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.
TONIGHT
A few showers and thunderstorms may linger through the evening before coverage gradually fades later tonight. Patchy fog may develop after about 2 a.m., and lows settle in the upper 60s with a light east breeze. It will not rain all night everywhere, but the evening still carries enough of a storm threat to keep a weather eye nearby.
TOMORROW
Patchy fog early gives way to a partly sunny, warmer, and much less active day. Highs climb into the mid 80s, with a light east wind around 5 mph. After the unsettled Saturday, this looks like a far more usable day for outdoor plans, and most of central Indiana should stay dry from start to finish.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Clear early, then becoming partly cloudy toward daybreak, with lows in the low 70s. A light south southeast breeze around 5 mph keeps the air moving just enough, and the humidity stays elevated overnight. Quiet weather continues.
MONDAY
Mostly sunny and hot with highs pushing into the low 90s. A south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving, but the bigger story is the heat and humidity building in. Heat index values over 100 are possible during the afternoon, so outdoor plans will need extra water and more breaks.
MONDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows around the mid 70s. A light south southwest breeze continues overnight, and there will be very little cooling after sunset. It stays dry, but the muggy feel hangs on.
TUESDAY
Sunny and even hotter, with highs in the low to mid 90s and a light southwest breeze around 5 mph. This is another day where the heat becomes the main impact, and it will not take long to feel it during the afternoon. Outdoor work and summer activities will need to be paced carefully.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Clear and warm again, with lows in the mid 70s and a light southwest wind. The air remains sticky overnight, and there is still no meaningful rain signal for Indianapolis.
WEDNESDAY
Mostly sunny and hot, with highs in the low to mid 90s. Wind stays light, becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Heat remains the main concern, and another uncomfortable summer afternoon is expected across central Indiana.
7 DAY FORECAST
After today’s storm chances taper away, the pattern flips quickly toward heat and humidity. Sunday looks quieter and warmer, then Monday through at least Wednesday trend hot with highs in the 90s and heat index values over 100 possible at times. Rain chances stay very low through midweek, with only low-end storm chances returning later Thursday into Friday. Overall, the bigger concern after Saturday becomes summer heat rather than repeated storm chances.
TODAY
Mostly cloudy and muggy with scattered showers around at times, and thunderstorms becoming more likely this afternoon. Highs reach the low 80s, with a light east wind. Much of the morning still looks manageable, but by later today a few storms could become stronger, especially across the southwest half of central Indiana, with locally heavy rain and gusty winds the main concerns.
TONIGHT
A few showers and thunderstorms may linger through the evening before coverage gradually fades later tonight. Lows settle in the upper 60s, with a light northeast breeze. It will not rain all night everywhere, but the evening still carries enough of a storm threat to keep a weather eye nearby.
TOMORROW
Partly sunny, warmer, and much less active. Highs climb into the mid 80s, with a light south wind around 5 mph. After the unsettled Saturday, this looks like a far more usable day for outdoor plans, and most of central Indiana should stay dry from start to finish.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Partly cloudy and warm, with lows in the low 70s and a light south southeast breeze around 5 mph. Humidity stays elevated overnight, so it will feel a bit more summerlike than recent nights. Quiet weather continues.
MONDAY
Sunny and hot with highs pushing into the low 90s. A south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving, but the bigger story is the heat and humidity building in. This looks like the hottest day so far this season, and heat index values over 100 are possible during the afternoon, so outdoor plans will need extra water and more breaks.
MONDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows around the mid 70s. A light south southwest breeze continues overnight, and there will be very little cooling after sunset. It stays dry, but the muggy feel hangs on.
TUESDAY
Sunny and even hotter, with highs in the low to mid 90s and a light southwest breeze around 5 mph. This is another day where the heat becomes the main impact, and it will not take long to feel it during the afternoon. Outdoor work and summer activities will need to be paced carefully.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Clear and warm again, with lows in the mid 70s and a light southwest wind. The air remains sticky overnight, and there is still no meaningful rain signal for Indianapolis.
7 DAY FORECAST
After today’s storm chances taper away, the pattern flips quickly toward heat and humidity. Sunday looks quieter and warmer, then Monday through Thursday all trend hot with highs in the 90s and heat index values over 100 possible at times. Rain chances stay very low through midweek, with the next better chance for storms not returning until Friday. Overall, the bigger concern after Saturday becomes summer heat rather than repeated storm chances.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A jogger heard splashing from the White River near the Indiana University Indianapolis campus on Friday night and called 911.
About an hour later, three divers with Indianapolis Fire Department found a man’s body about 15 feet from the shore, and six feet down, said Battalion Chief Rita Reith.
Crews were called just before 7 p.m. Friday to the intersection of University Boulevard and Blake Street. That’s near the National Institute for Fitness and Sport, and the NCAA Hall of Champions in downtown Indianapolis.
It was not immediately known why the man was near the river.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will work to locate the man’s family.
IFD said this is the ninth fatal drowning in Marion County in 2026 and the second in two days.
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