Three Stages, Two Days: Your Game Plan for the 2026 Carmel International Arts Festival

Published September 23, 2026

PorchFest was last Sunday, and Midtown isn't slowing down. This weekend, September 26–27, the Carmel International Arts Festival takes over the Arts & Design District — and while the artist booths get the headlines, the part worth planning your weekend around is the entertainment. Three stages, two days, and more than thirty performances, from Irish sea shanties to K-pop dance to a Romanian community set. Here's the full stage-by-stage rundown.

When and Where

The festival runs Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Carmel Arts & Design District. Both days kick off at 9:55 a.m. on the Main Stage with a flag presentation and the National Anthem by Boy Scout Troop 180 and the Carmel High School Choir — get there a few minutes early and start the day right.

The Main Stage

This is the local-favorites stage. Saturday opens with Tim Brickley & The Bleeding Hearts (10–11:30 a.m.), then Kanaka Jams (noon–1), HP+ (1:30–2:30), A Touch of ’Grass (3–4:30), and Ten Branches closing it out from 5 to 6.

Sunday brings Hippie Dream (10–11 a.m.), Island Mixtape (11:30–12:30), Tim Wright (12:45–1:15), On the Record (1:45–3:15), and Phone Club to finish the weekend from 3:45 to 5.

The West Stage

The West Stage leans quieter and more varied — a good place to sit down between booth laps. Saturday: John Alvarado Classical Guitar (10–11 a.m.), Indiana Ballet Conservatory (11:30–12:30), Laughing Jack with Irish sea shanties (1–2:30), Jeremiah Cosner (3–4), and The Gene Markiewicz Band (4:30–6).

Sunday: Elliott Ferguson (10–11 a.m.), Central Indian Dance Ensemble (11:30–12:30), the Kenny Phelps Jazz Trio (1–2:15), Cole Woodruff (2:35–3:35), and Sarah Hund (4–5).

The International Stage

This is the one I'd plan around. The “International” in the name isn't decoration — this stage is a two-day tour of the cultural communities that call central Indiana home.

Saturday starts with The Turanos — Scottish Society at 10 a.m., followed by the Greek “Parea” Hellenic Dancers, the Indianapolis Chinese Community Center, Svitlana Nikonorova (Ukraine), and Natyalaya School (India). At 2:15, the Indiana Association of Chinese Americans brings a full hour of groups, including the IACA Lion Dance Ensemble. The afternoon wraps with the Indiana Rwandan Diaspora Network, Brittney Zhang’s K-Pop Dance (4:15), and Samyoga School (India) at 4:30.

Sunday brings Mukula (India) at 10:15, Nelu Lazar with the Romanian community, Jautrais Paris/Latvian School, the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, Nrityangan Kathak Academy (India), and the Indiana Rwandan Diaspora Network closing things from 3 to 4.

How to Do It Right

Pick one anchor per day and build around it. My Saturday: the lion dance at 2:15, then drift over for A Touch of ’Grass at 3. Sunday: Kenny Phelps Jazz Trio at 1, then back to the Main Stage for Phone Club. Everything in between is booth-browsing, and you're a short walk from Main Street restaurants when you need a break.

See you in the Arts & Design District this weekend.

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The Carmel International Arts Festival is Saturday, September 26 (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) and Sunday, September 27 (10 a.m.–5 p.m.), 2026, in the Carmel Arts & Design District. Stage schedules via the Carmel International Arts Festival entertainment page. Schedules are subject to change — check the festival site before you go.