Birthday Bash

Overview

You only turn 100 once! The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is celebrating its 100th birthday and can’t celebrate without you!

We're packing 100 years of memories, wonder, and dreams into one milestone party with games, party favors, and birthday activities galore. The Birthday Bash will span throughout the entire museum, with fun on every level and around every corner. From the moment you enter the museum, you’ll be greeted with the biggest birthday celebration in a century!

“Our centennial year is both a profound milestone and a testament to the enduring power of curiosity and community,” said Jennifer Pace Robinson, president and CEO. “For 100 years, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has inspired generations. As we enter our next century, we remain steadfast in our mission to create powerful learning experiences for children and adults across the globe. Our Birthday Bash is our way of saying thank you to our community that has loved and supported us for a century, and we invite everyone to imagine with us what the next 100 years will bring.”

Wear your birthday best as you don a birthday hat and gather party favors (while supplies last) given out as you enter the museum. Play I Spy with 10 plush hidden Rexes, be awed by a roving magician, let loose in a centennial dance party with popular songs from the last 10 decades, meet interesting critters in Hedgehog Hannah’s interactive animal show, enjoy a speed sketcher as they draw free caricatures, enjoy a slice of birthday cake for purchase, learn from our Visiting Artist or our Visiting Scientist in the STEM lab, pin the birthday hat on Rex, participate in party games, and more!

December 6 is also the last day to donate to our birthday cake kits. All year long, the museum has collected shelf-stable donations of cake mix, icing, and candles, which have been distributed to local food pantries such as Mid-North Food Pantry and Gleaners Food Bank so everyone can celebrate their birthdays. As of November, over 4,400 birthday cake kits have been donated, and our goal is 5,000! You can bring these items directly to the Welcome Center or use our Amazon Wishlist to help us spread a little birthday cheer to all Hoosiers.

You can also be one of the first to witness a new, one-of-a-kind art mural by former Visiting Artist Ashley Nora, titled Memories, Wonders, and Dreams. Commissioned to honor our 100th birthday, the three-panel artwork, or triptych, will officially be the first in our second century collection. In a series of three large panels, Memories, Wonders, and Dreams celebrates our history through iconic exhibits, reflects the dreams of our community, and inspires generations.

For one day only exclusively at the Birthday Bash, you can drop in to make a Centennial Photo Frame souvenir to take home. Build and personalize a wooden 3D frame layer by layer with a family picture, museum-themed charms, and Rex stickers. Price is $15 per kit.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis was founded on Dec. 6, 1925, by the stewardship and inspiration of Mary Stewart Carey, who started the museum in a carriage house at the Indianapolis Propylaeum. With the help of several civic-minded women and contributions from children in nearby neighborhoods, the first museum collection sprang to life. The first object was a spiny pufferfish, still on display today in the Memories, Wonders, and Dreams: Stories of 100 Years exhibit that runs throughout the entire museum.

Today, The Children’s Museum is the world’s largest – with 5 floors of indoor exhibits, 7.5 acres of outdoor sports experiences, and 130,000 items now in collections – and is ranked the nation’s best children’s museum. With over 1 million visitors annually, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis has been recognized globally by our work internationally with countries such as Egypt, Peru, and China, our partnerships with prominent brands such as Disney, Mattel, and Nickelodeon, and dedicated service to the Indianapolis community with programs such as Access Pass and the Mid-North Promise Program.

The Birthday Bash is free with museum admission; birthday activities will conclude at 3 pm. The Children’s Museum is open from 10 am-5 pm, concluding with a special end of day birthday parade with Rex. Check out the Birthday Bash on our website for more information.

The Birthday Bash is presented by Purdue University.