Megan Moroney, Kevin Smith & a Marathon in Carmel: Your Memorial-Adjacent Weekend in the 317
The post-Indy 500 hangover gets the Cloud 9 treatment — country arena spectacle, Clerks-era confessions, baseball under fireworks, and 26.2 miles through Carmel.
The 500 is in the rearview, the Snake Pit dust has settled, and Naptown gets to exhale — but the Circle City isn’t slowing down. The weekend after race weekend is stacked: a future-stadium country act on night two of her first arena tour, a Gen-X film director holding court in a comedy club, screamo karaoke at the Deluxe, three Triple-A baseball games at one of the best parks in the minors, and 26.2 miles winding through Carmel at sunrise. Pace yourself.
🎤 Megan Moroney: The Cloud 9 Tour
Saturday, May 30 @ 7:00 PM at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Naptown gets night two of Megan Moroney’s first-ever arena headlining run — Indy is literally show #2 on The Cloud 9 Tour, one day after the worldwide premiere in Columbus. The multi-platinum ‘Tennessee Orange’ singer is touring behind her third studio album of the same name and brings JP Saxe and Solon Holt along as direct support. Expect a sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a confessional setlist, and the rare chance to say you caught a future-stadium act early. Every ticket sends $1 to the Megan Moroney Foundation for anti-bullying and mental health work. All ages.
The Move: Hotboys Indianapolis at 1004 Virginia Ave is a straight five-minute Uber south from Gainbridge — the Fountain Square location is open till 9 on Sundays, so make pre-show tenders the part of your night that actually shows up on time.
🎙️ Kevin Smith Live
Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30 (Fri 7:00 PM & 9:15 PM • Sat 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM)
The Clerks-and-Mallrats auteur turned podcast lifer parks at Helium downtown for a four-show residency Friday and Saturday — and yes, it’s a ‘special event’ Kevin Smith show, which historically means long, loose, story-driven sets that lean closer to a live SModcast than a punch-up bit-fest. Tickets are pricier than a normal Helium booking ($99–$102 start) because you’re really paying for the room: 10 W Georgia St holds maybe 300, and a Smith Q&A in that space is a different animal than a theater date. Arrive early — sightlines in Helium’s wraparound layout matter when the show is mostly one guy in a chair. 21+.
The Move: Helium is on W Georgia, a six-block walk from Hotboys Indianapolis on Virginia Ave — grab tenders and a side of mac before the 7 PM show so you’re not the one rustling a Helium chicken-tender basket during a Kevin Smith pause.
📍 Get tickets at heliumcomedy.com
🖤 Emo Nite (18+)
Friday, May 29 @ 9:00 PM at The Deluxe at Old National Centre
The LA-born sing-along DJ night returns to the Deluxe at Old National Centre for another sweaty night of My Chem, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday and every chorus you screamed in a 2007 Scion. It’s 18+, general admission, standing only — so the room becomes the show, and the room is exactly the right kind of dim, ornate, slightly haunted-feeling space the Deluxe always is. Get there early; the floor pit is genuinely the difference between ‘fun’ and ‘transcendent’ for an event like this.
The Move: The Deluxe is right downtown — Hotboys Indianapolis on Virginia Ave is the obvious pre-game stop, since Emo Nite doesn’t really do food and you do not want to be screaming ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ on an empty stomach at 11 PM.
⚾ Indianapolis Indians vs. Iowa Cubs — Kids Opening Weekend
Friday May 29 – Sunday May 31 (Fri 7:05 PM • Sat 6:35 PM • Sun 1:35 PM)
The Triple-A Indians host the Iowa Cubs (Chicago’s top affiliate) for the full Memorial Day weekend at Victory Field, and the club is branding it as Kids Opening Weekend presented by Riley Children’s Health and Williams Comfort Air. Saturday night is the marquee giveaway — the first 1,500 fans 14 and under get the Rowdie bobblehead — and Sunday’s 1:35 PM start is the family-friendly day game. Victory Field is consistently ranked as one of the best ballparks in the minors, and watching Cubs and Pirates prospects at $18 a seat with the downtown skyline behind the outfield is genuinely one of the best deals in the city. All ages.
The Move: Victory Field sits a mile northwest of Hotboys Indianapolis on Virginia — perfect post-game spot for a Sunday afternoon when you walked out of the ballpark at 4:30 with a kid still wound up on cotton candy and you need real food before you drive home.
🏃 Carmel Marathon Weekend
Sunday, May 31 @ 7:00 AM at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts (Palladium)
Originally an April event, the Carmel Marathon got pushed to May 31 after spring storms and now lands on this Memorial Day-weekend Sunday — meaning the streets around the Palladium will be wall-to-wall runners by sunrise. The weekend is a four-race package (full marathon, half, 10K and 5K) all starting and finishing near City Center Drive, with the 10K/5K off at 7:00 AM and the Marathon/Half at 7:10 AM. The course is famously Boston-qualifying flat — typically one of the faster spring 26.2s in the country. Even if you’re not running, Carmel’s downtown turns into the best free spectator event in Hamilton County. All ages.
The Move: Hotboys North Indy at 4335 W 106th St in Carmel is the perfect post-race refuel — finish at the Palladium around 10–11 AM, then roll five minutes west on 106th for tenders and electrolyte replacement that isn’t another gel packet.
The Hotboys Connection
From Megan Moroney lighting up Gainbridge to Kevin Smith holding court at Helium, Emo Nite at the Deluxe, three games of Indians baseball at Victory Field, and 26.2 miles winding through Carmel at sunrise — the 317 spends the weekend after race weekend proving it can still go all night. We’ve got the fuel for both ends of the drive.
- Indianapolis: 1004 Virginia Avenue — Fountain Square HQ for Gainbridge, Helium, the Deluxe, and the walk back from Victory Field (11am – 9pm Sun – Thurs).
- Carmel: 4335 W 106th St, Suite 1300 — the move for the Palladium, the Tarkington, and every runner crossing the finish line on 106th (11am – 9pm Sun – Thurs).
Race weekend’s over. The weekend isn’t. See you in Naptown. 🔥