In a shock move, the 2023 Indianapolis Irish Fest was canceled just last night. This was announced on the official Instagram page which detailed exactly why this decision was made. In a lengthy statement, it began by reading, “Since 1995, Indy Irish Fest has brought culture, tradition, and fun to September. It is with a heavy heart, but our Irish eyes still smiling, that we announce that we are unable to continue and are canceling this year’s Festival.”

To cut a long story short, the festival has been canceled due to a lack of funding. Remember, the festival is non-profit and relies on donations. So, as times are financially tough – this outcome isn’t too surprising. The statement also mentioned how since 2020, the event has struggled for funding which is also understandable given the context. Below, we have posted a screenshot of the full explanation.

This festival has been running since 1955, so understandably it is a key part of Indianapolis culture. As a result, locals were notably upset and claimed, “Well that sucks, I’m going to miss the fest, I always had a good time there.” and “Very involved Irish Fest volunteer here. I am going to miss this event a lot. It’s one of the only real Irish heritage events in Indy. Sad to lose it.”

With this said, we can only hope that at some point, it does make a return at some point in the future. Even if it was stripped back or once every couple of years, it would still be well received by the Indianapolis community. So, here’s to hoping.