Indianapolis, IN
Final Four Fan Fest, concerts in Indy feature some big names
Heading to Indianapolis for the 2026 Final Four?
There’s plenty beyond basketball to keep you busy with fan events and concerts popping up across downtown Indy to mark the April 4 and 6 games at Lucas Oil Stadium — plus the Division II, Division III and NIT championships taking place back-to-back-to-back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse April 5.
Concerts featuring Twenty One Pilots, Zac Brown Band, Post Malone and Megan Moroney are the headliners. There will be an additional music festival, a dribbling contest through the city and what the NCAA is dubbing a multi-day “sports wonderland” at the Indiana Convention Center are on tap for the extended Final Four weekend. Here’s your guide to everything downtown will have to offer.
Swish 2026
April 3-6. Around downtown. Live music, art and giveaways. Free. indyarts.org/swish-2026
More than 200 local artists, performers, vendors and chefs will be part of the family-friendly festival, where visitors can grab free commemorative posters and postcards by Herron School of Art and Design students. The Indy Arts Council, Indiana Sports Corp, Forty5 Presents, Ganggang, Epicurean Indy, and the Local Organizing Committee for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Final Four are putting on the celebrations. Events include:
- Noon-6 p.m. each day: Live music performances by central Indiana musicians, dancers and spoken-word poets at Monument Circle, 1 Virginia Ave., PNC Plaza, Starbucks at 30 S. Meridian St. and sites to be announced
- Sidewalk Galleries: Vinyl-wrapped storefront murals and poems as well as mural-wrapped traffic signal boxes and art installations at the Indianapolis International Airport
- 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 4: Epicurean Market and MOKAO, with more than 50 vendors an international market with food, artisan coffee and chocolate. At the Stutz, 1060 N. Capitol Ave. epicureanindy.com
- Sampson Levingston will lead walk and talk tours about college basketball history in downtown’s Mile Square. Reserve free tickets at tinyurl.com/3sdknyc9
- March 27-April 4: The Asante Art Institute will present the play “A Touch of Glory” about the 1955 Crispus Attucks Tigers, the first all-black school in the country to win a high school basketball state championship. At the Basile Theatre at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St. $30-$45.
Final Four Fan Fest
April 3-6. Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave. $10 tickets until March 29, $15 during event week. Tickets here and more info here.
The Indiana Convention Center will host games, activations, music, celebrity appearances and more throughout the Final Four extended weekend. Free entry for kids under 12 (with accompanying purchase of adult ticket), Final Four game ticketholders, military personnel, college students with valid school ID and Capital One cardholders.
- April 3: noon-6 p.m.
- April 4: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
- April 5: noon-6 p.m.
- April 6: noon-8 p.m.
Final Four Friday
April 3, 10 a.m.-3:35 p.m. Lucas Oil Stadium, 500 S. Capitol Ave. Free entry. More info here.
Lucas Oil Stadium will open its doors for a USA Basketball 3×3 exhibition game Friday morning, followed by open practices from the Final Four teams. Final Four Friday will conclude with the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Star Game, featuring the top seniors in Division I basketball. All-Star players will also sign autographs at the South End of Lucas Oil near section 138.
March Madness Music Festival
April 3-5. American Legion Mall, 700 N. Pennsylvania St. Free entry. More info here.
Downtown’s American Legion Mall will host a three-day music festival with a lineup of major artists and performers. The festival will kick off April 3 with the AT&T Block Party, followed by Coca Cola Live April 4 and the Capital One JamFest finale April 5. Alternative duo Twenty One Pilots, country group Zac Brown Band and a double bill of country hip-hop superstar Post Malone and surging pop country star Megan Moroney will headline April 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
Check out the schedule below:
- April 3: 4:30-10 p.m.
- April 4: 3:30-10 p.m.
- April 5: 2-10 p.m.
The NCAA has also announced a Madness After Dark event, which will feature a DJ set from EDM duo The Chainsmokers, to take place after the April 4 performances. The event will run from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Indiana Rooftop Ballroom, located at 140 W. Washington St.
Men’s Final Four Dribble
April 5 at 1 p.m. Carroll Stadium (1001 W. New York St.) to Victory Field (501 W. Maryland St.). Free registration. Registration here and more info here.
Participants 18 and under will dribble a basketball along a one-mile course from IU Indianapolis’ Carroll Stadium to Victory Field. The first 3,000 to register will receive a t-shirt, basketball and free entry to the Final Four Fan Fest.
Men’s Final Four Tip-Off Tailgate
April 3-6. 126 E. Georgia St. Free entry. More info here.
Downtown Indianapolis will offer free watch parties for both the Men’s and Women’s Final Four along Georgia Street. The festivities will also include games, activations and giveaways.
- April 3: 4-11 p.m.
- April 4: 1-11 p.m.
- April 5: noon-6 p.m.
- April 6: 4-11 p.m.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
Indianapolis, IN
Warm and stormy start, then heat builds deeper into the week | June 7, 2026
TODAY
Warm and humid with more clouds than sun at times, and a chance for showers and thunderstorms building from late morning into the afternoon. Highs reach the mid 80s, with light wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. There should still be dry pockets mixed in, but any slow-moving storm could bring a quick flooding downpour and interrupt outdoor plans.
TONIGHT
Storm chances ease back some after the evening, with only a lower-end chance for showers lingering later at night. Lows hold near 70, with a light southeast breeze. It does not look like a washout from start to finish, but the air stays warm and sticky overnight.
TOMORROW
More clouds than sun with showers becoming more likely as the day goes on, especially later in the afternoon. Highs reach the mid 80s, with a south southeast breeze around 5 to 10 mph and a few gusts near 20 mph. This looks like one of the wetter and less reliable days for daytime plans, even though there should still be some dry stretches mixed in.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Showers and thunderstorms continue through the night with warm, muggy air holding in place. Lows stay near 70, with a light south wind. Roads could stay wet at times overnight, and locally heavier rain is still possible.
TUESDAY
Mostly cloudy, humid, and unsettled with more showers and thunderstorms possible. Highs recover into the mid 80s, with a southwest breeze around 10 mph. This is another day where outdoor schedules will be harder to trust, and any heavier storm could reduce visibility and create ponding on roads.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Showers and thunderstorms continue through the evening, then ease back somewhat later at night. Lows settle in the low 70s, with a light southwest breeze. It stays humid and unsettled, although coverage should not be as widespread late at night as it may be earlier in the evening.
WEDNESDAY
Very warm and very humid with a mix of clouds and some sun, plus another chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs reach the upper 80s, pushing close to 90 in warmer spots. Compared with earlier in the week, heat and humidity become bigger factors even if rain is not constant all day.
7 DAY FORECAST
The overall pattern stays much more humid and unsettled through the first half of the week, with repeated chances for showers and thunderstorms from Sunday through at least Wednesday, and very warm air staying in place the whole time. Highs generally stay in the 80s, with readings pushing close to 90 by Wednesday and Thursday, so any breaks between storms will still feel distinctly summerlike. The main concern is not nonstop rain, but repeated rounds of storms and locally heavy downpours interrupting otherwise hot and muggy weather.
Indianapolis, IN
‘100 Deadliest Days’: Summer months bring spike in teen fatal crashes
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A mother who lost her only son in a traffic crash is asking parents and teenagers to take simple steps to avoid “the 100 deadliest days” of driving.
Tammy Guido McGee said her 16-year old boy, Conner, died in 2019 while traveling as a passenger with another teenager from school. “All he did was accept a ride,” McGee said.
Because of that tragedy, McGee has become a traffic safety advocate, talking to people across the country.
“Don’t think it’s not going to happen to you,” McGee said. “Because that was us, and here we are.”
Along with the National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), McGee is warning families to be mindful of the “100 Deadliest Days”. It’s the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day, when fatal teen crashes see a significant spike.
Teen traffic fatalities increase more than 20% during the 100-day period, according to NRSF, averaging nine deaths a day.
A coalition of advocacy groups, including NRSF, Impact Teen Drivers, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and FCCLA, is leading a nationwide push to buck the trend, making it “The 100 Safest Days”. The groups are raising awareness of how avoidable dangers, like drowsy driving, impaired driving, and speeding, turn fatal too often.
“We want teenagers to buckle up, put that phone away,” McGee said.
But she said the largest contributing factor to a crash is having too many passengers. “Especially now in the summer. Everybody is jumping in the car, they want to go to the beach,” McGee said. “We want them to have fun. We just want them to understand the real dangers.”
The groups launched www.100safestdaysofsummer.org to shine a light on traffic safety issues putting teens at risk, with resources for parents as well.
“Talk about this,” McGee said. “So another teenager doesn’t have to lose their life.”
Indianapolis, IN
Colts’ Anthony Richardson Deemed One of the Best Backup QBs in NFL
The Indianapolis Colts have a full quarterback room for the foreseeable future after Anthony Richardson Sr.’s time spent on the trade block failed to land any suitors during the 2026 NFL Draft.
While Richardson has since returned to the team and just wrapped up OTAs, his trade request has not yet been rescinded, so there’s technically a chance he could be traded for anytime before the mid-season trade deadline.
Richardson and second-year quarterback and 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard will continue battling it out for the backup role under starter Daniel Jones, who is working back from his Achilles rehab.
With Jones out for the majority of team work (i.e., 11-on-11 periods) for the summer, with a fully healthy projection scheduled for training camp, valuable reps will be provided to Richardson and Leonard as they work on their respective professional trajectories.
Richardson is entering the final year of his rookie contract, a pricey $10.8M cap hit for a backup, whereas Leonard is entering the second year of his. While the two are in incredibly different situations entering 2026, both have reasons to earn the QB2 role directly under Daniel Jones.
Leonard is viewed as the better fit for this version of head coach Shane Steichen’s offense with Jones at the helm, and the subsequent backup of the future, whereas Richardson remains the unrefined, oft-injured project that could be fun to fix.
Ranking Anthony Richardson Sr. Among Backup QBs
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano recently dropped his ranking of backup quarterbacks across the league, and ultimately put Richardson in his top 10 (at No. 10).
“Yes, Richardson has struggled throughout his career and has been unable to stay available. He had a golden opportunity last year when Daniel Jones ruptured his Achilles, but he wasn’t around due to a freak accident with an elastic exercise band,” Manzano wrote.
“Still, I can’t get over how dominant Richardson was in the first month of his rookie season in 2023. There were shades of Cam Newton and Josh Allen with his arm strength and massive 6’4″, 244-pound frame. In a spot start or in relief, Richardson’s game could give teams plenty of fits—that’s if he’s available. There’s also a possibility that the Colts trade or cut Richardson, who has 15 career starts, before the end of training camp.”
Anthony Richardson has 2,400 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, and 13 interceptions on an abysmal 50.6% completion rate through three years in the league so far. Couple that uninspired statline with his plethora of injuries sustained, major or minor, and it’s hard to see why someone would continue betting on him, but as Manzano mentions, the potential is hard to quit.
So yes, while Riley Leonard has the inside track to winning the QB2 role due to his fit, durability, and loyalty (i.e., not requesting a trade), Richardson still has enough on his resume to warrant keeping around.
Most have jumped off the Richardson train by this point, but there are still plenty of people, Colts general manager Chris Ballard included, who believe he can rebound from this brutal start to his career. Furthermore, the Colts would greatly benefit from having two viable backups in Richardson and Leonard, given that Daniel Jones is just as prone to injury at this point in his career.
The Colts may be taking on nearly $11M in cap to keep Richardson around, and there’s certainly a chance he reinjures himself whilst not playing a snap (circa 2025), but this regime is in a make or break year, so having as many viable options at the sport’s most important position seems like a fair tradeoff.
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