Mark your calendars and dust off your patriotic gear because CarmelFest 2025 is all geared up to bring back the razzle-dazzle of Independence Day with a good old-fashioned bang or, should we say, with a spectacular fireworks finale. The festivities, brought together by the Rotary Club of Carmel and presented by Republic Airways, will unfold next Thursday and Friday at Civic Square and Carter Green; there's a packed schedule set to entertain tens of thousands from 1 p.m. to the brim of nightfall.
The Allied Solutions CarmelFest Parade is on the docket for next Friday, stepping off at 10:30 a.m.—but make a note, roads shut down at 9 a.m., so plan your approach well unless you fancy a mini-marathon sprint to catch the float action. For those with accessibility needs the reserved ADA parking and a viewing area is plotted at the southwest corner of Main Street and Range Line Road, not to overlook the front of Flanner & Buchanan on Carmel Drive, exclusively reserved for parade staff, any foreign chairs or items found frolicking there will meet with swift removal.
Packed with live stages, food vendors you've missed all year, and activities to keep everyone from toddlers to teens occupied, the event has something just for the kiddos too. Step on over to the Tom Wood KidsZone, presented by Tom Wood Auto Group; it features a suite of mechanical rides and engaging activities designed to delight, and let's not skip over that shiny new mini race track just waiting for a test drive.
If parading in person isn't your jam or you just want to double dip in the festivities, you can livestream the parade beginning at 10 a.m. at this link, or for a communal vibe, join others at Midtown Plaza and catch all the action on the big screen, because really, can you think of a better way to kick off your 4th July than with the blissful blend of in-person elation and digital connectivity combining the comfort of your screen and the energy of live cheers.
