The Children's Museum of Indianapolis Free Days

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is free published dates. The museum has five free days a year, and each one needs a free advance ticket: MLK Day, Presidents Day, Juneteenth Jamboree, Fiesta de la Familia and Christmas Eve (10am-2pm). The next one, Fiesta de la Familia on Sunday, Oct 4, 2026, is already sold out, and the 2026 Christmas Eve free day had not been posted as of Oct 2. The monthly First Thursday family night is no longer free: it now costs $6 per person, 4-8pm. Free advance tickets are released about 10 days before each free day (online or at 317-334-4000) and sell out quickly. Fiesta 2026 tickets opened Sept 24 and are gone. Verified on The Children's Museum of Indianapolis's own page, last checked 2026-10-02.

At a glance

Upcoming free days

• Sunday, Oct 4, 2026 — published by the institution

Dates as published by the institution. Confirm on the official page before you go.

Know before you go

• Who qualifies: Everyone, with a free advance ticket (members don't need one).
• Reservations: Free advance tickets are released about 10 days before each free day (online or at 317-334-4000) and sell out quickly. Fiesta 2026 tickets opened Sept 24 and are gone..
• What's covered: All museum exhibits and performances, with free parking.
• Schedule detail: Five free days a year (MLK Day, Presidents Day, Juneteenth Jamboree, Fiesta de la Familia, Christmas Eve), free advance tickets required.
• Worth knowing: The famous free first-Thursday family night is now a $6-per-person First Thursday Night (4-8pm, presented by IU Indianapolis). That's still the cheapest non-free-day visit, and parking is always free.

Other ways in, no calendar required

• Museums for All is worth knowing for any museum trip: a SNAP EBT card plus photo ID gets up to four people in for free to $5 at 1,700+ participating institutions nationwide — during all normal hours, not just special days. Check whether Children's Museum of Indianapolis participates on the official list.
• An art- or history-museum membership from another city may already cover Children's Museum of Indianapolis: check the NARM roster with our reciprocity lookup — a qualifying membership travels to 1,400+ museums.

Dates don't line up?

Regular tickets are on childrensmuseum.org — book direct, there's no markup. Already a member somewhere else? Our reciprocity lookup checks whether that card covers admission here.

Also free in Indianapolis

Newfields (Indianapolis Museum of Art) (1st thursday monthly 10am–5pm (pwyw)) · Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art (published dates) · Indiana State Museum (published dates) — or see the full free museum days in Indianapolis guide.

↥ Check another museum →   Browse all free museum & zoo days →

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