A Visitor's Guide to Indianapolis for the DCI Fan: 2023 Version, Part 2
The second and final part to our updated guide with some tips and tricks to your stay in Indy during DCI World Championships week from a local!
Welcome back to part 2 of our 2023 edition of “A Visitor's Guide to Indianapolis for the Drum Corps Fan!” This two part series, inspired by a very similar series of articles last year, touches on all things Indianapolis for those from out of town that will be visiting the Circle City for DCI World Championships weekend. If you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you check out part 1 where we talked about some more “high level” things such as how to get to Indianapolis, how to get around Indianapolis, and where to stay. In part 2, we’re going to talk about a lot more of the fun stuff - what to expect while attending the shows at Lucas Oil Stadium, things to do in your free time not related to drum corps and, most importantly, where to eat. Let’s dive in!
What to expect at Lucas Oil Stadium
Of course the main reason you’ll be visiting Indy is to watch some amazing drum corps performances. If you’ve never been inside the Mecca of Band, known formally as Lucas Oil Stadium, here’s some tips and what you should expect from the stadium.
Parking at the stadium: the parking lot on stadium property is relatively small and more than half of it is devoted to parking for corps vehicles and DCI staff and vendors. That said, limited spots are usually available for $20 a car (the lot entrance is on the east side of the stadium on Capitol Ave). The trick is getting there early enough - if you’re arriving midday on Thursday and Friday, you can probably get lucky and snag a spot before the lot fills us. On Saturday - you should likely just make other plans.
If you can’t find a spot on stadium property, there are a number of public lots and garages within reasonable walking distance of the stadium. Expect to pay around $20-$30 for entry. And like we talked about in part 1, if you’re staying at a downtown hotel, save the money and just walk or use a rideshare. Some other lots worth considering (and I make no promises on their availability or price):
Gate Ten Event Center at 343 W McCarty Street
327 S Missouri Street
365 S Meridian Street
The garage at Pan Am Plaza, 201 S Capitol Street
Important tip! If you’re arriving in the middle of the show on any day and want to see a particular corps at a particular time, plan to arrive a MINIMUM of 30-40 minutes ahead of time. This should be sufficient time to walk to the stadium entrance, get through security, and find your seat. On Saturday, the first performing corps will step off at 6:30. Last year, poor planning and staffing by the stadium caused incredibly long lines to get into the stadium for finals, and as a result, a number of spectators missed the first performance or two. It is presumed that DCI and the stadium staff have made plans to prevent the same chaos from happening again this year, but just to be safe, I’d recommend arriving at the stadium at 5:30 at the latest. Needing to kill an hour inside the stadium is a far better situation than getting held up outside.
Once you’re in the stadium, it’s what you would expect from any other football stadium. If your seats are in the 100 or 200 sections, they are accessible from the main concourse on ground level. For the higher sections, you can use any of the escalators at the north plaza or in the west club. All of the corps merchandise booths are typically located on the north plaza near section 152.
Another important tip! Make sure you are aware of the stadium’s policies when it comes to what you can and cannot bring. Like many other venues, Lucas Oil has a clear bag policy with strict restrictions on what can be brought in. Also keep in mind the stadium is air conditioned which is great to keep out of the hot and muggy Indiana summers, but also means it can get chilly inside the stadium; consider bringing a light jacket or sweatshirt if you get cold easily.
Food options inside the stadium are the typical concessions that you would expect at most venues - pricey items for mediocre food. If you don’t want to leave the stadium, there’s some serviceable options. But if you have time to run out during one of the lengthier intermissions, there’s a good variety of restaurants close by (we’ll talk about food more in a bit). Keep in mind the longer intermissions are only on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, there’s usually only one intermission 15-20 minutes long. I definitely recommend eating before going to finals on Saturday night to avoid getting stuck in a long line for concessions and missing a performance.
Otherwise, have fun! Lucas Oil is an awesome venue and DCI knows how to put on a great show. If you spend all three days at the stadium, you’ll get to know the stadium like the back of your hand by the end of the weekend.
Back of the Bus: The Home Stretch
Over ~29 hours, I’ve seen every World Class corps perform. This has been my 3rd, 4th, or 18th read for most of these ensembles. For a couple of these groups, this was my first or second read. It’s been an exceptional season, just like so many others, and one many will remember. Let’s dive into what happened in Allentown.
How to spend your time when you’re not at the stadium
If you’re coming for more than one day of the competition and are a drum corps super fan, you’re likely going to be spending most of your time in Lucas Oil Stadium. But if you do have some time to kill and want to see what the rest of Indy has to offer, there’s no shortage of other attractions to check out.
One of the most popular activities for DCI fans is to attend their favorite corps’ rehearsals or pre-show warm. If you want to attend a rehearsal, you’ll have to do a bit of research on a particular corps’ website or social media channels to find out where they’ll be and what their schedule is. As for pre-show warmups, those take place for every corps at Military Park up the road from the stadium. The park is a giant open space and it’s never too difficult to find a particular corps; expect many to arrive 2-2.5 hours before they perform and leave 30-45 minutes before they perform. An important note is that the park is over a mile away walking distance from the stadium. If you do find yourself at the park and want to watch a particular performance, I’d recommend leaving 45 minutes ahead of time to make the walk and get back into the stadium. Personally, the summer heat and long walk convinces me enough to stay at the stadium the entire time, but I digress.
Another DCI-related activity that is worth checking out is the International Music & Food Festival on Saturday afternoon before finals located on the northside of Lucas Oil Stadium along South Street. The event features a number of SoundSport and other music ensembles participating in a free to the public festival. It also includes a number of food trucks that set up shop for the afternoon, which is a huge bonus if you’re looking to take care of eating before finals, as I mentioned earlier. For a full list of other activities DCI has planned throughout the week, check out their recently released 2023 day-by-day guide.
Beyond the scheduled DCI activities, Indianapolis features your typical tourist attractions, some of which are definitely worth checking out. Within the downtown area, there’s a number of awesome museums as well as the new SPARK on the Circle which I mentioned in part 1. Some other spots worth checking out include:
The Indiana State Museum
The Eiteljorg Museum of Native and Western American Art
NCAA Hall of Champions
The Indiana Historical Society
The Indianapolis Zoo
If you’re a shopper or simply just enjoy walking through some stores to kill some time, the Circle Center Mall is up the road from the stadium, but do note that it’s a bit past its prime like many shopping malls in America. A little bit further is the Mass Ave district which is lined with locally owned stores, restaurants and bars. This area is technically still downtown and walkable from the stadium but it’s a bit of a hike; consider driving or using a ride share if you plan to visit.
Where should I eat?
We’ve made it this far and have saved the best for last….food. There’s a number of great food options in the downtown area but the trickier part can be figuring out which ones to pick. Below is a curated list from our GEM team of some of their favorite spots, grouped by location.
Downtown:
Tavern on South - casual/slightly upscale gastropub that is right around the corner from Lucas Oil Stadium
Shapiro’s Delicatessen - deli with a la carte cafeteria style food options. A great lunch spot and also right around the corner from Lucas Oil Stadium
St. Elmo’s - world famous fancy steakhouse. Try the shrimp cocktail if you have a strong stomach. Pricer, but a must try at least once in your life. Reservations are essentially required; it is near impossible to walk in on the weekends.
Harry & Izzy’s - a “lower scale” steakhouse owned by St. Elmo’s and is right down the street. Similar menu but more casual vibe. Reservations strongly recommended.
Prime 47 - Another popular steakhouse and competitor to St. Elmo’s (and arguably a better option than St. Elmo’s). Reservations are essentially required; it is near impossible to walk in on the weekends.
Slippery Noodle - an Indiana staple that holds the title of Indiana’s oldest bar. Casual bar food with live blues music on the weekends.
Kilroy’s - another Indiana staple with much more of a college bar vibe. They first started in Bloomington near Indiana University but their downtown Indy location is just as good. Try the stuffed cheesy breadsticks.
Spaghetti Factory - family friendly restaurant for all things pasta
Gallery Pastry Bar - great brunch & dinner
Pier 48 Oyster Bar - popular seafood spot, lobster rolls, oysters, etc
If you are looking for a quick bite, there are also a number of fast food spots near the stadium such as Subway, Arby’s, and White Castle. The food court at Circle Center Mall also has a good variety of options.
The aforementioned Mass Ave strip:
Yats - incredible Cajun food, gumbo, etc
Livery - upscale Latin/Hispanic
FortyFive Degrees - sushi & cocktails
The Tap - brewery and casual bar eatery
Nine Irish Brothers - fantastic Irish food
Bottleworks District on the north end of Mass Ave is a must visit spot with a huge food court type area and a number of locally owned walkup eateries
South of Lucas Oil Stadium:
Milktooth - another great breakfast spot
Bluebeard - American chic-ish gastropub-ish; small plates and craft cocktails
For you coffee drinkers:
Georgia St. Grind
Pulse Coffee
Parlor Public House
Coatcheck
One final great resource - last year, Josh Clements (GEM subscriber and on the media team at Bluecoats) posted this extensive Google Map with pinned restaurant locations on the drum corps subreddit. There’s many more great options here that weren’t mentioned above and you may find useful in determining what is close to the stadium or near where you’re staying. I could probably right a whole other article just about restaurant options, but hopefully you’ll discover and enjoy one of the options listed above.
And with that, here’s the end of A Visitor’s Guide to Indianapolis for the DCI Fan! We’ve covered a wide range of topics the past two articles and hopefully I’ve answered a lot of your burning questions about your upcoming trip. Enjoy your time in Indianapolis and at DCI World Championships!
“bandScores” is a current staff writer and stats guru for General Effect Media. He has been involved in the marching arts activity for nearly two decades. bandscores.net is his passion project with the mission of being the primary source of statistical information for the marching arts community. You can follow more of his work at @bandscores on Instagram and @band_scores on Twitter.