On today's Dopest we're covering:
Water Lantern Festival — thousands of lights on the water at sunset and yes it's as magical as it sounds
Top Out Café — a vibe coffee shop/cafe in Indianapolis that happens to be inside the sickest rock climbing gym
Shin Dig Plainfield — pizza, wings, and happy things just west of the city
Thanks for reading!
-Hillary
Via Indianapolis Monthly
🏮 The Dopest Event — Water Lantern Festival
Indy is at that perfect size where incredible things are happening constantly and we collectively find out about them approximately 48 hours too late. The Water Lantern Festival is the poster child for this problem. Beautiful, memorable, sells out every year, and somehow always a surprise. Not this time. Two thousand people. Thousands of glowing lanterns. Sunset over the water. Live music. A choreographed launch ceremony that somehow manages to be genuinely moving without being the least bit cheesy. It's the kind of night that makes you feel good about being alive in Indianapolis.
Here's how it works: you show up, get your lantern kit, write whatever you need to write on it — a wish, a name, an intention, a grocery list, we don't judge — and when the sun goes down, everyone releases them together across the water at the same time. Then 2,000 people stand there in silence watching the lights drift and reflect back, and at least half of them cry a little. Again, no judgment.
Everything is included in the ticket: the lantern kit, LED candle, markers, a dedicated photo team capturing your launch moment, and a scavenger hunt giveaway entry. The whole operation is environmentally clean — every lantern gets collected after, the venue gets left cleaner than they found it, and they've been running this responsibly for eight years.
📍 Indianapolis · Tickets at waterlanternfestival.com · $30.99
The Dopest Tip: Group packages are available if you're going with a crew — and you should go with a crew. This is not a solo activity. Bring someone you like. Or someone you're trying to impress. Either works.
Sponsored By TREVOR ST. AUBIN
Trevor St. Aubin | Realtor | @Properties
Trevor bought his first home 11 years ago in a neighborhood nobody was paying attention to. That house is now his biggest asset. He believed in Indy before it was easy to — and he's been helping people do the same ever since. No suit. No sales pitch. Just someone who genuinely thinks home buying and selling is for everyone and knows how to make it happen. He's the least sales-bro guy we know. (Thank goodness.)
Via @topoutcafe
☕ The Dopest Hidden Gem — Top Out Café
On the mezzanine level of North Mass Boulder — one of Indy's most insane rock climbing gyms — there is a café that has absolutely no business being this good or this fun. Top Out Café is open to the public, which means you don't need to climb a single wall to enjoy it, though watching people try while you sip your cold brew is a genuinely enjoyable bonus.
Cold brew on tap, fresh brews, an adventurous specialty drink menu, smoothies, fresh juice and a full food menu built around whole foods. They also have an alcohol menu, pastries, and dog-friendly outdoor access. It is, frankly, doing a lot and doing it right!
The space is spectacular — huge, flooded with natural light, multiple seating zones for whatever kind of visit you're having. The vibe from the climbing gym spills over in the best way: active, welcoming, unpretentious, and genuinely inclusive in a way that a lot of fitness spaces are not. Beware, you may leave wearing Chacos and decide to give van life a try 😉
📍 1411 Roosevelt Ave · Inside North Mass Boulder (mezzanine level) · Open to the public
The Dopest Tip: This is your new work-from-café spot. Bring your laptop, order the cold brew, watch someone attempt a V5 bouldering problem.
Via @shindigindy
🍕 The Dopest Suburban Hang — Shin Dig Plainfield
We know what you're thinking. Plainfield? Bear with us.
Shin Dig at Perry Crossing in Plainfield is bringing the city to suburbs with Pizza, wings, burgers, shareables, drinks, lively patios, and a vibe that doesn't take itself seriously — which is exactly the energy we want from a place called Shin Dig.
It’s non-pretentious while having something for everyone. Wings come in flavors like Korean Fried Chicken and Caribbean Habanero with hot mango jerk sauce. The pizza lineup includes the Bee Sneez (soppressata, hot honey, fennel pollen, jalapeño) and the Pig + Fig + Goat (prosciutto, fig jam, goat cheese, arugula) which sounds like it was designed specifically to make you feel fancy in Plainfield. There's also a smash burger, a grouper sandwich, churros, Tillamook ice cream, and an ice cream float menu that will make you feel like a kid in the best way.
Families, friend groups, date nights, game days — Shin Dig is built for all of it. Pull up, order too much food, and stay longer than you planned. That's the whole idea.
Not into driving to Plainfield? No problem - head to Shin Dig’s first location in Downtown Indy!
📍 Perry Crossing, Plainfield · shindigpizza.com
The Dopest Tip: The Korean Fried Chicken wings and the Pig + Fig + Goat pizza. That's the order. You can thank us later.
The Dopest This Week:
First Friday at the Harrison Center | Friday | Free
Hyryder | Saturday | 7pm | HiFi Annex
Roast Ride | Saturday | 10am | Cultural Trail
Noblesville Fireworks Festival | Saturday | 4pm | Free
Indy is always up to something. So are we.
See you next week! — Indy's Dopest