiana food. If that isn't cool enough, the event took place at White River State Park , a great setting on such a gorgeous day. There were 27 chefs, 11 breweries and 9 wineries offering samples as well as many more producers offering products for sale. I was determined to taste everything, but had to call it quits after visiting 13 chefs, and even at that I only had a bite or two of many of the dishes. It simply isn't possible to leave this event hungry! Here are some of the highlights. My favorite dish was a tie between the pulled pork with baked beans and bacon foam by Chef Brendon Cheney from the JW Marriott and the applewood smoked lamb with grilled peach and poblano relish and corn, wild rice and goat cheese fritter by Chefs Braulio de la Torre and Ryan Evans from the Severin Bar & Grill. Another stand out for me was the smoked turkey and ginger sausage by Chef Chris Eley of Goose the Market. As for the sweets, I really enjoyed the peach and frangipane tart by Chef Cindy Hawkins at Circle City Sweets and the toasted salted caramel marshmallows from 240Sweet. read more

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This is an Indiana foodie's fantasyland. Dozens of the top chefs in the state all converge on White River State Park for a 6-hour bacchanal. I sprung the extra $50 to go the VIP route this year. And I'll never go back to general admission. With the VIP ticket, you get: Free garage parking in a cordoned off area Early entry to the festival for an extra hour of crowd-free eating/drinking Access to the VIP tent if you need a seat or to get out of the sun or rain Access to the air-conditioned VIP restrooms An open bar with beers provided by Tomlinson Tap Unlimited samples from the 4 restaurants that are only available in the VIP area The food at all the tents was out of this world. It's so neat to be able to try food from this state's culinary visionaries without driving for hours. You even get the opportunity to talk with some of the chefs and pick their brains. Now comes the interminable wait for next year's Dig IN... read more

Dig IN is the premier farm-to-fork food festival in Indy. What an incredible showcase of local chefs and food/drink vendors! Here's a summary of my recommendations for a great visit. -Come hungry. Map out a game plan in advance (the map & dishes are posted online a few weeks before), and realize that you won't get to try everything, yet you will still be stuffed and enter a food coma. -Wear sunscreen & consider bringing a hat. The tents provide some shade, but be prepared to stand in the sun. -Bring your own lawn chair/towel to camp out and feast. -Buy the $7 wine glass lanyard thing (free for VIPs) - it conveniently frees up your hands for food! -Some people brought a tray from home so they could load up on food then sit down and feast. Smart! -Early entry is the way to go - you enter at 11 instead of noon, and that makes for a BIG difference in terms of crowds. Tickets in general are also sold at a lower price earlier in the summer, and jump up closer to the event date. -Pedal and park option available. Parking a car is a bit more difficult, so be prepared to walk. -If you volunteer, you get a cool Dig IN tee shirt and a free passport (your gateway to sampling all food and drink!) -Water is a hot commodity. Bring a big water bottle filled to the brim to kick off your day. -Dress for the weather! It's typically a hot August afternoon, so don't come wearing long pants or a sweatshirt. read more

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The amazing food, and creative mash ups of chefs and farmers keep me coming back each year. I am always surprised at their creative concoctions and of how many places I have yet to try. It was so hot this year, just like every year, but the volunteer crew did a great job of getting ice and water to attendees to keep everyone hydrated. I think Oakley's Bistro and Duos were two of my favorite stops. The lines moved quickly so we were able to cover some ground. Thanks Yelp ladies for providing fanny packs to those who checked in and a spot in the shade! Looking forward to more DigINs to come! read more

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Hello mouth, welcome food, welcome drink! Dig In A Taste of Indiana! This event is the one event foodies must do! It is a four hour feeding frenzy by some of the best damn chefs in the city! About 40 plus vendors come and prepare a "sample" for you to try! Some food, some coffee, some beer, and some wine! All items are locally sourced foods prepared by local restaurants! Spend the afternoon walking though the park as you sample, sample, sample! read more

I recommend volunteering for Dig-IN if you cannot afford a ticket and/or want to meet a wide of variety of attendees and local chefs/artisans. This was my 3rd year volunteering at Dig-IN as a "passport checker", and I really enjoyed working the intimidatingly long Joseph Decuis' line, talking up their signature mini-Wagyu burgers to those patient enough to wait. If you did not want to volunteer and money wasn't an obstacle, then early entry and/or VIP tickets could be worthwhile. While there was issues with entrance queues, the actual food lines were much shorter this year (minus Joseph Decuis') with the reduced ticket sales and broader layout. Once released from my shift, I visited about 3/4ths of the booths and my favorites included: - PlumFizz iced coffee drink from Bee Coffee Roasters (used 3 of my bonus tastes on this drink) - Joseph Decuis' waygu burger w. bleu cheese mousse & spicy tomato jam (i.e. fancy ketchup) - Black Market strawberry-basil shrub - Napolese's Caprese sandwich - Spice Box's chicken kofta meatball - Nicey Treat's creamed corn pop - Smoking Goose's goat meat on a stick In spite of the hot weather and inevitable sunburn, I find myself enjoying new dishes every year, eagerly anticipating what creative dishes my favorite local restaurants are dishing out and seeking out the booths of newcomers to the Indy food scene (hello Bee Coffee Roasters!). Bonus= free sunflower as you exited! read more

Where else can foodies challenge themselves to try to make it through this many amazing creations all for one very low price? I managed to try 22 samples this year before being too stuffed to go on! The theme this year definitely seemed to be duck which was prepared in so many excellent ways! Pulled duck, duck bratwurst, etc. I will not even attempt to name a single favorite dish, but in addition to the great duck dishes, there were beef "sammies", goat with a corncake, beef filled steamed buns, grilled chicken with corn (chicken and its lunch), and food truck delights including a tasty raclette, and Indian inspired chicken dish. The beer and wine samples seemed to be much larger pours this year, and so I only made it to a few of those! Wonderful offerings, but limiting alcohol in the near 90 degree weather seemed the best course of action! As others have noted, the water situation was not good this year. I applaud the idea of getting rid of the plastic bottles, but there absolutely had to be more bottle filling stations. Particularly given the heat, it was not only inconvenient, but potentially dangerous to not have a way for people to get water or any other non-alcoholic beverage without a very long wait. The problem was recognized a few hours in and bottled water was then provided. I'm guessing the problem will be fixed by next year! Many booths start running out of food and beverages between 2 and 3PM, so my advice is to get there when the gates open and try to select and hit your favorites first! I'd also suggest bringing a bag that can accommodate the glass used for beverage samples. The lanyards for the glasses that were available for purchase ran out before 1PM so do not count on being able to buy one of them! Hats and sunscreen are also a must! read more

Food, glorious food as far as the eye can see all artfully crafted by the finest producers, farmers and chefs the Hoosier state has to offer!! Water, glorious..oh..wait...well, I didn't see a whole lot of water, other than the White River. As someone who doesn't drink alcohol, I typically rely on the water the event provides to attendees to quench my thirst and cut the heat in many of the dishes (I am looking at you, you delicious peach jalapeno NICEY treats that sure packed a punch for this wuss!).The organizers had announced they planed to 'go green' and offer a water station over the water bottles of past events. They gave ticket holders plenty of notice and in theory, this seemed like a great idea. In practice, this is where it all fell apart. The water line was nearly 15 min and with the temperatures soaring to the mid 90's and the alcohol flowing, the lack of water made me VERY concerned about folks over indulging and/or over heating. I know the organizers heard this (again and again) from the attendees and I am confident that they will make adjustments and address the water issue for 2016. Other than that, this year's dig IN did not disappoint as I and a few thousand of my fellow Hoosiers delighted in the abundance provided by another growing season in Indiana. White River State Park was transformed into a mecca of deliciousness. It seemed to be the year of heat with the temperatures soaring both in the atmosphere as well as on the plate. While I always enter the festival with my game face on, prepared to delight in all 44 creations, despite giving it the old college try, I never come remotely close and often end up sharing dish samples. The festival was laid out wonderfully and I personally enjoyed having the food trucks out on the Historic Old Washington Street Bridge. With the event being on the grounds of White River State park, it is ADA accessible but can be a bit of a challenge to navigate through the grass to the food and beverage tents. I would suggest contacting the event organizers ahead of time to get their recommendation on how to best navigate. We had few issues other than dodging the crowd with a motorized chair. If you can, bike and take advantage of the 'Pedal and Park' area. If you arrive when the gates open, prepare to wait in a very loong line to enter the festival. Lines are only a few minutes at the chef stations once you're in but I suggest heading to tents furthers from the gate to start your passport as many typically haven't made their way that far back yet. Dig IN touts itself as "More than an event, Dig IN is an experience" which I cannot argue. Go. Eat. Drink. Learn. Laugh. Experience. That's what dig IN offers all for a reasonable ticket price and beautiful downtown location. read more

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This festival was so fun! I volunteered and you're still able to enjoy a lot of the food and events before or after your shift... for FREE I might add! This worked out great for me since I am a poor college student. I left there so full with some of the best Indiana could offer! I even got to talk to and enjoy food from businesses from back home in Northwest Indiana! That honestly made me so happy. It was an awesome atmosphere and you're surrounded by people who enjoy great food. What more could you ask for? read more

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I go every year. I DIG this event. read more

Dig IN - My vote - Festivals Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Dig IN is great! I always love the cookies. The flow and spread was much better this year than last year. Each year there seems to be an accidental theme -this year it was beets, tomatoes, and shredded meat things. I wish there were more desserts, but I just use all my bonus tastes on Just Rennie's Cookie Co! Thank goodness for their awesome cookies. My favorite dinner-y dish was the Bacon and White Cheddar Grits from Valley Kitchen & Bar in Valparaiso! I don't even like grits and it was my favorite! I also liked the new tasting glass we got -MUCH better than the small wine glasses we got the past two years! Definitely come to this! I went with the normal tickets (bought them early and got $10 off) and was not disappointed! I ran out of steam before I ran out of time. read more

Dig IN - I vote for the bacon and cheddar grits from valley kitchen and bar as my favorite dish! - Festivals Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This event gets better and better every year, and is one of my favorite Indy festivals to attend! I love the concept (you pay one price for a ticket and you get to sample different foods from tons of Indiana restaurants/farms). Pros: - Sample portions are good, you don't leave the event feeling hungry - A lot of unique food choices/restaurants.This year seemed to feature quite a bit of duck - Great location, it was held at Military Park Cons: - It was EXTREMELY hot and humid, and they charge you for bottled water. I feel like it should be included (it was the first time we attended), especially with the cost of the ticket - The lines are always long, we barely made it to all the stations we wanted to go to before closing. You'd definitely want to arrive when the gates open - Not a lot of seating options. If I had one request, it would be for more dessert options such as bakeries, cupcake restaurants or ice-cream (ie. Brics, Flying Cupcake). Overall, it's an awesome event and I plan to go every year! read more

I truly was blown away by this event. Out of all the events at Indiana that include either food, beer, wine or a combination of those, this event takes the cake. This event was something that I am already blocking time off next year to make sure I attend. It was fabulous! How it works: You get a booklet (passport) that tells you of each booth. It tells you the restaurant name, the chef's name and the dish they are preparing. There is also another page for drinks (beer and wine) for the breweries and wineries of Indiana. There were stations, each with 7 restaurants for food including a "food truck park" where the whole station was food truck based. There was another stations for drinks each with 4 breweries and 4 wineries. Upon visiting a restaurant/brewery/winery, you would get your passport checked off as visiting. Pretty simple. Worked very well. The lines were pretty long to get in at noon, so we decided to wait it out until 1pm as the event lasts until 5pm. Once we got in, the lines for everything were pretty long as well, but the restaurants were working so fast that the lines moved really quickly even if you had 30 people in front of you. The worry for me at first was that we would not be able to get to each station, but that proved false. The 4 hours I was there, I took several breaks and relaxation times with my beer and still had plenty of time left over before 5pm. I'm guessing those who got in at noon or the people who got the early access at 11am probably got done with everything around 2-3pm. Here is a special tip if you are going to attend next year. Plan it out!! Don't freak out thinking you wont have time to get everywhere, you will. Instead, walk around and cherry pick the things that sound great because you will fill up and be uncomfortable if you try to get to everything. I was very systematic with my process and started at Station 6 and moved down trying everything. By Tent 3, I felt like I was going to die....I needed to lie down and pass out. There was no way I could finish everything. At that point I began to cherry pick and only get things that sounded like I'd be missing out if I didn't try them. Next year, I will be better prepared for the food onslaught that this fest is about. I'm so excited and so happy that I attended this event. read more

This was our first year at Dig IN! We loved the passport set up and the booklet that gave us a head's up of what was at each station. We weren't too bothered by the lines...they all seemed to move quickly. Our favorites were the mini Waygu burger, the cookies, and a delicious strawberry soda. We definitely tried things that we wouldn't ordinarily go for, and there were some pleasant surprises! Loved the free water all over the place. All of the staff were super nice. While I liked the idea behind the sampling glass, it was kind of a hassle to carry it around (unless, conveniently, you wanted to pay $5 for a glass landyard) and I saw at least five break and not be cleaned up. The other thing...it was so. hot. At some points it was hot enough that it detracted from enjoying the event. I'd remedy it by putting up more tents purely for shade, several more misting fans, and moving the event about a month later on the calendar. read more

Dig IN is a wonderful festival offering delicious food and drink as well as great camaraderie for festival goers. The festival was held at White River Park near the heart of downtown! Upon entry into the festival you receive a nice glass with the DigIN logo which makes sampling beer and wine a pleasant experience and also serves as a cool momento from the day. I loved the blueberry and grits dish from the Severin bar as well as the sunflower concoction from Trader's Point. This event was extremely well attended so getting there early is not a bad idea. I LOVED the complimentary monitored bike parking!! My one critique for next year would be to have additional water stations so that water could be more accessible for attendees as well as volunteers. I volunteered in the beer tents this year and would definitely volunteer again next year. read more

This was my first time attending the event, and I had a blast! I went with a fellow food blogger and we volunteered for the first half which then meant we got in for free once our shift was over. It was incredibly hot, but other than that it was such a good time. Great food and great people. I can't wait for next year! Hoping there is better weather because it was rough standing outside for that long. My favorite dish was the goat cheese and bbq pork mac n cheese from Northside Social. So creamy but tangy with the goat cheese on top. read more

VEGETARIAN REVIEW I've noted that at the top, because I feel that being a vegetarian really affected my experience at this event. I had heard such great things about dig IN, and I love food events, and specifically local food event, so have been wanting to come to dig IN for the past two years. I had been really uncertain, however, if it would be worth the money (this year $40) of a ticket, twice if my also vegetarian husband came with, to go being vegetarian. This year, thanks to Girls Pint Out, I had the opportunity to work a volunteer shift for a few hours, then enjoy the rest of the event without buying a ticket. That was a good call, as if I had paid $40 I certainly would not have been happy. As it was, it was worth doing the volunteer shift for the experience. Indiana has a great showing of breweries and wineries, and I enjoyed samples from quite a few of those. Some of the good vegetarian food I did get to try included an awesome mushroom bisque from Duos food truck, a tomato gazpacho from Circle City Soups, some kind of tasty tamale thing from the Big Green Bistro (they didn't have a veggie sign, but they are always veggie friendly!), and a huge caprese sandwich from Napolese made with amazing heirloom tomatoes(this is what made it so I didn't go home starving - thanks guys!). There were a few other places who gave me vegetarian sides that went along with the main items they were serving - the one that comes to mind immediately was the delicious corn and feta from Zest, but there were also many vendors who had the vegetarian broccoli sign up, by were out of veggie options by 2:30 when I was done with my volunteer shift. Overall, I'm happy I got this experience, for meat eaters it looked like it would be great (it seems like many of the restaurants were sponsored by meat providers, which may account for the lack of veggie options), but I'm glad that I now know not to mess with buying a ticket in upcoming years. read more

Where. To. Start. So many delicious options...So little time! Let me start by saying, I'm sooooo glad we got there early (nearly an hour) because that line gets long reallllll quick! The anticipation was killing me in the week leading up to this food tasting extravaganza, and I was not disappointed! Let me just walk you through a few of my favorites: The meatballs from Union 50 - TO DIE FOR. It was like a symphony of flavors all packed tightly into one little ball of tasty goodness. Hibiscus Tea from Wyndham West - The perfect balance of tea/fruitiness/sweetness. My favorite beverage. (Which is saying alot as there was plenty of beer and wine to choose from :) Elk in a Blanket from Goose the Market - Not what I was expecting in a very good way! Great flavors and looooved the combo of textures in the serving as well! Tips to the Wise: DONT EAT BEFORE. Don't try your full samples at every booth, you will either a: explode b: be sad you couldn't try everything that DigIn has to offer. I'll be back next year, this one is a must :) read more

Well done this year. We purchased the early entry/VIP tickets and it seemed as if more people did the same this year. We love that the crowd is smaller and we don't have to wait long in line. The food this year was interesting and fun. I wasn't a fan of the lamb meatballs I had but found the little beef slider to be juicy, tender, and flavorful. The pork belly with grits made me happy (duh) but I want to mention what I thought was the most interesting dish of the day: the crispy chicken skin/marshmallow dish. Fun textures, sweet/savory combo....interesting and tasty. I flat out can't remember who did what though. I'd love it if the food offerings were listed on the brochure. Finally, Nicey Treat. I'm in love with this company. Great product!!! I had the Indiana roasted corn pop and my husband had the bourbon peach pop. Both perfect! read more

No better way to sample the best of Indy's food scene. Over 40 food vendors and 20 wineries/breweries mean there's plenty of variety for all palettes. Get there early as some offerings may run out of food and lines can get long at the popular spots. Highlights of this year's event for me were Restauration, Bee Coffee Roasters, and Spice Box. Don't forget to check-in on Yelp for a handy plate to hold all your bites during the event! read more

Dig IN - Festivals Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Dig IN is my favorite event in town. For the price, there is tons of food, entertainment, fun atmosphere, and alcohol. It's awesome. We did VIP this year, -and I don't think I can ever go back. For $99, I got free parking in a designated space, early entry with our own entrance, VIP tent, and 4 special chefs-and upgraded bathrooms. Every part of that was worth the money. I won't go into the food details too much because it changes every year- but both times I've gone, I've made the same mistake-I just grab a bite from each place, and I just can't get to everything (TOO MUCH FOOD)- I need to go in with a plan, and I recommend you do the same. Study the chefs, study the website, map it out, maybe train your stomach a little, and go in focused and with a purpose. I missed out on a few that I know would have made my fave list if I had just planned better. read more

Sure, I'd love to take a road trip with you to Wabash, Tipton, Terre Haute, Lafayette, Bloomington, Valparaiso, and Huntington. Oh, and can you remind again me where Shapsville and Moorland are? On second thought, let's just go to Dig In and get great food and drink from all of those places in one easy spot! From the higher end places, to the brewpubs, to the cooking schools, there was a good mix of dishes and drinks. It was great to see so many people willing to spend their money and time supporting Indiana farmers and chefs. This is an event that will likely become an annual trek for us. I did knock off a star because there weren't a lot of vegetarian options and that is a big deal to some people in 2011. I know the purpose of the event was to also showcase Indiana farms, but not all farms produce beef, pork, chicken, duck, etc. With all of the great culinary minds involved, I think this is something that can be improved upon next year. Great event and hopefully more like it start popping up! read more

I love DigIN, but they definitely have some logistics to work out for the VIP tickets. I majorly splurged on the high-end tix for an anniversary activity, but if I had to do it over would probably just go with early admission. The line for VIP wristbands took a really long time to get through, while the early admission people had 4 check-in stations and were breezing through. The beer station in the VIP tent was supposed to have 4 offerings, but I never saw them with more than two available. A little disappointed in the swag bag as well - expected Indy goodies and fun stuff, got a glass holder necklace and two magazines. Overall DigIN is a great experience - I've been to two as a regular admission ticket holder and had a blast. Early admission would probably be worth the price of a ticket, but they have some major logistical issues to work out before VIP is worth the money. read more

DigIN is the highlight of many locals' summer and is by far one of the best done festivals around. You will not leave this event hungry. I have gone for the past 3 years and have had exceptional experiences sampling from some of the cities top chefs, breweries, winery's, and food trucks. Not only does DigIN provide a great experience for festival goers, they also work to educate the community around eating locally and supporting local business-huge bonus. Unfortunately, this past year I could tell that they were trying to cut costs associated with putting on the festival. It was all in the small details, from no longer providing free water to guests, to cutting back on the glasses that they give away upon entry of the festival. While these are not make or break ententes of the festival, they did make the fest a bit more enjoyable. So, I would highly suggest packing a water bottle or two to help get you through that August heat. read more

Great food and great beer! Two complaints... The entrance on the side of the zoo was closed... No signage... and ID's for alcohol should be done with ticketing at the main gate when you check in. Fix those two things and you've got a perfect event! read more