Martindale-Brightwood festival to return, with $5.5M funding announcement

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)  — An Indianapolis neighborhood festival has announced its return this year, along with a multimillion-dollar announcement.

Move Martindale-Brightwood’s PreEnact will returns from 2-8 p.m. July 30 to the Historic Polk Stables at 1533 Lewis St., said a news release issued Monday from Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis.

Move Martindale-Brightwood represents a coalition of four neighborhood-based institutions, 20 organizations, and stakeholders collaborating to secure funding, build programming, and advance the Quality of Life Plan for the Martindale-Brightwood community. Part art festival, part interactive theater, the goal of the event is to help act out the community’s shared vision for its future.

The free festival kicks off at 2 p.m. July 30 with a neighborhood parade down the Monon Trail, followed by a “Quality of Life Plan” press conference and the Tysha Hardy-Sellers leadership award announcement at 3 p.m. The 2026 award will honors the late Gina Fears, a community builder who helped shape the neighborhood’s Quality of Life Plan.

From 3:30 to 6 p.m., attendees can enjoy live music, dance performances, a double Dutch showcase, a community sing-along, a porch party, and networking events for business owners. Tours of c...