10-07-2025
IBE Summer Celebration season returns to Indianapolis
The marquee event of Indiana Black Expo's programming is back to celebrate the summer and promote unity within the Circle City.
Why it matters: IBE's Summer Celebration is the largest annual fundraiser for the statewide nonprofit and an Indianapolis staple that has welcomed crowds for more than five decades.
How it works: Proceeds generated by the event pay for year-round initiatives related to education, business development, community learning, performing arts, college scholarships and more.
Since 1983, IBE has provided more than $5 million in college scholarships.
The big picture: The gathering arrives just one weekend after a mass shooting occurred in downtown Indianapolis, hours after the city's Fourth of July fireworks.
Two were killed and five were wounded in the shooting, sparking public safety changes and a proposal to extend the youth curfew in Marion County to get kids off the street two hours earlier each night.
The Summer Celebration suffered its own gun violence when 10 people were hurt in separate downtown shootings during the 2010 festivities.
What they're saying: Organizers and police are focused on making IBE's 2025 Summer Celebration safe.
"It will take every sector — families, faith leaders, businesses, schools, elected officials and grassroots organizations — working side by side to rebuild the village it takes to raise and protect our children," IBE president and CEO Alice Watson said in a statement.
Flashback: The first Indiana Black Expo gathering took place in 1971 and was inspired by the Rev. Jesse Jackson-led Operation PUSH exposition held in Chicago in 1969.
Donny Hathaway, an NBA-ABA game and crowning the first Indiana Black Expo Queen were highlights of the inaugural Summer Celebration.
If you go: The 2025 IBE Summer Celebration runs through July 20. The full list of events can be found here.
Here are a few can't-miss standouts.
📽️ The Black Film Festival in IBE's Black Box Theater on Saturday will feature the premiere of IBE's "Telling Our Story: A Month Is Not Enough" documentary.
💼 Monday and Tuesday's Business Conference at the Indiana Convention Center will offer free workshops for small businesses on topics like preparation strategies for commercial loans and economic trends.
📚 Thursday's Education Conference is headlined by keynote speeches from Veritas Schools founder Brandon P. Fleming and Shaun Woodly, creator of the "Teach Hustle Inspire" movement.
🏆 The Pacers Sports & Entertainment luncheon on July 18 will honor people like Deniece Williams, Wendell Pierce, Chiney Ogwumike and Alfre Woodard.
🎵 outdoor concert returns to Carroll Stadium July 18 with Keith Sweat, SWV, Cameo, Deniece Williams and Christopher Williams taking the stage.
🩺 The Indiana Health Fair takes place from July 18-20 in the Indiana Convention Center, offering more than $4,000 worth of free health screenings.
🎤 DJ Kid Capri, Da Brat and Larenze Tate will be in the house for IBE's All White Affair Concert July 19 at the Indiana Convention Center.
