Broad Ripple's busiest October Saturday got there by accident. ARTSPARK is the sculpture park behind the Indianapolis Art Center. Its two-year, $3.7 million restoration was due to reopen in September, until the August flooding killed new trees and plantings and left mud across work that had just been finished. The new date is Oct. 17. That's the same day the Art Center hosts Locally Made: Indy's Fall Fest and Autumn Tidings.
The rest of October in the Village either builds up to that weekend or follows it, and some of the businesses on the calendar are still recovering from the same storm. Taken together, it's the clearest picture yet of how Broad Ripple is coming back.
What The Storm Undid At ARTSPARK
ARTSPARK first opened in 2005 but was never finished, because budget cuts got in the way. The restoration was meant to complete it. The flood hit right as that work was wrapping up. The Art Center says the sculptures need cleaning, and mud has to come off the new metal railings, the limestone plazas and the wooden boardwalk.
"Work was actually ahead of schedule, and we had just taken down the construction fencing and reinstalled most of the sculptures after having them restored and cleaned," said Mark Williams, president of the Indy Art Center. "We're working to assess the cost of redoing much of the work."
Once it opens, ARTSPARK will have more than 20 sculptures, a new boardwalk and new views of the White River. The redesign is also meant to connect the Art Center more directly to the river and the Monon Trail. For anyone who uses the Monon to get through the Village, that last part counts for more than the sculptures do.
Fox59 published the Oct. 17 date in late August, after the delay was announced. The Art Center's own ARTSPARK page still just says "Fall 2026." Repair work is still underway, so check that page the week before you go.
Why Oct. 17 Became The Weekend
The reopening now shares a day with Autumn Tidings Fall Fest at the Indianapolis Art Center, 820 E. 67th St., from noon to 5 p.m. According to Mirror Indy's fall festival guide, a general early-bird ticket costs $29.04 and includes entry plus a passport for five samples of Ash & Elm Cider Co.'s fall offerings. A designated-driver ticket costs $7.64. The cider fest runs alongside the Art Center's fall art festival, so you can shop vendors while you sip.
That puts three things on one campus on one Saturday:
- The first public look at the finished ARTSPARK, with its boardwalk and river views.
- Locally Made: Indy's Fall Fest and its vendor booths.
- Ash & Elm's cider tasting passport through Autumn Tidings.
The August storm brought these together. The original plan had ARTSPARK reopening a month earlier, on its own.
The Dates Leading Up To It
The Village's October calendar is busy in the two weeks before Oct. 17, and it picks up again the following weekend at Broad Ripple Park.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 7 | The Longest Table neighborhood meetup | Indianapolis Art Center gardens | 5 to 7 p.m., free, live music by Joshua Bucy, food and drinks for purchase |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Broad Ripple Oktoberfest | The Vogue's back lot | 4 to 10 p.m., Clayton Anderson, Midnight RedEye, Dog Will Hunt, Polka Cola, Kids Zone |
| Thu., Oct. 15 | Broad Ripple Spooktacular | 6323 Guilford Ave. | 6 to 9 p.m., free, live music, artists, shopping and family activities |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | ARTSPARK reopening, Autumn Tidings, Locally Made Fall Fest | Indianapolis Art Center, 820 E. 67th St. | Cider fest noon to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Howl-o-ween Dog Egg Hunt and Monster Mash Family Dance Party | Broad Ripple Park | 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. |
The Longest Table is the Broad Ripple Village Association's free meetup, held in the same Art Center gardens that are reopening the following week. Mirror Indy says this is Broad Ripple's second Oktoberfest. Its listing has a biergarten, kids under 12 free, and tickets at $33.56. Visit Indy's Spooktacular listing links to the Third Thursday site, so confirm the exact programming with the BRVA. The Oct. 24 events at Broad Ripple Park come from the Discover White River calendar.
The Village Lost A Saturday In August
The Art Center wasn't the only place the storm cost money. In its Aug. 20 newsletter, the BRVA said many Village businesses "lost one of their busiest days when they were forced to close Saturday, and some are also recovering from flood damage." The first item on its list of ways to help was to stop in for a meal, a drink or some shopping. Executive director Mary Dicken wrote that the flooding affected "homes, businesses, streets, trails, and gathering places throughout the Village," and that for some, "recovery will take much longer."
So the October calendar does double duty. Each date above brings people into the Village who will eat and shop nearby, and that's the kind of support the BRVA asked for. Here's what has changed on the business side since summer.
What opened. Fernando's Mexican and Brazilian Cuisine opened its second Indianapolis location in early August, in the former Lou Malnati's building at 6320 Ferguson St. Owner Cristiano Rodrigues told WISH-TV, "We don't do fusion. Every dish represents the true flavors of Brazil or Mexico." The BRVA held its September neighborhood meetup there. Vintage Spoon Ice Cream Social at 6528 Cornell Ave. was on INDYtoday's list of September openings.
What closed. Old Pro's Table at 827 Broad Ripple Ave. opened in 1990 and served its last drink in early March. Brick House Dueling Pianos at 6235 Guilford Ave. played its final weekend Aug. 21 to 23, right after the flood, when its owner retired after 12 years in the Village. No new tenant has been announced for either space.
Dicken's comment on Old Pro's closing still fits the Village this fall: "While it's difficult to see a business close, the Village continues to evolve as new places open alongside longtime favorites that are thriving."
Cleanup isn't only for businesses, either. The weekly Trashercise crew meets Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at the old Fire Station, 6330 Guilford Ave., and brings the supplies.
What Comes After October 17
Two more College Avenue projects are lined up for after the festival weekend.
Baby Tiger is a zero-proof bar planned for 6513 N. College Ave. It will serve nonalcoholic cocktails, wine and beer, along with dirty sodas and matcha drinks. The owner is Nicole Harlan-Oprisu, who also runs Northside Social and Delicia. She first hoped to open in mid-to-late June. INDYtoday's Sept. 28 roundup still listed it as coming soon, with a fall 2026 target.
Hamilton Walker's is a steakhouse from Champaign, Illinois, going into the former HopCat space at 6280 N. College Ave. WTHR reports it at about 8,000 square feet, as the corner anchor tenant of Marko on the Canal, with an opening planned for early 2027. Dicken welcomed it as another dining option for the Village.
Other projects are less certain. Clayton's Ripple Rodeo, country singer Clayton Anderson's bar and grill planned for the former Mineshaft Saloon at 812 Broad Ripple Ave., missed its spring 2025 opening target. INDYtoday's Sept. 28 roundup gives only a 2026 ETA and no specific opening date. Anderson is headlining Oktoberfest on Oct. 10, though, so you can hear him in the Village before his bar opens.
So the plan for the next three weeks is the Longest Table on Oct. 7, Oktoberfest on Oct. 10 and the Spooktacular on Oct. 15. Then comes the ARTSPARK reopening on Oct. 17, with Autumn Tidings tickets bought in advance and dinner on Ferguson Street or Cornell Avenue afterward.
Lee Skiles keeps track of how projects like ARTSPARK and the new College Avenue tenants are changing the Broad Ripple blocks around them. If you own nearby and want to know where your home stands this fall, get your free home valuation.
