Indianapolis, IN
Need budget-friendly ways to enjoy Eras Tour weekend? Here are 5 free Taylor Swift-themed events
Trade Taylor Swift friendship bracelets with IndyStar at the Eras Tour
We’re ready for the shows! We have our friendship bracelets made and ready to trade, find us this weekend and pick up some IndyStar swag!
It’s (almost) Eras Tour time!
Taylor Swift is getting ready to take over downtown Indianapolis for three shows at Lucas Oil Stadium, bringing a few hundred thousand people and significant economic impact.
Tickets, if you can get them, have in some cases cost a pretty penny. If you’re looking for budget-friendly ways to get in on the fun this weekend, though, various Indianapolis organizations have pulled together some free entertainment and experiences.
Here are a few free Swift-themed events happening around downtown this weekend.
Hear It In The Silence: A Taylor Swift Silent Disco
5-9 p.m. Oct. 31 at The Garage Food Hall, 906 Carrollton Ave. More information: bit.ly/4cYztf2
It’s a party, but only in your headphones. A silent disco DJ will be spinning all-Taylor all-night with headphones available for fans on a first come, first-serve basis. While you’re waiting for your turn, check out Taylor-themed drink specials throughout the food hall, make friendship bracelets or take photos in front of a custom backdrop. And since it’s Halloween, you’ll also have the chance to participate in the Show Us Your Era costume contest. Show up dressed as your favorite Taylor era for a chance to win prizes.
Swift City Sessions: Indy Arts Council-sponsored pop-up performances
2-6 p.m. Nov. 1 and noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 2-3 in various locations downtown. More information: bit.ly/4hjWQmN
More than 100 musicians and spoken word artists will host free pop-up performances at 13 locations across downtown Indianapolis.
- Bicentennial Unity Plaza, 117 S. Pennsylvania St., near Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- Capitol Avenue underpass, near Capitol and Louisiana Street
- East and west blocks of Georgia Street
- Hudnut Commons, 50 S. Capitol Ave.
- Indiana Convention Center east and west (the convention center is located at 100 S. Capitol Ave.)
- Indiana Repertory Theatre (140 W. Washington St.)
- Indianapolis Artsgarden, 110 W. Washington St., over the intersection of Washington and Illinois Streets
- Lugar Plaza, 200 E. Washington St., outside the City-County Building
- Monument Circle
- Starbucks patio (30 S. Meridian St.)
- The intersection of Washington and West Streets
Swift City Sessions: Make & Take Art Stations
2-6 p.m. Nov. 1 and 1-6 p.m. Nov. 2-3 in the Indianapolis Artsgarden. More information: bit.ly/4hjWQmN
Also presented by Indy Arts Council, these art activities, led by ArtMix, will give fans the chance to create their own Eras-themed sunglasses, flower crowns, guitar picks, friendship bracelets and other crafts.
Spark on the Circle friendship bracelet workshop
Various times. Nov. 1-2 on Monument Circle. More information: circlespark.org
Stop by Spark, a downtown park and leisure space, to make your own friendship bracelets to wear or trade with fellow fans. Custom Taylor-themed postcards will also be available for attendees to color and send for free.
In Our STEM Era with Purdue University and e.l.f. Cosmetics
Nov. 2-3 at Circle Centre Mall, 49 W. Maryland St. Learn more: bit.ly/3A0qQDf
A partnership between Purdue University and e.l.f. Cosmetics brings together music, beauty products and the scientific fields behind their creation. Visitors can create friendship bracelets including hidden messages in binary code, design a personal digital photo background for social media, sample products at the e.l.f. Cosmetics Lip Oil Change and learn about women in motorsports, print a keepsake tote bag and more. They’ll also get the chance to make keychains and participate in STEM-oriented activities with representatives from the university’s Women in Engineering Program. Admission is free. To find this pop-up makerspace, enter the mall near Maryland and Illinois Streets and go up the escalators.
Contact IndyStar pop culture reporter Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on X/Twitter: @hollyvhays.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Democrat Andrea Hunley to seek bid for mayor’s job in 2027
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State Sen. Andrea Hunley, a Democrat representing Indianapolis, has announced her candidacy for a bid to run for mayor of Indianapolis in 2027.
Hunley, who had previously teased a mayoral run, has scheduled a launch event for May 8 as her official kickoff her campaign to lead the city, said her campaign website. The Assistant Minority Leader in the Senate announced in January that she would not seek another term in the Indiana Senate, to which she was elected in 2022.
Hunley’s website says, “Indianapolis is my city. Our city. As someone who knows this city, someone who has served this community as a public school teacher leading our children and supporting families, I am committed to the future of the people of Indianapolis.
“Indianapolis is the economic driver and a key cultural hub for our state. Our city boasts creative entrepreneurs and long-standing local businesses, vibrant neighborhoods and corporate headquarters, community-centered nonprofits and public schools. I aim to champion a better quality of life by listening to and working alongside the people, businesses and neighborhoods that make up our great city.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett has not disclosed if he’s seeking a fourth four-year term.
City-County Council Member Vop Osili in January announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination.
In the same month, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination to run for mayor. She’s running this year to continue in the trustee’s job, which she has held since 2019.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who had been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for mayor, announced in January he would seek another four-year term this year for his current job. However, he did not rule out running for the Democratic bid for mayor in 2027.
Indianapolis, IN
Louisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – While Louisville is famous for one race in May, a Derby City native is set to make his first appearance in a different iconic May race.
Jacob Abel will be making his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, racing for Abel Motorsports, founded by his father, Bill Abel.
“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” Jacob said.
Both Abels, the driver and the team, had breakout years in 2024 with three pole positions and three wins in the INDY NXT drivers’ championship, propelling the 25-year-old driver to the NTT INDYCAR Series the following year.
Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday, May 12 with qualifying being held on May 16 and May 17. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway goes green on May 24, coverage begins at 10 a.m.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
Indianapolis, IN
IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.
IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”
IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.
“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”
Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.
Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.
Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.
Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.
Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.
Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.
“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”
-
Culture2 minutes agoBook Review: ‘Permanence,’ by Sophie Mackintosh
-
Lifestyle8 minutes agoHow ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Red Carpet Looks Came Together
-
Technology20 minutes agoThe Vergecast Vergecast, 2026 edition
-
World26 minutes agoMexico pyramid shooter who took hostages and killed 1 is identified
-
Politics32 minutes agoByron Donalds cracks down on persistent border blind spot leaving US vulnerable to overstays
-
Health38 minutes agoHealthy diets spark lung cancer risk in non-smokers as pesticides loom
-
Sports44 minutes agoPGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
-
Technology50 minutes agoAlexa+ lets you order food like a real conversation