For Immediate Release: July 13, 2023
Media Contact: Max Wing | max@downtownindy.org
Downtown Indy’s Fourth Fest by the numbers
Trademark fireworks show and inaugural street festival, presented by UA Local 440, draw record attendance numbers and broader demographics while supporting Downtown businesses
INDIANAPOLIS - - Downtown Indy, Inc. (DII) reported today its highest recorded event attendance for ‘Downtown Indy’s Fourth Fest presented by UA Local 440,’ which included a 20-minute fireworks show and inaugural street party. Downtown Fourth Fest foot traffic data was generated using location intelligence software Placer.ai. Over 23,000 attendees were present inside the festival area, bound by St. Clair St. to the north, Delaware St. to the east, Ohio St. to the south, and Illinois St. to the west. These event attendees joined tens of thousands of other visitors enjoying Downtown Indianapolis on July 4th, experiencing a night at the ballpark at Victory Field, attending a convention at the Indiana Convention Center, or taking in the Downtown fireworks from another vantage point within the Regional Center.
DII research found that this year's event achieved the highest attendance since 2017 when Placer.ai data began tracking these trends, increasing more than 21% from last year and a whopping 48% increase from 2018 attendance. In addition to record attendance this year, data indicates that the free and open to the public Fourth of July event consistently draws an economically, culturally, and ethnically diverse crowd.
“This year, we set out to reimagine a time-honored Indianapolis tradition and introduce new entertainment, vendors, and partnerships that would truly enliven our Downtown and introduce a renewed sense of vibrancy in the Mile Square,” said DII President & CEO Taylor Schaffer. “This year’s turnout was reflective of not only the people that live, work, and play Downtown, but also the diversity of the Indianapolis community. At Downtown Indy, Inc., we are continuing to raise the bar on our community’s iconic annual events, while also reimagining public spaces and demonstrating how free, accessible experiences can help create a safe, vibrant Downtown.”
The new and improved pre-fireworks festival, which offered free admission from 6-10 p.m., activated the portion of North Street adjacent to American Legion Mall with food trucks, pop-ups, live music, and a stage sponsored by Indiana Donor Network and Donate Life Indiana. Event attendees were also quick to take advantage of Downtown’s food and drink offerings before and after the festival. Placer.ai data indicates nearly 10% of attendees made a stop at either a Downtown restaurant, bar, or pub before or after the festival.
Since 1971, Indianapolis’ Downtown fireworks display was launched from the Regions Tower – originally known as the Indiana National Bank building. With the construction of new residential units on once-vacant lots along Delaware and New York streets, fire code and safety protocols necessitated a move in 2021. Since then, the Downtown fireworks have been launched from atop the 500 N. Meridian Building, just south of the Scottish Rite Cathedral. The new launch site and its adjacent viewing areas – the Indiana War Memorial grounds and American Legion Mall – created a concentrated event radius where the yearly fireworks show could be supplemented by a nearby festival.
This year’s fireworks show was synced to popular patriotic and themed music aired on local Radio One radio stations WTLC, Hank FM and WIBC. Additional festival highlights included performances from local music groups Toy Factory and Pavel & Direct Contact, an organ donor registration booth lead by Indiana Donor Network and Donate Life Indiana, a roaming party robot, and vendor appearances from Downtown Indy, Inc. members including Gordon’s Milkshake Bar and Kilroy’s Bar & Grill.
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About Downtown Indy, Inc.
Founded in 1993, Downtown Indy, Inc. is a public/private partnership existing to improve Downtown, and is also known as Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. As a private, not-for-profit organization, Downtown Indy, Inc. is uniquely positioned to address issues that affect the area’s growth and well-being. Downtown Indy, Inc. focuses on development, management, activation, and marketing to advance Downtown as a great place to live, learn, work and play.
About UA Local 440
Headquartered in Indianapolis, the men and women of UA Local 440 provide highly skilled tradesmen who fabricate, install and service piping systems. The members of UA Local 440 Plumbers, Steamfitters, & HVACR Service Technicians are proud of their union membership and community leadership and recognize the commitment of working men and women throughout their communities and the role they play in Indiana’s economic stability. UA Local 440 is proud to be an affiliate member of the Central Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council and the AFL-CIO.
About Indiana Donor Network
The decision to become an organ, tissue and eye donor is a decision to give the gift of life. Indiana Donor Network serves as the vital link between donors and patients waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, healing tissue and corneas to restore sight. The organization is a federally designated organ recovery organization and accredited tissue bank serving 85 of Indiana’s 92 counties. Its team of more than 285 dedicated professionals is committed to saving and healing lives through donation and transplantation, championing the cause through education and outreach and supporting donor families in their time of need. For more or to sign up as a donor, visit Indiana Donor Network online.
About Donate Life Indiana
Since 1998, Donate Life Indiana has been the state-authorized nonprofit organization responsible for managing the Indiana donor registry. Its mission is to save lives by creating opportunities for all Indiana citizens to sign up on the organization’s official state registry while striving to raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation through public education. For more, visit Donate Life Indiana online.
About the Downtown fireworks launch location
In concert with the Indianapolis Fire Department, Downtown Indy, Inc., alongside other city officials and pyrotechnic professionals, will continue to safely launch fireworks from inside the Downtown Mile Square. Due to fire safety ordinances, a safe “fall-out” perimeter is required that is free of residences, hospitals and hotels and other similar spaces where overnight sleeping occurs, including homeless shelters and jails. Additionally, shooting off large scale, aerial fireworks should be a safe, audible distance from the Indianapolis Zoo. The 500 North Meridian building meets the necessary criteria. With new residences at its base, the Regions Tower no longer meets the necessary criteria for a safe perimeter as it did prior to 2021.
Fourth Fest Event Boundaries
Regional Center Boundaries
