For Immediate Release: April 17, 2024
Media Contact: Max Wing | max@downtownindy.org
SPARK on the Circle, pedestrian-friendly park-environment, returns to Monument Circle for 2024 season
SPARK to activate Circle with public seating and activities, relocates to northwest quadrant
INDIANAPOLIS - - Today, April 17, Downtown Indy, Inc. (DII), the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (Indy DMD), and Big Car Collaborate (Big Car) — with support from the Capital Improvement Board (CIB) and the Indiana War Memorials Commission (IWMC) — announced the return of SPARK on the Circle. The 2024 season will incorporate a temporary closure to vehicular traffic on the northwest quadrant of Monument Circle and once again feature contemporary seating, synthetic turf, and vending services as well as free weekly programming including live music, arts and culture opportunities, and games. SPARK, open from June 1-Nov. 3, 2024, provides positive experiences for the community of visitors, residents, and Downtown workers who enjoy Monument Circle – the civic, social, cultural, and historic heart of our city.
SPARK, in its second year as a welcoming and accessible public space, will open one month earlier than in 2023. Building on last year’s success, the space will offer expanded programming and hours, including evening activations. The space will also operate in tandem with the Original Farmers’ Market (OFM) on the Circle’s southwest quadrant, relocated from E Market Street for its 2024 season due to structural renovations at the Indianapolis City Market.
A modified version of SPARK on the Circle will also remain open past Nov. 3 to complement the holiday season and The Downtown Indy, Inc. Circle of Lights presented by IBEW Local 481. Every Saturday and Sunday after the Circle of Lights opening ceremony, SPARK will feature festive programming within the northwest bollards of the Circle, allowing vehicular traffic to access the roundabout and take in the holiday spectacle.
“SPARK is a prime example of how the City is mindfully investing in partnerships and public spaces through our Downtown Resiliency Strategy,” said Iris Dillon, Administrator of Programming and Public Use for Indy DMD. “We are excited to continue providing spaces for residents and visitors to spend time in the heart of our city and explore all that Downtown Indianapolis has to offer.”
“With the overwhelming community support and data-driven success of last year’s SPARK on the Circle, it’s imperative that DII and our partners continue to leverage and activate Monument Circle as a key Downtown gathering space,” said DII President & CEO Taylor Schaffer. “Since the inception of SPARK, we’ve encouraged Downtown residents and visitors to experience Monument Circle in an entirely new way, and we’re excited to continue extending that invitation this season. With unprecedented development and a jam-packed 2024 events calendar, the demand for unique programming in the Downtown area has never been greater.”
“We’re so glad to be bringing the SPARK park back to Monument Circle,” said Big Car Co-founder and Executive Director Jim Walker. “Last year, we saw how thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds were drawn to this creative, peaceful and restorative place in the center of Indianapolis. It’s a place for everyone to feel comfortable and have fun.”
“If the 2024 calendar tells us anything, it's that downtown Indy will be bursting at its seams with visitors for the entire summer and beyond,” said CIB Executive Director Andy Mallon. “Accordingly, the CIB has a very clear interest in making downtown vibrant, interesting, fun, and safe for our guests and for those of us who live and work in Indy - SPARK helps us accomplish exactly that.”
First introduced in 2023, SPARK brought renewed vibrancy to the Circle as a day-to-day space for Downtown residents, workers, and visitors to congregate and “spark” connections. In its 2023 season, the park-like environment welcomed over 78 thousand visitors and hosted 251 human-scale program opportunities. Nearly 50% of 2023 visitors spent one or more hours at SPARK to enjoy programming, seating, food and drink options, and games. SPARK was previously hosted on the southwest quad of the Circle and now shifts to the northwest quad with feedback from civic partners and to accommodate ongoing construction at the base of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument. To learn more about SPARK on the Circle, visit www.circlespark.org
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About SPARK on the Circle
Introduced in 2023, SPARK on the Circle is a temporary park-like environment on Monument Circle featuring public seating and human-scale activities including games, arts and culture opportunities, and live music. In its 2023 season, SPARK welcomed more than 78,000 visitors and featured 251 unique programming events. SPARK is made possible by Downtown Indy, Inc., Big Car Collaborative, and the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development with support from the Capital Improvement Board and the Indiana War Memorials Commission. Join us on the northwest quadrant this 2024 season! www.circlespark.org
About Downtown Indy, Inc.
For more than three decades, Downtown Indy, Inc. (DII) has partnered with businesses, property owners, and Downtown stakeholders to ensure Downtown Indianapolis is the vibrant, welcoming, and fun heart of Indiana’s cultural and economic life. DII serves as Downtown’s primary place-based management organization, collaborating and executing on large-scale events, public space programming, cleanliness and beautification initiatives, and investments in public safety. www.downtownindy.org
About Big Car Collaborative
Formed in 2004, Big Car Collaborative is a nonprofit art and design organization utilizing tools of culture and creativity to build community and social cohesion, helping connect people as a way to boost quality of life. Based in Indianapolis, Big Car is an adaptive and flexible cultural organization drawing together people of all backgrounds to promote and perpetuate creativity, invigorate public places, and support neighborhoods. Big Car is a creative community builder working to boost livability from an engagement-based arts perspective. Its mission is to bring art to people and people to art, sparking creativity in lives to support communities. www.bigcar.org
About the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development
The City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (Indy DMD) works to shape the city’s identity by strengthening people and places, building upon our history, and fostering visionary development. The Indy DMD envisions Indianapolis as a growing, vibrant, and beautiful city where people and businesses thrive in an inclusive, world class community. www.indy.gov/dmd
About the Capital Improvement Board
The Capital Improvement Board (CIB) is a municipal corporation of Marion County created in 1965 by the Indiana General Assembly pursuant to the provisions of Indiana Code 36-10-9, and authorized by the statute to finance, construct, equip, operate and maintain any capital facilities or improvements of general public benefit or welfare which promote and serve the commercial, industrial and cultural interests of Indiana and its citizens. The Board may assist, cooperate and fund governmental, public, and private agencies and groups for these purposes. The CIB operates and/or owns the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Victory Field, Virginia Avenue Parking Garage, and Hudnut Commons, all located in downtown Indianapolis.