Circle of Lights

Indianapolis, IN · Holiday

When: November 27, 2026
Where: Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Monument Circle · Indianapolis · IN
Cost: Not confirmed
Status: Confirmed from the organizer's published schedule

Downtown Indy has lit the Soldiers and Sailors Monument as a giant Christmas tree every year since 1962. The Circle of Lights ceremony on the day after Thanksgiving draws tens of thousands downtown for live music, fireworks, and the countdown to the switch flip. It remains the traditional kickoff to the Indianapolis holiday season.

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The history within reach

Circle of Lightssame spot
Downtown Indy has lit the Soldiers and Sailors Monument as a giant Christmas tree every year since 1962.
500 Festival Paradesame spot
A downtown parade of floats, bands, and celebrity guests the Saturday before the Indianapolis 500, run by the 500 Festival since 1957.
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monumentsame spot
A 284-foot limestone shaft at the centre of the city’s original circular plan, just short of the Statue of Liberty, and the first American monument dedicated to the common soldier rather than a commander.
AES Indiana Yuletide Celebrationsame spot
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's holiday pops show has run at Hilbert Circle Theatre since the 1980s under longtime conductor Jack Everly.
The pretty glonky interviewsame spot
A street interview in downtown Indianapolis went viral when a man was asked to finish the lyrics to Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” Instead of the actual lyrics, he confidently answered, “Indiana land,” turning a routine interview into an unintentionally funny clip.