FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS
Taste of Bloomington
Date: Saturday, August 2
Time: 3:00-10:00 PM
Location: Kirkwood Avenue
Admission: Free to enter, small serving size costing $5.00 or less
Taste of Bloomington is back in Bloomington, IN! On Kirkwood Avenue between Walnut and Indiana, EVERYTHING will be local from the food to the beer, wine, spirits, and more. Come ready to taste and enjoy live music! Click here for more info.
Bloomington Gem & Mineral Show
Date: Friday, August 8 - Sunday, August 10
Time: Friday & Saturday 10:00 AM-5:30 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Location: Monroe Convention Center
Admission: $5.00, Free for 12 & under. Each ticket gets you in for the whole weekend.
The Bloomington IN 2025 Gem & Mineral Show hosts over 20 rock, gem, and mineral businesses, collectors, and enthusiasts from across America. All are welcome to attend the event to shop and observe the wonders the earth provides. Food will be available for purchase at the event.
Bloomington Summer Soul Fest
Date: Saturday, August 9
Time: 5:00-11:00 PM
Location: Upland Brewing Company
Admission: $20.00 in advance, $25.00 day of
Come join us at Upland Brewing Co. for a day filled with soul, funk and blues music, and delicious soul food and drinks from Upland. Doors open at 4pm and music starts at 5pm. Click here for the list of performers.
Lake Lemon Cruise-In
Date: Saturday, August 9
Time: 5:00-8:00 PM
Location: Riddle Point Park
Admission: $11.00 per ticket
Come join us at Upland Brewing Co. for a day filled with soul, funk and blues music, and delicious soul food and drinks from Upland. Doors open at 4pm and music starts at 5pm. Click here for the list of performers.
badknees Market Experiment
Date: Saturday, August 16
Time: 10:00 AM-4:30 PM
Location: badknees; 902 W Kirkwood Avenue Suite B
Admission: Free
What are badknees Market Experiments? They are very popular markets held at 902 West Kirkwood both in badknees and in the badknees parking lot. Artist vendors, live music, food trucks, beer, coffee, arts, crafts, games, and free t-shirt printing (if you bring your own shirt!)
Swifty Fest
Date: Sunday, August 17
Time: 2:30-6:30 PM
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Admission: $25.00-$45.00 per ticket
Swifty Fest is the ultimate tribute to the music of Taylor Swift! The Bejeweled Band's Aimee Eisenmann & Maddie Lindley will perform the hits and fan favorites from every single Taylor Era. Pick your Eras outfit, bring your besties, and be ready to have fun!
Pridefest
Date: Saturday, August 23
Time: 2:00-11:30 PM
Location: Kirkwood Avenue
Admission: Free
The 12th annual Bloomington Pridefest, ranked by Thrillist as the best college town pride in the nation, will take place Saturday, August 23rd, 2025. It is an incredible day with thousands of people celebrating LGBTQ+ lives and the fight for liberation on the iconic Kirkwood Avenue in Bloomington.
Indiana Toy and Comic Expo
Date: Sunday, August 24
Time: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Location: Monroe Convention Center
Admission: $8.00, 12 & under free
We return with amazing vendors from all over the Midwest! Pop Art, Comic Books, Toys (Modern and Vintage), and everything in between! Food Trucks will be onsite! Also the RETURN of the COSPLAY CONTESTS!
Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts
Date: Saturday, August 30 through Sunday, August 31
Time: Saturday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Location: 4th Street, downtown Bloomington
Admission: Free
Bloomington’s juried fine art and craft festival, now in its 49th year, showcases 125 local and national artists, community booths, Lotus kids’ tent, and a music and spoken word stage. Meet artists, enjoy, and purchase work in 2D, ceramics, glass, jewelry, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood. Enjoy lunch and dinner at one of the many restaurants serving global cuisine on 4th Street’s Restaurant Row.
LIVE MUSIC & PERFORMANCES
Movies in the Parks: American Graffiti
Date: Friday, August 1
Time: 9:00 PM
Location: Bryan Park Pool
Admission: Cost of pool admission
American Graffiti (1973, PG, 1 hr 50 min) at the Bryan Park Pool! Pool opens at 8pm. Cost of pool admission. Bring a blanket and a picnic and join us for free movies in the park every month!
Sunday Live Music
Date: Every Sunday
Time: 2:00-5:00 PM
Location: Butler Winery
Admission: Free
Come and join us for wine tasting, wine by the glass or bottle, all while you enjoy great live music performed by different local artists at our vineyard location.
Peoples Park Concert Series: Richard Groner
Date: Thursday, August 7
Time: 4:30-6:00 PM
Location: Peoples Park
Admission: Free
Enjoy free, live performances from local and regional musicians in Peoples Park. Pack a picnic or opt for takeout from the excellent downtown restaurants nearby. Unwind from your work day with an evening of music in Peoples Park.
The Bluebird
Location: The Bluebird
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Opal
- Date: Saturday, August 2
- Time: 9:00 PM
- Admission: $14.25 per ticket
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Shadowgrass
- Date: Thursday, August 28
- Time: 8:00 PM
- Admission: $27.46 per ticket
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
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Cooper Allan
- Date: Thursday, August 14
- Time: 8:00 PM
- Admission: $38.08 per ticket
The Comedy Attic
Location: The Comedy Attic
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Mike Finoia Returns to Bloomington!
- Date: Friday August 1 & Saturday August 2
- Time: 7:00-9:15 PM
- Admission: $19.00-$23.00 per ticket
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Emil Wakim Comes Home!
- Date: Friday, August 29 & Saturday, August 30
- Time: 7:00 PM & 9:15 PM
- Admission: $28.00-$33.00 per ticket
Waldron Arts Center
Location: Waldron Arts Center
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Hurricane Diane
- Date: Sunday, August 3-Tuesday, August 12 (recurring weekly on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday)
- Time: 6:30 PM, 1:30 PM on Sunday's
- Admission: $35.00 per ticket
SPORTING EVENTS
Bloomington Speedway
- The Sheldon Kinser Memorial
- Date: Friday, August 1
- Time: 6:30 PM
- Location: Bloomington Speedway
- Kelly Kinser Classic
- Date: Friday, August 15
- Time: 6:30 PM
- Location: Bloomington Speedway
IU Football
- vs Old Dominion
- Date: Saturday, August 30
- Time: 2:30 PM
- Location: Memorial Stadium
- Admission: Ticket prices vary
RECURRING EVENTS
Bloomington Food Truck Friday
Date: Every Friday
Time: 11:00 AM-9:00 PM
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: Cost of your food
Every Friday from 11 am - 9 pm, enjoy Bloomington's best food trucks in one place: Switchyard Park! This family-friendly event is one of the most beloved B-Town traditions and a must-attend event for visitors. Enjoy live music and all of the amenities the park offers while indulging in some locally-made food. Upland Brewing Company will have a beer garden weekly from 5:00-8:30 PM.
Gallery Walk
Date: Friday, August 1
Time: 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Location: Downtown Bloomington galleries
Admission: Free
Experience downtown Bloomington’s vibrant Arts Mile as select galleries showcase evolving live and virtual exhibits.
Smithville Farmers' Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location: 7555 S Strain Ridge Road
Admission: Free
The market features between 12 and 20 vendors each week, featuring fresh produce, handmade crafts and baked goods. The market runs from the beginning of May throughout the growing season, until September.
Bloomington Community Farmers' Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 8:00 AM-12:30 PM
Location: Showers Common
Admission: Free
Locally-grown produce, annual and perennial plants, and a variety of prepared foods are available.
Ellettsville Farmers' Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
Location: 203 E Temperance St
Admission: Free
Located at our Ellettsville location, this weekly market provides fresh produce, baked goods, handmade crafts and other vendors selling their products. Visit our website to see the weekly vendors.
People's Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Location: First United Church
Admission: Free
We strive to work towards intersectional anti-racism, create space for food justice in our food system while cultivating liberation and equity, and ensure access to local food, art, and education.
Food Truck Tuesday
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
Location: The Trades District
Admission: Free
Every Tuesday from 11a - 2p, enjoy Food Trucks at The Trade's District.
Tuesday Farmers' Market
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 4:00 PM-7:00 PM
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: Free
Visit, shop and support local farmers and growers, and small businesses, at Switchyard Park on Tuesdays, June through September.
