24 Reasons Why 2024 Shaped Indy's Future

2024 marked the strongest year in tourism in the city’s history. More people are visiting Indy than ever before, which is why the city is full throttle on over $2 billion in new tourism infrastructure currently underway.

And as we welcome the excitement 2025 will bring with open arms, things are getting bigger and better.

Here are 24 reasons why 2024 will go down in record books as one of Indy’s most EPIC eras.

1. Biking Era

Indy continues to shine as one of the bikeable and connected cities in America. The two mile expansion of the Cultural Trail brought in 30,000 square feet of new garden space. And, 325 new electric bikes were added to the Pacers Bikeshare fleet, and as the only program of its kind in the country, complimentary bike rentals were offered to residents.

2. B&O Trail Era

In an unprecedented period of trail investment for the city, we were excited to welcome the nearly 5-mile stretch of the B&O Trail from White River State Park to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And, the newly extended Pogue’s Run Trail with glow-in-the-dark pavers.

3. Culinary Era

Indy welcomed a new culinary king to the scene with Nick Detrich’s opening of Magdalena in Fountain Square. Check out his credentials for his NOLA-based hot spots.

4. Wine Era

Indy’s wine scene took a giant leap forward when Amanda Gibson debuted Solely Wine. This Kennedy King hangout offers low-intervention wines in a casual setting.

5. International Food Era

In a year of epic events, let’s talk about Epicurean Indy. This inaugural event wow’ed Stutz-goers with an opportunity to interact and taste bites from around the world, spotlighting Indy-based immigrant chefs.

6. Rock N' Roll Era

Another inaugural event to grace the calendar was I Made Rock N Roll, catching national attention from Essence and Ebony Magazine. (hand clap to GANGGANG)

7. All-Star Era

Dear NBA, you started our year off with a slam dunk after hosting more than 81,000 people from 44 states and 55 countries for the city’s first All-Star Weekend since 1985. This celebrity-ridden weekend brought in $403 million in economic impact, according to a study conducted by Temple University.

8. Eclipse Era

It’s not often you get to see the sun, the moon and the earth align, but we did in 2024, and there was no better place in the world to see it than in Indy. With 125,000 people gathering in Indy for the 4-minute phenomenon of the Total Solar Eclipse, it broke tourism records for Indy’s strongest Sunday.

9. Swimming Era

Remember when we built a 66’ Eiffel Tower in downtown Indy? Once again, breaking records when 285,000 fans and Olympic athletes joined us for seven days of Olympic Swim Trials in the first-ever NFL Stadium turned Olympic pool. Indy went for gold in hosting this event and successfully saw $100 million in economic impact.

10. Swift City Era

Over 361,000 Swifties descended on downtown Indy for three nights of Taylor Swift concerts and events. Lucas Oil Stadium broke concert attendance records and we’ll be cleaning up sequins and glitter well into 2025, and we’re quite alright with it.

11. Caitlin Clark Era

Taylor Swift wasn’t Indy’s only leading lady. Shout out to #22, Caitlin Clark, the #1 draft pick for the Indiana Fever. There’s no denying her talents on the court rolled in an impressive economic impact number while selling out games and booking hotel room nights - even sparking new mural art in the city.

12. Bicentennial Unity Plaza Era

Between the NBA All Star Game and the success of the Indiana Fever, Gainbridge Fieldhouse was certainly in on the action this year. Perfectly timed with their facelift welcoming the $30 million Bicentennial Unity Plaza, a first year for ice skating, and the debut of fancy-pants Commission Row.

13. Big Ten Era

Guess who’s back? Back again. Alongside a network expansion of four additional teams, the Big Ten Football Championship extended their contract to host the championship game in Indy through 2028. (And don’t forget the day a massive inflatable duck showed up in the White River, in support of the Oregon Ducks)

14. NFL Combine Era

And we saw another touchdown when the NFL filed suit and extended their contract with an additional year of hosting the annual NFL Combine in Indy.

15. National Eucharistic Congress Era

The Pope called for a Catholic pilgrimage to take place in 2024, selecting Indy as the epicenter for all Catholics to convene for the National Eucharistic Congress. June welcomed 60,000 attendees shattering tourism records for the city.

16. Chimpanzee Era

Twenty-one chimpanzees now call Indy home when the Indianapolis Zoo opened up one of the largest chimpanzee habitats in the country this past May.

17. Airport Era

2024 broke records with over 10 million passengers through IND Airport in 2024. Command tower has increased flight traffic now with a total of 52 nonstop destinations as we head into 2025, including new cities like Nashville, Tennessee and Portland, Oregon and increased service to cities like San Diego and Austin. As luck would have it, the Irish will descend on Indy after a major announcement that Aer Lingus will start flying a non-stop transatlantic flight between Dublin and Indy, taking off next May.

18. Major Infrastructure Announcements Era

Aer Lingus wasn’t the only major announcement of 2024. In fact, this year marked a line-up of some pretty impressive Indy news, bringing our current tally to over $2 billion in new tourism infrastructure underway. This includes projects like the expansion of White River State Park…

19. Shinola Hotel Era

…a downtown Shinola Hotel, making it only the 2nd Shinola Hotel in the country.

20. Henry Street Bridge Era

...and the green light to move forward on the Henry Street bridge which will literally expand the downtown footprint and light up at night with iconic art-centric rings overhead.

21. Foodie Convention & Event Era

Two new foodie events relocated their annual convention and competition to the Circle City, after Indy’s food scene caught their eye. We were proud to welcome the National Confectioners Association to Indy for the Sweets and Snacks Expo, after having convened in Chicago for the past twenty-five years. Sweet and Salty Hot Take: they’ll be bringing 17,000 convention attendees back in May 2025. And, the World Food Championships moved from Texas to Indy, taking over the Indiana State Fairgrounds where 1,200 chefs competed.

22. Omni Severin's Era

Have you stepped inside the Omni Severin yet? After recently completing a $34 million renovation this historic hotel easily tops the list of swanky spots to sleep – and eat. Snag a spot at Bar Cardinale for incredible cocktails and food or snuggle into 8th Notch Cafe for a latte. Either way, you’re thrown back into Mad Men days with nods to the world’s first ever Union Station right here in Indy.

23. Happy Hour Era

Happy Hours returned to Indy in 2024! With a tweak to the law, we’re all now able to enjoy discounted drink specials.

24. Purple Line Era

It was a Lavender Haze this past October with the addition of IndyGo’s bus rapid transit system opening the Purple Line stretching 15-miles between Indy and Lawrence.