festival season

August may be the beginning of the end of summer, but Indianapolis festival season has plenty left in it. Families can spend the month at the Indiana State Fair, neighborhood church festivals, cultural celebrations, living-history weekends and a few events built around food, music, tabletop games or very shiny cars. These 11 August fairs and festivals are worth putting on the calendar. Dates, hours and admission policies can change, especially for outdoor events, so check the linked event page before heading out. Related Article: Fairs and Festivals Near Indianapolis Related Article: 100+ Things to Do This Summer around Indy 11 August Fairs and Festivals Near Indianapolis Gen Con When: July 30–Aug. 2 Where: Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, downtown Indianapolis Admission: $41–$164, plus a 10% admissions tax; free child wristbands are available for children 10 and younger attending with a badged parent or guardian Gen Con is the largest and longest-running annual celebration of tabletop gaming culture, with more than 20,000 scheduled events, a large exhibit hall, tournaments, demonstrations and kid-specific programming. A free child wristband allows children 10 and younger to explore the exhibit hall and register for events in the Kid Activities category. Children participating in other ticketed events need a regular badge. Zionsville Street Dance When: Aug. 1, 6–10 p.m. Where: Main Street, downtown Zionsville Admission: $20 in advance through July 31; $25 at the gate for ages 11 and older; $10 for children 10 and younger Downtown Zionsville closes Main Street for an evening of live music, food trucks, local drink vendors and a kids area. Pigeons of Market Square opens the concert before headliner The Dundies takes the stage. Gates open at 5 p.m. Mooresville Old Settlers Fair When: Aug. 6–9 Where: Pioneer Park, 1101 N. Indianapolis Road, Mooresville, IN 46158 Mooresville's Old Settlers Fair fills Pioneer Park with carnival rides, games, community booths, fair food and live music. Festival hours are 5–10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 4–10 p.m. Saturday and 3–10 p.m. Sunday. The Flag Town 5K and 10K begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, and the Old Settlers parade steps off Sunday at 2 p.m. from Mooresville High School. Indiana State Fair When: Aug. 7–23, closed Mondays Where: Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St., Indianapolis, IN 46205 Admission: Tickets required; children 5 and younger are free The Indiana State Fair brings together farm animals, 4-H projects, midway rides, fair food, demonstrations and concerts at the Hoosier Lottery Free Stage. The fair's baseball theme adds exhibits and activities tied to the sport, including a narrated fairgrounds train ride and a wiffle ball diamond styled after Victory Field. Families buying tickets, parking or midway wristbands in advance can find discounts through Aug. 6. SausageFest When: Aug. 14–15, 5:30 p.m.–midnight Where: St. Thomas Aquinas, 4600 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis, IN 46208 Admission: Free This two-night parish festival includes live music, kids games, a separate teen area, a wine garden, beer and plenty of sausage. SausageFest is also St. Thomas Aquinas' largest annual fundraiser, so food and drink purchases support the parish and school. SausageFest Indy EggFest When: Aug. 15, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Where: Sullivan Hardware & Garden, 6955 N. Keystone Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46220 Admission: Tickets required; children 5 and younger are free Indy EggFest turns Sullivan Hardware's Keystone location into a large outdoor cookout centered around Big Green Egg grills. A ticket covers grilled food samples from more than 75 Eggs manned by enthusiasts, plus cooking classes, demonstrations and live music. Local craft beer is available for the grown-ups. WAMMfest When: Aug. 15, noon–8:30 p.m. Where: Craig Park, 10 E. Smith Valley Road, Greenwood, IN 46143 Admission: $15 through July 31; $20 beginning Aug. 1; a four-pack of tickets is $60; children 12 and younger are free with a ticketed adult WAMMfest brings live bands, Artist Alley, local food, Indiana wineries and craft breweries to Craig Park for an afternoon of music and art. The festival is family-friendly, but organizers note that there are no dedicated children's activities, making this a better fit for families who are comfortable settling in with lawn chairs and listening to music rather than looking for rides or games. Indy GreekFest When: Aug. 21, 4–10 p.m.; Aug. 22, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Where: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3500 W. 106th St., Carmel, IN 46032 Admission: Free; premium on-site parking is $5, cash preferred Greek food and pastries are a major part of GreekFest, but families will also find folk-dance performances, Greek music, cooking demonstrations, shopping and tours of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The festival is cashless for food and vendor purchases. Overflow parking is available at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, but the festival does not provide a shuttle, so carpooling is worth considering. Photo courtesy of Indianapolis GreekFest Feast of Lanterns When: Aug. 22, 4–11 p.m. Where: Spades Park, 1800 Nowland Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46201 Admission: Free Feast of Lanterns brings live music, local artisans, food trucks, community booths, a kids zone and a beer and wine garden to Spades Park. The Near Eastside festival dates back to neighborhood gatherings held in the late 1800s, but today's version is built around spending an evening together under the lanterns. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for the lantern lighting at dusk. Feast of Lanterns Artomobilia When: Aug. 29, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Where: Carmel Arts & Design District and Midtown, 200 S. Range Line Road, Carmel, IN 46032 Admission: Free Artomobilia turns the streets of downtown Carmel into an open-air display of nearly 500 collector cars, historic vehicles, race cars, exotics and modern performance cars, organized into curated classes and brand displays. All ages are welcome. This is an easy festival to wander for an hour or turn into a longer afternoon with lunch and a stop at Midtown Plaza. Bridgeton Civil War Days When: Aug. 29–30 Where: Bridgeton Historic District, Bridgeton, Ind. Bridgeton Civil War Days brings soldiers and civilians in period clothing to Parke County for a weekend of living history. Visitors can watch battle reenactments and military drills, explore camps and learn about the signal corps, field medicine, trades and daily life between 1861 and 1865. Families can also walk through the historic district and see Bridgeton's covered bridge and mill while they are in town. More Fairs and Festivals around Indiana This August

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