A weekend built around one Saturday
The 42nd Annual Circle City Classic runs as a Fall Festival on 25-26 September 2026, on Indiana Black Expo's own dating. The organiser's Calendar of Events opens on Sunday 20 September and closes on Saturday 26 September.
The stadium day is the Saturday. Lucas Oil Stadium dates it 26 September from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Six functions before the stadium day
The week gives a group planner six dated functions ahead of Saturday.
The Coronation runs Sunday 20 September at 5:00 p.m. in the Indiana Black Expo auditorium. Tickets cost $20, and children aged five and older need one. Miss Circle City Classic and her two runners-up share $10,000 in scholarships. The organiser has run the programme since 1986.
Prayer and Praise Worship runs Wednesday 23 September at 7:00 p.m. at Westside Missionary Baptist Church, 6321 La Pas Trail.
Friday 25 September carries four items. The Coaches Luncheon runs 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Lucas Oil Stadium North Gate Plaza, at $600 a table and $70 a single ticket. The Major Taylor Award goes to Kenny Moore II. Talent Day runs 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the East Lounge, with booths at $500. The Pep Rally runs 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on South Street. The DJG Indy FunkFest runs at 7:00 p.m. at Clowes Hall.
The parade sets the scale
The organiser dates the Classic Parade at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday 26 September. Its parade page states nearly 100,000 spectators gather each year. The Calendar of Events sheet places the staging at American Legion Mall. Woody McClain is the 2026 Grand Marshal.
The route document the organiser links sits on a 2025 upload path and carries no year on the face of the map.
Education Day is the group function
Education Day and the College Fair is the week's group function. The organiser dates it Saturday 26 September from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the East Lounge. The venue dates the same event 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Upper East Club Lounge.
The organiser's page gives two counts for the participating institutions: approximately 30 in its opening block and approximately 25 in its booth-registration block. The page reports approximately 2,500 attendees at the 2025 College Fair.
Education Day attendance comes with a Classic ticket, on the organiser's line. The organiser runs a group registration form for schools and colleges, and booth registration is closed.
The field programme
The organiser sells the stadium day as one ticket covering five events with all-day access. The field slate names two girls flag football matchups and two boys varsity showcase games. Crispus Attucks meets Arsenal Tech at 10:00 a.m., Lawrence North meets Ben Davis at 11:30 a.m., Warren Central meets Pike at 2:00 p.m., and Lawrence North meets Ben Davis again at 7:00 p.m.
The HBCU Battle of the Bands runs 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. with Talladega College, Kentucky State University and Miles College. The football page calls the set the HBCU Battle of the Bands, and the Calendar of Events sheet calls it the HBCU Band Showcase.
The economic record the organiser publishes
Indiana Black Expo reports more than $340 million contributed to the Indianapolis economy since 1984 and more than $5 million in scholarships over the same span. The home page dates the run at 42 Years of Impact. The About page phrases the scholarship total as nearly $5 million.
Booking the weekend
Housing ran through Visit Indy on a Passkey block dated 24-27 September 2026, three nights. The block is closed. The page now reads WEBSITE IS NOW CLOSED and directs guests to contact hotels directly.
The closed page names four properties with addresses and phone numbers: Embassy Suites Plainfield and Indianapolis, Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Airport, Hyatt House Downtown Indianapolis and Wyndham Indianapolis Airport. Three of the four sit at an airport or in Plainfield. The block page publishes no rate. The housing desk is at 317-262-8191.
Visit Indy's hotel pages state that many downtown properties connect by climate-controlled skywalk.
The checkout morning
The venue's events listing carries Colts vs Houston Texans on Sunday 27 September at 1:00 p.m. The checkout morning is an NFL home game day at the same stadium.
Lucas Oil Stadium is a cashless venue and enforces a clear bag policy for this event.