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Hoosier High 5: What's Poppin' IN September? 🍿🍎
Five events statewide you need to have on your calendar this month!
Get IN, Austin Sellers & Nate Spangle
September 01, 2025
Hoosier High Five
Here at Get Indiana, we hype up all the happenings in the Hoosier State. Small business success stories, nonprofits making an impact, hidden gems, places to visit and more.
The Hoosier High Five is dedicated to sharing information about five events you should have on your bucket list for this September.
Let’s. Get. IN!
Sip, stroll & savor on Park Street.
Downtown Westfield’s Restaurant Row is stacked: Nyla’s, The Italian House, Chiba, and Greek’s — four delicious stops on one charming street. And with Westfield’s DORA, you can grab a drink from a participating spot and enjoy as you explore patios and shops. Make it a Park Street night. Plan your visit here.
Learn about DORA → westfieldin.gov/DORA
Must be 21+ to participate in DORA.
🖐️ Five Indiana Events to Experience in September 🖐️
Saturday, Sept. 6: 46th Annual Popcorn Festival
📍Valparaiso
Downtown Valparaiso is set to host its 46th Annual Popcorn Festival from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with the Popcorn Parade featuring popcorn-themed floats buttered into the agenda at 10 a.m.
After the parade, explore over 300 vendors lining the streets, live music in Central Park Plaza and along Michigan Avenue, the Ultimate Poppin’ Play Zone for kids, Beer Garden for adults and of course, enough popcorn for 50,000-plus attendees.
While centered around popcorn, this annual festival honors the legacy of Indiana native Orville Redenbacher, who graduated from Brazil High School in 1924 and later partnered with Charlie Bowman to buy a seed corn plant near Valparaiso. It took thousands of strains of popcorn before they achieved success, and the gourmet popping corn was launched in 1970.
Odds are, you’ve kicked your feet up to watch a movie or Netflix with a bowl of Orville’s popcorn in your lap. This is us encouraging you to switch it up and grab a handful of kernels while celebrating Orville at the “Popcorn Capital of the World.”
Tuesday-Thursday, Sept. 9-11: TEDSports Indianapolis
📍Old National Centre in Indianapolis
If you’re ready to change the game and hear about the past, present and future of sports in Indianapolis and beyond, TEDSports Indianapolis is a must-attend event as the first of its kind in the Circle City.
Game Changers is set for September 9-11 at the Old National Centre, where leaders in the sports industry will host main stage TED Talks, workshops and panels for all attendees.
Like any sporting event (except at this event where everyone is a winner), you’ll need a ticket to attend. Receive a huge $500 discount on tickets for standard attendees here » Discounted Tickets
Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 18-21: 49th Annual Apple Festival
📍Nappanee
If you love all things apple, then we’ve got the perfect festival in mind for you. Make your way to Nappanee for the 49th Annual Apple Festival from September 18-21.
The festival, which attracts over 80,000 people annually thanks to 150-plus exhibitors, starts off fresh with Indiana’s largest 7-foot baked apple pie weighing over 600 pounds coming right out of the oven. The fun continues with games, shopping, carnival rides, a parade, pie-eating contests, the Miss Apple Blossom scholarship pageant and more. In addition to endless amounts of apple pie, snack on apple bread and apple fritters or keep it simple and bite into your favorite freshly picked apple variety.
We whipped up a small town breakdown about Nappanee earlier this year, so learn more about its history, things to do and places to eat before your visit.
Saturday, Monday-Saturday, Sept. 20, 22-27: 78th Annual Persimmon Festival
📍Day 1: Spring Mill State Park; Days 2-7: Mitchell
The Persimmon Festival was first celebrated over three October days in 1947. In years since, it’s been held during the last full week of September annually when persimmons — Lawrence County’s native fruit — are typically falling to the ground.
This year marks the 78th Annual Persimmon Festival. It begins September 20 with the Annual Tri Kappa Candlelight Tour from 4-9 p.m. in the historic Pioneer Village at Spring Mill State Park and continues on Main Street in Mitchell from September 22 through September 27. Throughout the festival, attendees can enjoy musical entertainment, carnival rides, car shows, queen contests, fair foods, locally sourced persimmons and persimmon pudding, and a grand parade on the final Saturday.
Mitchell also made the cut on our must-visit list for small towns in Indiana in 2025. Before your visit, learn more about its history, famous people from town, a couple go-to spots for grub and it being home to one of Indiana’s most haunted houses.
(Photo by Dawson Snow)
Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 27-28: 3rd Annual Fusion Fest
📍Howard Park in South Bend
South Bend Venues Parks & Arts is gearing up to host the third edition of Fusion Fest, set for Saturday, Sept. 27 from noon-8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 28 from noon-5 p.m.
Fusion Fest takes over Howard Park and surrounding streets in South Bend with food vendors, music, demonstrations and artisans divided into four global regions: North/South America, Africa, Europe and Asia/Australia.
We’ll be there, so stop by and say hello!
(Photo by Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune)
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