On today's Dopest we're covering:
Feast of Lanterns — one of Indianapolis's oldest festivals is back at Spades Park on August 22nd and it's free
Indy Chamber Orchestra at Holliday Park — a free concert at the Ruins on August 28th
9220 Sandsbury Rd — a fully renovated 4-bed on 1.24 wooded acres that is THE DREAM
Thanks for reading!
-Hillary
The Dopest Sponsor — Trevor St. Aubin | Realtor
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📞 317-809-3088 📧[email protected] @trevorstaubin
Via indyfol.org | Grant Michael
🏮 The Dopest Festival — Feast of Lanterns
This one goes back to the late 1800s. Neighbors on the Near Eastside hanging paper lanterns on their front porches, gathering in Spades Park, lighting the historic bandstand and bridges with colorful glow. The Feast of Lanterns survived World War I, the Roaring 20s, and Prohibition before going quiet in the 1940s. It was revived in the early 2000s, ran for over a decade, went quiet again, and is now back — hosted by Lanterns Foundation with a refocus on what made it special in the first place: neighbors, community, and a park full of light.
This year's festival is Saturday, August 22nd at Spades Park from 4pm to 11pm. Free entry. All ages. Live music, local food trucks, 35+ artisan and community booths, a beer garden, and the kind of glowing lantern-lit atmosphere that can’t be replicated anywhere else in this city.
This is an Indy original. A real one. The kind of event that deserves a full evening, not just a drive-by. Grab some food, wander around and understand why so many locals are ride or die for Indy’s near east side.
📍 Spades Park, 1800 Nowland Ave · Saturday Aug 22 · 4PM–11PM · Free
The Dopest Tip: Get there early to avoid the food truck lines — then stay for the full lantern experience after dark. That's when it becomes something else entirely.
🎻 The Dopest Free Concert — ICO at Holliday Park
A week later, Friday August 28th, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra takes the stage at the Ruins in Holliday Park for a free outdoor concert and give summer one last send off.
Classical favorites, student musicians, and — we love this — a yoga break built into the program. The ruins at Holliday Park are one of the most quietly spectacular settings in the city, and watching an orchestra perform there at dusk is exactly as good as it sounds. Bring a blanket. Pack a picnic and enjoy a FREE night of whimsy.
Free. Family friendly. Register through Indy Parks for weather and parking updates — it takes 30 seconds and means you'll know if anything changes.
📍 Holliday Park, The Ruins · 6363 Spring Mill Rd · Friday Aug 28 · 7PM · Free
The Dopest Tip: Arrive by 6:30pm for a good spot at the Ruins. Bring a picnic, a blanket, and someone you like spending an evening with. The yoga break is optional but we respect the commitment to wellness.
🏡 The Dopest Home — 9220 Sandsbury Rd
If you've been waiting for the one that has acreage AND style AND doesn't look like it’s been stripped of all fun— this is it. 9220 Sandsbury Rd sits on 1.24 private wooded acres in Indianapolis and has been completely renovated with the kind of finishes that make you question if being house poor is so bad.
Four bedrooms, two and a half baths, 4,080 square feet. Beautiful flooring, designer lighting, custom tile work, and a stunning kitchen that flows into the main living spaces like it was designed by someone who actually cooks and entertains. Main floor living. Generous basement and garage storage. And outside — fresh landscaping, mature trees, and a fenced pea gravel animal run that works equally well for pets, hobby animals, or garden. This is your chance to live out your little house on the prairie dreams without the outhouse situation.
The mechanical updates alone would make a home inspector emotional: newer roof, windows, doors, electrical panel, furnace, chimney, whole-house water filtration, reverse osmosis drinking system, new well system with cast iron pump, new water heater. You are not inheriting anyone's deferred maintenance. This one is done. And everyone said, Amen.
📍 9220 Sandsbury Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46256 · 4 bed · 2.5 bath · 4,080 sqft · 1.24 acres · $670,000
The Dopest Tip: A fully renovated 4,000+ sq ft home on over an acre in Indianapolis is the actual dream. Reach out to Trevor St Aubin to schedule a tour— 317.809.3088 · [email protected]
The Dopest This Week:
James Austin Johnson | Helium Comedy Club | Thursday
Pilates on the Plaza | Canal Walk | Thursday | Free
Indiana Fever Vs Dallas Wings | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Friday
Sausagefest | St. Thomas Aquinas Church | Saturday
Indy is always up to something. So are we.
See you next week! — Indy's Dopest
Got a friend who thinks Indy is boring? Forward this. We'll take it from here.