PLAY LIST

Contrary to popular belief, there are things to do in Indianapolis. 

November is all about food and family time as we celebrate Día de Muertos, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Small Business Saturday.

An “Abbott Elementary” star and funny guy Zack Fox is coming to Indy. Explore art, poetry and music inspired by a centuries-old folktale at a new exhibit at RE:PUBLIC. 

As we get into the thick of fall weather and a lot of events move indoors, run to your nearest theater. 

Need to decompress? There are tons of movie screenings to choose from this month. 

Use our November things to do list to stay busy all month long.

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Dear Play Listers,

Unless you flew to Puerto Rico for Bad Bunny’s “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” 30-concert residency, you probably experienced really bad FOMO all of 2025.

Perhaps you watched the Super Bowl halftime show thinking, “This is as close as I’ll ever get to that casita with celebrities dancing in it.”

Well, I’m here to tell you, there’s another way.

Local DJ Juan “Don Juan” Muñoz built a replica of la casita for his Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 29, at Old National Centre.

We visited him in Bloomington, where he’s building the house, to see for ourselves if he’s a mad man or a genius. 

Read here in English.

Leer aquí en español. 

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Dear Play Listers,

Halloween is a holiday with a lot of range. Some people celebrate with fake blood and guts, others by sipping hot apple cider. 

There’s those who might try talking to dead people, and those who’d rather dress up as something goofy. 

With that in mind, we put together a list that we hope can check all the boxes in your group. We have family-friendly events, gatherings with adult potions (wink-wink), dance parties, film screenings and lots of storytelling. 

As long as you wear a costume, you are celebrating Halloween. Here’s 33 ways to celebrate in Indianapolis.

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Dear Play Listers,

Where should we start? Today we have a story about a gifted wig maker, an interview with “FLAVA FRESH !” creator and curator D. Del Reverda-Jennings, a look back to pre-colonial Indiana and a staff update from the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. 

Also: a comic strip, a spooky print show and a free event with a Los Angeles-based labor activist playwright. He read a little sample for us. 

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Hello Play Listers,

There’s no way around it. We’re in October and we must shift our attention to all things ghosts, pumpkins and witches. 

This week we made you a list of metaphysical shops, gatherings and practitioners that you can put in your pocket and save for a rainy day.

We also have details on an exhibit of artists taking big risks, stories about historical reenactors, a deep-dive on the rise of the term “cultural campus” in art institutions, a Rivoli Theatre update and a new spot where you can pay $5 to sit down and write.

Let’s get to it!

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Dear Play Listers,

It was the late 1990s when mariachi Enrique Blanco first visited Indianapolis. Javier Amezcua, the owner of the famous Mexican restaurant El Sol de Tala, who died in 2015, used to bring Mariachi Sol Jalisciense from his hometown in Jalisco, Mexico, to create an authentic atmosphere at his eastside Indianapolis restaurant.

The mariachi group fell in love with Indy. They stayed. The rest is history. You’ve likely seen them playing your favorite Mexican songs during Day of the Dead celebrations. Perhaps you’ve seen them during halftime at a sporting event or at a mass honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and ahead of ArcFest on Oct. 3, where Mariachi Sol Jaliscience will perform as part of the Play List stage, we spoke with the founder of the group.

What instruments do you play?

I play the vihuela and the guitarrón, and ...

… and you sing, too?

A little bit, yes.

What is the most impressive thing you’ve seen over the years?

Well, the number of Hispanic people living here. I remember when we first arrived, there wasn't even a place to get a haircut. We had to go around looking for someone to cut our hair. Now, you can find someone to cut your hair just about anywhere.

What is your schedule like during Hispanic Heritage Month? What does a typical day look like for you?

Well, right now we usually start playing early; we have a contract with a hotel chain. We play for the housekeeping staff — we create a festive atmosphere for them.

What do you like most about living in Indianapolis?

The people. Plus, it’s a very quiet city, different from other cities. I lived in Seattle — that’s a faster-paced city. Indianapolis is very nice.

It’s hard working so many nights and staying out so late.

It’s difficult in every sense. It takes a toll on your body. You get tired. Sometimes you don’t sleep, or you have to get up very early, so physically, it’s exhausting. And regarding family, they don’t have you around the way they would with a standard job. In our line of work, in the music business, you can get a call at any moment, and you have to head out right then and there, no matter the time.

It’s like being a priest.

Exactly.

Read the full interview and hear Enrique sing a little here. 

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Hello Play Listers,

It’s that time of the year — as we dip into sweater weather and get more introspective, our minds crave more stimulation. We seek out conversations and ask big questions. 

Enter Arc Fest: Free Press Indiana’s one-day palooza bringing together influential voices, artists, journalists, civic leaders and community members. 

The free festival is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at IU Indianapolis’ Hine Hall.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”

Arc Fest runs with this sentiment to explore our next chapter in the American story, as our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Play List will be there! Arts & culture reporter Mesgana Waiss and Select Few Sessions creator Troy Freeman will host the Play List stage, featuring sets from DJ Chyna and DJ SoundsbyCam between live performances.

Here’s the performer lineup:

10 a.m. Welcome and spoken word by Jayda Dawn, Poetry Out Loud national champion

11:10 a.m. The Black Briefing (live podcast recording)

12:55 p.m. King Dierre (hip-hop)

1:05 p.m. Pam Blevins Hinkle (communal folk singing)

2:15 p.m. Clint Breeze and Friends (jazz)

3 p.m. The FAB Podcast (live recording)

4:25 p.m. Rebel Noire and the Accomplices (rock)

4:50 p.m. Mariachi Sol Jalisciense (mariachi)

5:15 p.m. LayLo (R&B)

Click here for more details and see you Oct. 3.

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Dear Play Listers,

Hispanic Heritage Month, where we celebrate the contributions of Latinos to the history and culture of the United States, kicked off on Sept. 15.

One way to note the occasion is to support local, Latino-owned small businesses. Check out shops and restaurants in your neighborhood, get curious, try new things and go beyond the influencer rec list. 

Another way to celebrate is by attending one of these 24 events we rounded up with the help of Latinos Indy. The list includes everything from dance parties to networking opportunities and festivals.  

And, you could also share this Latina-written newsletter with your friends. This is an arts and culture newsletter, after all! 

Take me to perreo parties and great food events.

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

How’s it going Play Listers,

Because of all those years kicking off the school year in September, I’m hardwired to start things this month. 

Whether that be ordering a 2027 planner or deep-cleaning my house to welcome the change of seasons, the month feels packed with checklists.

If that’s you, too, that’s ok! We’re getting things done. 

But don’t forget to have fun and let loose here and there. Smell flowers, kiss someone, treat yourself to a theater show.

We have details here for how to do that right here.  

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.

Dear Play Listers,

In September, we’ll be saying goodbye (some of us unwillingly) to summer and ushering in autumn. 

To kick off the month, I made you a “things to do” list and sprinkled a little bit of everything for every possible mood you might find yourself in.

Use this list to find fun in the city all month long.

Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts.

You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter.