Monday, July 19, 2021
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4 – 6 p.m.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
3000 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis (Event is at the Polar Bear parking lot, 32nd & Illinois St.)
This year’s festival will be a drive-thru event for all IPS families! Students who attend with a parent/guardian will receive a backpack with school supplies, important IPS back-to-school information, resources from local community partners, and other giveaways. School IDs are not required.
Resources provided include:
- FREE backpacks with school supplies (while supplies last).
- FREE school uniforms (limited quantities and sizes, available on a first-come/first-served basis and only while supplies last).
- Local sports team’s mascots and cheerleaders.
- School immunizations and COVID-19 Vaccinations Clinic available at IPS/Butler University Laboratory School 60; more details HERE.
- And more!
Location/Drive Thru and Public Transportation Arrival Information
The event will be held in the Indianapolis Children’s Museum Polar Bear Parking Lot, located on Illinois St. just north of 32nd St. The entrance to this lot is on the west side of Illinois St. There will be an officer there to direct cars into the lot. Once in the lot there will be a marked path for cars to take until they reach a tent with tables and volunteers for backpack distribution. They will let our volunteers know how many children and grades that are in car to get corresponding backpacks put in their trunks. The cars will then continue the path until they reach another set of tents with uniforms and other items for distribution. The path will lead to the parking lot exit and an officer will direct them to exit the parking lot in a northern direction through the alley. Families will then get to 33rd St. for a way home.
Those taking public transportation/walking to the event site can enter to the event through the entrance located on 32nd Street between Illinois St and Kenwood Ave. If you are using IndyGo to get to the site, then you want to get to the bus stop closest to 32nd Street and Illinois Street. The Polar Bear Parking Lot situated in the northwest corner of this intersection. The pedestrian entrance to the Polar Bear Parking lot for this event is on 32nd Street. If you are coming from Meridian Street, then you walk west on 32nd Street towards Illinois Street and cross it to get to the pedestrian entrance of the Polar Bear Lot. If you are coming from Capitol Avenue then you would walk east on 32nd Street and once past Kenwood Avenue, the pedestrian entrance to the Polar Bear lot will be on your left (north side) of the street. You can proceed to one of our walkup tables for items and resources to be distributed.
IndyGo buses stop at the museum daily. Routes 18, 28, 30, 38, and 39 serve the museum directly. For route information, visit IndyGo.net or call IndyGo Customer Service at 317-635-3344. The IndyGo Red Line makes regular stops at the museum throughout the day. The timetable for the Meridian Street & 30th Street stop along the northbound and southbound routes is available here.
Thank you to our participating partners:
