INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana State Fair has announced the 2023 theme of the fair will be Basketball, and title partnership with Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
The theme will be activated through multiple interactive experiences, including All-Star Court (a Basketball Amusement Park), the Pacers Sports & Entertainment Court, exhibits paying homage to Indiana’s rich basketball legacy, and daily storytelling moments – 18 of Indiana’s greatest basketball stories told through the 18 days of the Fair, team player meet & greets, and so much more. The 2023 Indiana State Fair returns July 28th through August 20th.
The Indiana State Fair is rooted in telling the agriculture story — and the history of why the game of basketball grew here in Indiana is tied directly to agriculture. The game was affordable, and the playing season was based around the farmers’ planting and harvest season. After each harvest, farm kids could play basketball, and then when the season ended in March, they could go back to the fields for planting. Thus, the tradition of “Friday Night High School Basketball” became rooted in Indiana.
Basketball also has a rich history at the Fairgrounds where the iconic Indiana Farmers Coliseum has played host to high school championships, the ABA Pacers, All-Star Games and more. The Indiana State Fairgrounds first opened in 1892 – the same year basketball was introduced in Indiana – two great Hoosier traditions that have stood the test of time.
