We attended several shows at this very cool old theater. It's quite lovely, but it has a real problem for which there is no easy, cheap fix: It only has two single user restrooms. It's just not enough for shows with hundreds of attendees, and results in long lines. It was a problem at every single one of the half dozen shows I was at. read more

Cool historic theatre in Fountain Square. Large venue with raised stage. Table seating the night we visited. Lots of events scheduled so visit their website. We went to watch a swing band and it was just like stepping into an old movie. They even offered swing classes prior to the concert. Fun venue for parties or other events. The rooftop is also fun when open. read more

Fountain Square Theatre - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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A memorial service for a dear friend was held at Fountain Square Theatre this week. While happy events are something that the theatre does a lot, I can honestly say I was overwhelmed with the care and kindness that we received from Priscilla and the theatre staff, as we planned this heartbreaking event. With just a little more than a week's notice (including the Christmas holiday) , Priscilla created a beautiful space where we could mourn our friend, with tears and remembrances....so we could all begin to heal. It's impossible to measure how thankful I am for this kindness and service. read more

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It's definitely hard not to love this little indie gem in Indy's vastly underrated Fountain Square neighborhood. It can definitely be frustrating as a wheelchair user visiting some of Indy's older buildings. This is especially true in the Fountain Square area. However, as a lover of all things historic I still can't help but love this building and, somewhat surprisingly, accessibility is better than you might expect. It's definitely not what I'd call accessible and I definitely wouldn't recommend a room at the Fountainview Inn, but attending events is definitely quite workable and were I to ever get married again this would definitely be one of the venues on my list. The theatre originally opened in 1928 as a 1,500 seat motion picture and Vaudeville theatre. For many years, it was a premier destination here in Indy. In 1994, extensive renovations began and the restoration has really transformed it and largely been maintained. The mezzanine maintains a lot of the architectural details including the painted ceiling motifs. I've been to a couple events in the theatre. As an old theater geek, I'm amazed by its beauty. During COVID, Friday Night Swing gatherings have been on hold but are always popular here. They have an elevator in the building. It's definitely an older beast, but when you come here you really are coming for the experience. One key benefit of Fountain Square is that it's super easy to find free parking in the area. There are multiple public lots - the theatre has notified the public not to utilize the Dollar General lot as they have a tendency to tow. The Fountain Square Theatre can be rented for weddings, concerts, special events, corporate events, dances, etc. Rates tend to be fairly reasonable as far as facility rentals go. They note that they are best suited for 150-350 guests for weddings, receptions, and special event dinners. I really do think that this continues to be one of Indy's best of the older theatres. I can't help but wish they'd gotten to the Irving or Emerson in time to do such a great renovation as this one. Fountain Square Theatre does in-house catering. They also have a Theatre meeting room above Imbibe that is available for rental that would be a great space for a green room, a small retreat room, a shower/party (for around 20 or so). A beautiful facility that still fits nicely into the Fountain Square neighborhood, the Fountain Square Theatre is truly one of Indy's gems. read more

We had a great pre-dinner drink on the rooftop. It was gorgeous up there! The blueberry lemonade really hit the spot. We were on a date night and had a great time looking at downtown while gazing into each other's eyes. We got there at opening time and there was only a few minute wait. When we came down the wait was much longer. That line is for all of the venues in the building so don't be discouraged. I would get there early if seating is important to you. read more

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Absolutely perfect for any event. Historical renovated 1927 Theatre. Excellent food, plenty of bars. No designated parking area. But, plenty of free spots on the street. read more

Pretty little gem in Fountain Square The Fountain Square Theater is a beautiful facility, located in the heart of Fountain Square. I can easily see it being used for a wedding, anniversary, birthday party, brunch, or fabulous party. The hardwood floors are perfect for dancing. There's also a stage which would house a band perfectly, or would make a gorgeous setting for wedding vows. Don't forget to look up, and take in the beautifully appointed walls and ceiling decor. The theater also has on-site catering and full bar options for venue guests. If you're planning a mid-sized celebration, this could be the place for you! read more

I recently attended a wedding reception here and I was so incredibly impressed! My first thought was how much it resembled a Venetian paradise inside. The indoor (fake) terraces and painted ceiling to mimic a sky were absolutely lovely. The way this particular celebration was set up was that the appetizers and drinks were first offered on the upper floors, which allowed for a nice view of the event space down below - which included a nice sized dance area. Fountain Square had already won me over with its uniqueness, so this building was the cherry on top. Keeping my fingers crossed that there's another event in the near future at this place that I get to attend. read more

Fountain Square Theatre - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

A little piece of Disney World is tucked inside the walls of the Fountain Square Theater on Prospect Street- at least that's what I told my fun company immediately after entering the charming and historical building - - and several times thereafter. Lucky for me, Yelpers Stephanie and Andrew D. persisted on getting us all together to go swing dancing at one of the Theater's 2nd and 4th Saturday Swing Nights. Please note that I have absolutely no swing dancing experience, so this beautiful gathering is open to all. And by "all", I mean everyone from ages 21 to 60 - dressed up/casual, experienced/not experienced, sober/drunk, etc. My step touch skills were looking mighty miserable when the Swingmeister straight out of Springfield, Illinois asked me to dance. Scenario: Me: "Oh no, no - you don't want to dance with me - I have no idea what I'm doing (not to mention, I have about a foot on ya)!" But with this fella "No" was unacceptable. Before I knew it he had me out on the dance floor swinging left and right. Fortunately, I had a Long Island under my belt at this point and was willing to go along with whatever he thought fit the music. It was such an amazing thing to completely let go of control and let this stranger take the lead. From his suspenders to his willingness to drive hours and hours twice a month for the Theater's Swing Night, this gentleman sparked a new interest in swing for me. I can't wait to take other people to experience this fun mesh of demographics tucked away right in Fountain Square. Note to self: Next time Andrew D. asks if I want to pay $2 extra for the pre-event swing lessons, stop being a tight ass and whip out the 8 quarters. admission: $10 read more

Fountain Square Theatre - Swing dancing night! 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month!! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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We finally came out for swing dancing . We did the lesson and open dancing which was $14 for the lesson and dancing $12 just for dancing. First off the theatre is gorgeous. We had came here for a Wedding years ago and kicked ourselves for not getting married here. It gives me vibes of Indiana Roof Ballroom. It is just beautiful. If you are thinking of doing the swing dancing lessons just do it. We just wore jeans and t shirts but some people go all out w the "swing theme". We are old and went for comfort. This is great because it is ok ages. However you must be 21 and up to get something from the bar including aid and water. It gets HOT in there too. The lesson got awkward when we had to switch partners bc I was not getting the steps and the guy was getting frustrated w me. So we decided to stop switching partners bc it became awkward. I mean give me a break I am not a dancer. The band playing that nigh was Ball State jazz band and the singer was amazing. When it came time to open dance we just kicked back had some beers and watched but finally just went out there carefree and did it. You only live one right. So we decided we are gonna make this a regular thing. Next time I will wear a dress. It is great to see ppl of all ages. Also all the single ppl just mingling asking each other to dance. read more

Fountain Square Theatre - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I recently rented the Fountain Square Theatre for a corporate event I was organizing. You can rent the main floor, balcony and mezzanine during the week for a grand total of $750. What a steal! From floor plan to food choices, their team of events coordinators made the process of getting everything organized extremely simple. They were also quite responsive to emails and phone calls. My first thoughts were to have a "Discover Fountain Square" experience, complete with food catered in from Kuma's Corner and drinks provided by New Day Meadery, Fountain Square Brewery and Handcrafted Beverages. I was disappointed to discover that FST did not allow outside food, and booze from local establishments would result in a hefty up-charge. So, I didn't have much choice other than to stick with generic beer and the food options provided by their in-house catering staff. I get it, I suppose, they have to make their money SOMEWHERE. I arrived early the day of the event to make sure everything was ready to go, and the space looked wonderful. I even noticed how miraculously clean the floors were (which I noticed because my feet eventually got really tired and I started wandering around in my socks). The staff was working on setting out the food I had selected, and the presentation was beautiful. FST's food, by the way, ended up being delicious, and I received many compliments on the chicken wings and pulled pork I had decided to serve. I had been notified in advance that the band I had hired would need to bring their own PA system, as the venue had very little AV equipment. Day of, I set up a PowerPoint presentation which was to loop until we began formal presentations. Not long after I got this set up did the projector start burning out repeatedly. After deciding the issue was going to continue, the FST staff took swift action to run out and grab a new projector for my group. While I would have preferred the venue to have a backup onsite, I appreciated the gesture. After formal presentations came to a close, the band began and as did Atomic Duckpin Bowling, which I had rented for three hours. The music sounded great, and folks really enjoyed the experience of bowling downstairs. The total cost for venue rental, bowling, food, A/V and beverages ended up being a couple thousand dollars less than what I estimated, which I was very happy about. Additionally, I was able to get a credit toward my final balance after I had prepaid for more folks than ended up registering for the event. Many places might not be willing to work with something like that. I got a ton of compliments on hosting the event at such a cool location. And despite a couple of very minor hiccups and the fact that you have to stick with the FST menu, I would absolutely recommend this venue for an event! Cost-effective, a fun space and a great menu! read more

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Went to the fountain square theatre for a wedding and I was pleasantly surprised. What a beautiful fun location for a wedding for a couple who loves movies and the theatre. Fabulous location and fun times. The food was good and it was a great flow for a wedding. Would definitely recommend this location for others. read more

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Some friends of mine got married here in March. They had to change their venue last minute and while I never saw the original venue, I was really impressed with the Fountain Square Theater. The walls are painted so that you feel like you're in a courtyard in Spain and the sky is painted like, well, a sky. Little lights in the ceiling gave off the appearance of stars when the room was dark. I'm not sure if the Theater itself provided the catering at the wedding but if they did then I give them a solid four stars - delicious food in a great buffet setup that was easy to navigate with a lot of different options. The servers were extremely friendly...except for the bartender but whatevs, when you're working an open bar at a wedding with a lot of drunk people I guess you reserve the right to be a bit of a grouch. read more

Grab a good dress or skirt with some heels and come over for some swing dancing! It is every 2nd and 4th Saturday and always a ton of people show up from all over the place. They give lessons for an hour, or you can opt out for a little less. There is a full bar which is nice and plenty of seating. I really enjoy that our neighborhood has something funky like this going on. The music is always good and fun to dance too and it's a great people watch place too! I also like that there are all sorts of people, young, old, single, married, party people, people watchers, etc. etc. It's by far one of the big draws of the Square and I really appreciate the great atmosphere going on here. I definitely recommend taking the lessons if you haven't done swing before, but there are plenty of people there to help you or grab you and dance with you. So, grab your friends and dress up for a night of swing sometime! read more

This is a gorgeous landmark building in Fountain Square. I am writing this review not for the theater, but the rooftop bar, which is one of my favorite spots in all of Indianapolis. The view is great, and I love Brian the bartender - ask him for a tequila and cranberry juice, the "what she's having". The duckpin bowling is fun too, but kind of expensive at $30/hour. The shoes are free though! read more

There's a lot going on at Fountain Square. The theater--which is the part that I'm most familiar with--is cute. I think it's supposed to look the courtyard of a European villa (or something); it's painted with a sky-and-trees mural, and there are building facades all around the walls. I wish I had a good picture of it, which would be much more helpful than my blundering attempts at a description, but I don't. What I usually come down here for is swing dancing, which generally takes place at least one Friday per month. There's always a live band, and people of all ages and levels break it down on the dance floor. Even if you're a beginner, or don't have a partner, you'll still have a great time here--people are super friendly, understanding and happy to dance with people they don't know. It's a really nice little circle. There's also duckpin bowling inside the theater building, which is wonderful for those of us who like to bowl but whose dainty little wrists have trouble handling the standard sized balls. If you get hungry, there's a cafe/bistro and an old-school diner with a soda fountain. And if you're planning a huge event, you can rent out the theater--with catering, too. read more

Beautiful Venue that hosts live Swing band every other Friday. Perfect for dates and birthday parties, and there is a beginning lesson too! The instructors are super nice, and everyone just has a great time, all for a measly $10! could not ask for more. It can get a little hot though read more

Swing Dance Fridays are a blast from the past but yet a modern day feel. Fountain Square Theatre is a beautiful setting and a piece of history so it is the perfect atmosphere for this event. There are many guest bands but one of my favorites is the Ball State Jazz band. This group not only play great music but are extremely fun to watch. There are HS swing dance kids in attendance and it goes up from there. Some dancers are seasoned while others are still learning. It is great night and if you go, you won't be disappointed. read more

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here in July. It was the best. We had to plan from out of town and the wedding coordinator, Brian, made this very easy. He was very helpful and accommodated our needs. We also stayed in the Inn, which was a lot of fun. I highly recommend this venue. read more

I was considering this venue for a wedding. The person that handles events was extremely rude. I called to get more information and she read me all the information that is listed on the site. I was hoping to get more information regarding menus, prices to extend the duration we would have he venue, etc. The venue is well within my budget but their menu/bar prices are well below that of many other venues that I have talked to and met with so I wanted to learn more about what they were offering before going onSite to ensure it was something I was still interested in. But she refused to give me any other information unless I set up an onsite meeting because she didn't want to "waste her time." I was completely surprised by her tone and the harsh way she worded things and when I told her I was surprised she was talking to me this way she said "you started it." Not a good experience and their customer service is absolutely awful. read more

Our daughter got married June 27th and we had the wedding and reception at Fountain Square Theater. The evening was just magical! Priscilla and Brian took care of all the details and we didn't have to worry about a thing the day of the wedding. The food and service was excellent and we couldn't have asked for more! I would highly recommend this venue. read more