March Events in Downtown Indianapolis

At the St. Patrick’s Day Tent Party in downtown Indianapolis.
AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2011, all rights reserved.

By Amanda Dorman
Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.
http://www.indydt.com/

St. Patrick’s Day & Big Ten Basketball events Downtown
Beer tents and live music on Georgia Street Boardwalk – plus parade, Shamrock Run/Walk & other big events

2nd Annual Blarney Bash: Live music and green beer on the Boardwalk

Saturday, March 15, Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. will host Blarney Bash on Georgia Street, in partnership with Q95, Killian’s Irish Red, Skyy Vodka and Jameson Irish Whiskey, from noon – 10 p.m. on the east block between Meridian and Pennsylvania streets. Festive tents with green beer and Irish spirits will line the boardwalk operated by The Pub Indianapolis, Howl at the Moon and Kilroy’s Bar & Grill. Local bands My Yellow Rickshaw and The Flying Toasters will perform. Admission to the Blarney Bash is FREE, but attendees must be 21 or older. 

At last year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Downtown Indianapolis. AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2013, all rights reserved.

Other Downtown Indy St. Patrick’s Day traditions

• The Hoosier Lottery Greening of the Canal: Friday, March 14 from 5 – 5:45 p.m. at the Stardust Terrace outside the Indiana Historical Society with live music and dancing.
• The 23rd annual Shamrock Run and Walk takes off from Monument Circle on Saturday, March 15 at 10 a.m. Participate in either the 4-mile run (with timing tag) or the 4-mile fitness walk (without timing tag). Hang around Downtown after the run and participate in ShamRockin’ The Circle from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Eunan McIntyre kicks of the event with a live performance at 9 a.m., followed by Reilly. The Columbia Club will serve food and the beer garden will be open until 1 p.m.
• The St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Monday, March 17 at 11:30 a.m. on the Downtown parade route. (Some road closures begin along Pennsylvania at 9:30 a.m. and continue on affected streets at 11 a.m. All streets should reopen by 3 p.m.)
• The Parade Block Party will take place on Vermont Street between Meridian and Pennsylvania streets from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with live music, food and beer.
• All of these events (except the runs) are FREE. Visit www.indysportsfoundation.com/stpatsnew for more information.

The Rathskeller hosts the St. Patrick’s Day Tri-Fecta all weekend. Enjoy live music and authentic Irish food on Friday, March 14 from 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. and Saturday, March 15 from 8 p.m. – midnight. Don’t miss the 17th Annual Indianapolis Downtown Irish Fest on March 17, also at the Rathskeller, featuring live music from Brian Cunningham & The Irish Aires, the Woomblies and Zanna Doo and sample authentic Irish food. Admission is FREE for both these events.

The Going Green Festival at the Indiana State Museum takes places Friday, March 14 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Saturday, March 15 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. with activities that teach visitors the best ways to conserve energy, the benefits of recycling and more. Meet members of environmental awareness organizations and businesses from around the state who will be available to show you the latest, greatest and simplest ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. The cost to attend is included with museum admission.

Enter the Shamrock 5K Beer Run on March 15 at 3 p.m. and start your run with a toast of Upland Wheat and then stop every kilometer to drink another beer. All runners get shirt, medal and souvenir pint glass of beer. The run begins and ends on Georgia Street.

Food Truck Friday on Georgia Street. AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2013, all rights reserved.

Other events and specials

• It’s not really St. Patrick’s Day without a proper pub crawl is it? On Saturday, March 15, the St. Patty’s Pub Crawl will visit Tiki Bob’s, Blue Indy, Subterra Lounge and others starting at noon. The Pub Crawl benefits a local charity.
• Visit the Indianapolis City Market on Saturday, March 15 from 10 a.m. – noon and enjoy live music from Indianapolis Ceili Band and violinist Samantha Stelting. Make sure to return back on Monday, March 17 for green beads and vendor specials throughout the day.
• Einstein Bros Bagels at 15 E. Market Street will serve green bagels and baked goods for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. To preorder, email: 2620@einsteinnoah.com.
• Food Truck Fridays will be a regular occurrence on Georgia Street’s west block from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. beginning March 7. Grab your friends and head out for lunch alfresco on March 14 and enjoy the sights and sounds Downtown. Try something different every week!

See updated St. Patrick’s Day events and specials at www.indydt.com/stpats.cfm.

Big Ten Basketball: March is on!

Downtown transforms into every basketball fan’s fantasy with the Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments at Bankers Life Fieldhouse with 12 teams battling in 11 games for each tournament. No ticket, no problem! With more than 250 restaurants and bars and several fan events, Downtown is the place to catch the action.

Women’s Tournament

Thursday, March 6

• Noon: Women’s First Round (2 games)
• 6:30 p.m.: Women’s First Round (2 games)

Friday, March 7

• Noon: Women’s Quarterfinals (2 games)
• 6:30 p.m.: Women’s Quarterfinals (2 games)

Saturday, March 8 

• BIG TEN THINKS PINK
• 3:30 p.m.: Women’s Semifinals (2 games)

Sunday, March 9

• 11 a.m.: Championship Game Pep Rally at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
• 1 p.m.: Women’s Championship Game

Men’s Tournament

Thursday, March 13

• Noon: Men’s First Round (2 games)
• 6:30 p.m.: Men’s First Round (2 games)

Friday, March 14

• 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Big Ten Conference Career Expo at Union Station
• Noon: Men’s Quarterfinals (2 games)
• 6:30 p.m.: Men’s Quarterfinals (2 games)

Saturday, March 15

• 1:40 p.m.: Men’s Semifinals (2 games)

Sunday, March 16

• 11 a.m.: Big Ten Hoops Day 5K (begins and ends at Bankers Life Fieldhouse)

Start championship Sunday with a lap around Downtown! Don’t forget to wear your school colors! For the competitive and the casual runners, the first 2,000 participants will receive a T-shirt.

• 1:30 p.m.: Championship Game Pep Rally (FREE on Georgia Street)

Basketball fans are invited to come Downtown early and prepare for the championship game. Don’t miss the Battle of the Pep Bands, corn hole and more.

• 3:30 p.m.: Men’s Championship game

Big Ten University restaurant pairings

Downtown restaurants have paired up with Big Ten teams to make celebrating with like-minded fans easy.

Illinois – The Ram Restaurant & Brewery (140 S. Illinois; 317-955-9900)
Indiana – Kilroy’s Bar & Grill (201 S. Meridian St.; 317-638-9464)
Iowa – Colts Grille (110 W. Washington St.; 317-631-2007)
Michigan – O’Reilly’s Irish Bar and Restaurant (36 S. Pennsylvania; 317-974-0674)
Michigan State – Slippery Noodle Inn (372 S. Meridian; 317-631-6974)
Minnesota – Hard Rock Cafe (49 S. Meridian St.; 317-636-2550)
Nebraska – High Velocity (10 S. West St.; 317-860-5800)
Northwestern – Champions Sports Bar & Grill (350 W. Maryland; 317-405-6111)
Ohio State – Champps (49 W. Maryland St.; Circle Centre Mall; 317-951-0033)
Penn State – Harry & Izzy’s (153 S. Illinois; 317-635-9594)
Purdue – Scotty’s Brewhouse (1 Virginia Ave.; 317-571-0808)
Wisconsin – Buffalo Wild Wings (7 E. Washington; 317-951-9464)

Find more Big Ten info at www.indianasportscorp.com.