Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) recently released a list of upcoming festivals in the Indiana Uplands.  The following information is taken from the organization’s website, https://inuplands.org.

Festival season returns
Warmer weather signals the arrival of festival season in the Indiana Uplands, where communities come alive with an array of vibrant events. Are you a music lover ready to groove to live performances in scenic outdoor setting? Fan of ventriloquism? Do you love setting up a lawn chair to watch as fireworks dance across the sky? Curious to know what a bed race is? Come join us in the Uplands! We have a festival and event waiting to entertain you all summer with festivities to suit every taste and interest.
 
April-October: Free Fourth Friday Festival and Art Walk, April-October
Nashville, Brown County
Since the early 1900s, artists have traveled from near and far to capture the natural beauty and life in the rolling hills of Brown County. Today the county remains home to artists carrying on the tradition and galleries showcasing the beautiful art from the past. The Free Fourth Friday Art Walk happens each month from April through October! Plan to take a stroll through the arts village in Nashville as you enjoy refreshments, live music, and the unique pieces of art in each gallery! Participating galleries will stay open late for visitors. You will even be able to see art in action as some galleries will have demonstrations! Once you finish your stroll head over to the historic Brown County Playhouse for the Free Fourth Friday Festival to hear live music of all genres performed by impressive local and regional musicians. Both events are free!
 
June-September: Mondays on Main
Linton, Greene County
Summertime in Linton means once a month food trucks, bounce houses, and vendor booths fill Main Street for the family-friendly community event Mondays on Main Street! Each event has a theme, too! June was a luau party and July’s theme will be Christmas in July! Eat a savory meal from Fat Daddy’s BBQ food truck and wander through booths selling local art, produce, and more! Kids will surely enjoy burning some energy jumping in bounce houses, too! Make sure to check out the Mondays on Main Street Facebook page for more information and future dates.
 
June 20-22: Loogootee Summerfest
Loogootee, Martin County
For a few days each summer, the streets of Loogootee transform into a festival featuring exciting carnival rides, delicious food options, glimmering fireworks, and warm melodies from live music each night. The Loogootee Summerfest brings the community together and visitors are welcomed! The live music lineup includes the AC/DC tribute band Dirty Deeds on June 23 and country artist Wade Hayes on June 24. Check out their Facebook page for more information.
 
June 28-29: Limestone Heritage Festival
Bedford, Lawrence County
In the early 1800s, rich limestone quarrying and carving first began in Lawrence County – and because of that, the county has since been known as “Limestone County.” In fact, many of America’s famous buildings were built using stone quarried from Lawrence County, including the Empire State Building, Chicago’s Tribune Tower, the Pentagon, and the new Yankee Stadium. Each year the community in Lawrence County gathers together to celebrate the impact this rock has had during the Limestone Heritage Festival. Take a stroll around downtown Bedford Square and find a delicious meal at one of the local food trucks. Live music, a parade, and fireworks will help make this weekend festival one you will not want to miss. And what would a limestone festival be without limestone carving? An exhibit of different limestone carvings will be available on both days.
 
June 28-30: VentFest
Spencer, Owen County
Check out the only ventriloquism festival in the United States at the historic Tivoli Theatre in downtown Spencer! VentFest, or the International Ventriloquism and Arts Festival, is a three-day event boasting a schedule of world-class entertainment right here in the Indiana Uplands! The second-year festival features not only ventriloquism, but also music and magic! What other family-friendly fun could you want? VentFest fun will extend into downtown Spencer with pop-up performances planned for other local businesses! Visit the VentFest website to buy tickets and see the entire schedule!
 
June 21-22: Ferdinand Heimatfest
Ferdinand, Dubois County
“Heimatfest” means “home festival” in German, and from June 16-17, the town of Ferdinand will bring residents together to celebrate their home in Dubois County at Ferdinand Heimatfest. The two-day event will take place at the 18th Street Park and feature activities for the whole family all weekend. Sit back with a beer and enjoy live music, watch grillmasters compete in the BBQ contest, or show off your disc golf skills in a scramble. Money raised from the various events will be donated to the Ferdinand Community Endowment and the Dubois County Community Foundation to help both the town and the county succeed and grow.
 
June 29: Celestine Streetfest
Celestine, Dubois County
Get ready to boot scoot and boogie at the annual Celestine Streetfest on June 29 at St. Celestine Church, featuring live music by the ultimate 90s country group “The Boot Scoots,” a party DJ, beer garden, and delicious food. Hit the trail like a 90s country hit during the 5K run/walk. But wait! The day of fun doesn’t end there! Check out the car show, community scavenger hunt, dodgeball tournament, and various kids’ activities, including a free kids’ fun run and a tractor pull!
 
June 29 : Dubois County Pride Festival
Jasper, Dubois County
All are welcome to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community in Dubois County and beyond at the annual Dubois County PRIDE Festival in Jasper. The festival is organized by Dubois County PRIDE, which works to build a stronger and more united community where all can live proudly and authentically while celebrating their true selves. This growing festival first happened in 2019, and attendance has steadily increased. The festival features entertainment for all ages, food, art and craft vendor booths, and more!
 
July 3-4: 194th Annual Pekin 4th of July Festival
New Pekin, Washington County
The oldest consecutive Independence Day celebration in the United States happens each summer right here in the Indiana Uplands. The Oldest Consecutive 4th of July Celebration in the Nation began in 1830 in the town of Pekin in Washington County. The celebration was moved to Pekin Community Park in 1909, where it has been held ever since. The summer celebration has everything you would want for a fun-packed holiday weekend in the Uplands, including shimmering fireworks, a parade, live music, a carnival, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
 
July 1-6: Linton Freedom Festival and Parade
Linton, Greene County
Linton Freedom Festival Parade, or “Indiana’s Largest Independence Day Parade,” brings nearly 40,000 people to the Indiana Uplands annually. This annual summer celebration features a carnival, live bands, unique races and contests (looking at you, bed races), and, of course, a dazzling fireworks show. The fun begins when the carnival opens July 1. The parade will be 10 a.m. on July 4!
 
July 11-14: BREATHE Festival
Spencer, Owen County
Take a break from the real world, step into the woods, and breathe a sigh of relief at one of the world’s largest slackline festivals at Stable Studios in Owen County. The BREATHE Festival invites you to discover balance, mindfulness, and the rhythm of life. Special activities and workshops are scheduled all weekend, including yoga, fire and flow, live music, and a “party pond,” offering play and relaxing paddleboarding experiences. The festival aims to create a “dream land” for slacklining – walking, running, or balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors. Plan to camp and be a part of this community all weekend!
 
Aug. 1-4: Jasper Strassenfest
Jasper, Dubois County
Walking along the streets in Jasper, you may feel as if you have taken a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to Germany during the annual Strassenfest in Dubois County. The annual event celebrates German traditions and people who established roots in Jasper. This German-inspired street festival was first held in 1979. Enjoy a beer in the “Bier Garten” while listening to live music. The Strassenfest parade, hot air balloons, food, and carnival rides are some of the fun activities you will find. Don’t forget the polka and lederhosen because no German festival would be complete without them. While you’re there, take a ride on the Spirit of Jasper Train.
 
Aug. 1-3: Hippy Hill Fest
Bean Blossom, Brown County
Celebrate the electric and psychedelic music of the 1960s at Bill Monroe’s Music Park and Campground when the third annual Hippy Hill Fest returns to the hills of the Indiana Uplands! Live music from two stages will fill the air for three days during this summer party. Grab your dancing shoes and plan to groove the weekend away.
 
Aug. 8-11: Gosport Lazy Days
Gosport, Owen County
Cue up “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer” by Nat King Cole and head over to Gosport in Owen County to soak up a few more summer moments at Gosport Lazy Days! Still curious about bed races? The festival features the bed-related races and much more, such as live music, a car show, the Lazy Day Parade, a street dance on Main Street, and a fish fry!

INDIANAPOLIS – One of the nation’s top Native American art markets returns June 22 and 23 when the 32^nd annual Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival takes place at the Eiteljorg Museum in downtown Indianapolis. Nearly 150 Native artists from across the United States and Canada will show and sell their beautiful art, such as jewelry, pottery, basketry, sculpture, weavings and paintings. 

As one of the biggest multicultural events in Indianapolis each summer, Indian Market and Festival features artists’ booths inside the Eiteljorg and outside under tents on the museum grounds. Market-goers enjoy strolling from booth to booth, meeting or revisiting with artists to learn about their cultures through patronizing their art. Many market artists return each year and have loyal collectors who shop from them. This year, approximately 40 of the artists are showing at Indian Market and Festival for the first time, and will undoubtedly cultivate new fans of their work. 

“Whether you are a longtime market-goer or a first-time visitor, the Eiteljorg’s Indian Market and Festival is the place for amazing experiences where you can shop for exceptional Native art such as jewelry, get to know the artists, enjoy music and dance performances and broaden your cultural horizons,” Eiteljorg President and CEO Kathryn Haigh said. “Typically drawing thousands of people, the market is one of the Eiteljorg Museum’s biggest events all year, and is known for its incredible Hoosier hospitality toward artists and guests alike.”

Performances: Onstage in the museum's courtyard under The Sails on the Downtown Canal, music and dance will be a big part of the market experience, with multiple acts on both days:

• Accomplished musician and audience favorite Gabriel Ayala (Pascua Yaqui) returns and will perform on classical guitar. 
• Native Hawaiian music and dance are exciting additions to this year’s lineup, performed by the Hawaiian quartet Hoapili, joined by dancers from Indy Hula. 
• The performers of Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project present dances in their Ojibwe jingle dresses, and spread awareness about the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. 
• Storytelling performer Perry Ground (Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Turtle Clan) returns; Ground was a big hit at his recent Eiteljorg appearances. 
• Punk rockers Sihasin -- a brother-sister duo of Jeneda and Clayson Benally (Diné [Navajo]) -- deliver high-energy protest songs on bass and drums. 

Admission: Order advance discount tickets for $20 online at Eiteljorg.org/IndianMarketand Festival. At the gate, adult tickets are $25. Children and youth ages 17 and under have free admission. A two-day adult weekend pass is $30 in advance or $40 at the gate. Eiteljorg members get in free; a membership card-holder can bring two adult guests for $20 each. Admission to the market includes the museum and all current exhibitions, including Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West, Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, and Developing Stories: Native American Photographers in the Field, as well as the museum’s new Native American Galleries exhibition, Expressions of Life: Native Art in North America.

Know before you go: Market hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, both days. Free parking is available while spaces last in the White River State Park underground garage. Festival food, including frybread, is an essential part of Indian Market and Festival; several food vendors will be on hand, as well as a booth operated by the Eiteljorg Café. Art activities suitable for all ages will take place in the Nina Mason Pulliam Education Center in the museum’s canal level. 

Art awards: Many market artists enter artworks for judging as part of the weekend’s juried art competition, which includes awards and cash prizes across various categories. The top prize is the $7,500 Margot L. Eccles Best of Show Award. For early-bird art buyers who want to meet the artists in a more relaxed setting and enjoy the art awards presentation (including Best of Show), the Eiteljorg will host the Market Morning Breakfast at 8 a.m. June 22. Reservations are required; contact Jennifer Hiatt at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Indian Market and Festival is presented by the Indiana Soybean Alliance and sponsored by the Margot L. Eccles Arts and Culture Fund (a CICF Fund), The Penrod Society and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis. The festival as well as the Market Morning Breakfast also are sponsored by Raymond James. 

This year’s commemorative Indian Market and Festival T-shirts feature the thunderbird artwork Recharge by Peter Boome (Upper Skagit Indian Tribe) and are available for $25 from the Eiteljorg Museum Store. 

For more information, including advance discount tickets, visit Eiteljorg.org/IndianMarketandFestival.

About the Eiteljorg
For 35 years, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of Indianapolis and scenic White River State Park. The Eiteljorg Museum explores the intersection of the arts, histories and cultures of the past and present by sharing the diverse stories of the American West and the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Located on the Central Canal at 500 West Washington St., the Eiteljorg is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.