Indy Gay Market is a community-driven nonprofit that uplifts and supports LGBTQ+ artists, makers, and small business owners by providing equitable, accessible, and artist-led vendor markets in Indianapolis. Our mission is to foster economic opportunities for queer creatives, cultivate safe and inclusive spaces for community engagement, and promote diverse artistic expression.
Through intentional vendor selection, strategic partnerships, and year-round advocacy, we strive to ensure that all LGBTQ+ vendors—regardless of background, medium, or experience—have the resources, visibility, and support they need. We imagine a future where LGBTQ+ artists don’t just survive—they thrive. Indy Gay Market envisions a creative economy where queer artists are valued, visible, and supported with the resources, opportunities, and community they need for long-term success.
At Indy Gay Market, art, commerce, and activism intersect to build a stronger, more inclusive future. We are committed to sustaining and expanding opportunities for queer entrepreneurs while remaining transparent, adaptive, and responsive to the needs of our ever-growing community.
Indy Gay Market began the way many great community movements do: with one artist, a bold idea, and a lot of love for the queer community.
In the summer of 2021, local LGBTQ+ artist Meghan Curran organized the very first Big Gay Market in Indianapolis. On July 31, 2021, 57 queer-identifying artists and makers gathered to share their art and handmade goods with the community. The response was overwhelmingly clear. Indy needed a joyful, affirming space where queer creatives could be seen, celebrated, and supported. With community support markets followed in 2021 and 2022, each one strengthening that vision.
In August 2022, the market entered a new chapter when leadership was passed to local LGBTQ+ artist and organizer Hannah Hadley. With the market’s growing reach and purpose in mind, the event was rebranded as Indy Gay Market—a name that reflects our expanding mission, our alignment with Indy Pride, and our roots right here in Indianapolis. What started as a single event quickly evolved into a collective effort, as a team of LGBTQ+ artists and organizers came together to support event planning, branding, outreach, and nonprofit operations. Today, that team includes 14 dedicated community volunteers, all working to keep the market inclusive, accessible, and artist-centered.
In 2023, Indy Gay Market proudly formalized a partnership with Indy Pride, gaining fiscal sponsorship and access to vital nonprofit resources such as financial management, marketing support, and event equipment. With this support, Indy Gay Market began hosting six markets per year at venues across the city, collaborating with local businesses and organizations to create welcoming, community-focused spaces. From The AMP at 16 Tech to Monument Circle, our events continue to bring queer joy to some of Indianapolis’s most beloved locations. In 2025, we took another big step forward by submitting our own 501(c)(3) application, while continuing to work with Indy Pride as our fiscal sponsor during the transition. As of April 2025, Indy Gay Market has earned its official 501(c)(3) status and continues to work with organizations in the community to build stronger connections and expand resources for LGBTQIA+ artists in Indiana.
The queer community has always been at the center of Indy Gay Market. Led by Hannah Hadley and Community Partner Coordinators Fay Wheat, Milo Parker, and Quinn Tailor, the market regularly invites advocacy groups, nonprofits, and grassroots organizations to join us. These partners offer educational resources, social services, and support alongside our artists—because thriving communities need more than just marketplaces.
The impact has been incredible. As word spread, so did demand. Indy Gay Market now receives over 200 vendor applications per event, underscoring just how important queer-focused market spaces are for artists and small businesses in our city. Event attendance has grown from 100–200 people in our early days to 1200+ attendees per market, with our 2023 Valentine’s Day Market welcoming over 1,200 people, setting a trend for regular attendance at each event. It’s a powerful reminder that Indianapolis truly shows up for queer artists and creators.
As we continue to grow, we remain focused on accessibility and equity. We’re actively seeking larger venues so we can keep vendor fees at cost while welcoming even more artists. Our application process has become more structured to ensure diversity and balance at every event, even as demand continues to exceed capacity for fan-favorite markets like Valentine’s Day and Halloween. In response to community feedback, 2026 events will continue our two-day rotating markets with up to 120 vendors per weekend, creating more opportunities for artists while we build toward long-term sustainability.
Beyond the market weekends, connection doesn’t stop. In 2024, we launched a vendor and artist Discord server, creating a year-round space to network, share resources, collaborate, and uplift one another. With almost 400 members, our Discord server is another place we work to share resources and encourage collaboration and community building amongst artists and businesses.
From a single pop-up market to a growing community movement, Indy Gay Market exists to celebrate queer creativity, build economic opportunity, and create spaces where everyone belongs. And we’re just getting started!
Beyond economic opportunity, we partner with organizations that provide vital services and resources to LGBTQ+ individuals, ensuring our events function as welcoming bridges to care, education, and advocacy. Our markets regularly host free booths for community partners offering resources for healthcare, community support, counseling services, educational resources, community advocacy. See below for partners we have welcomed at past events!
By centering LGBTQ+ voices and prioritizing racial equity in our partnerships, Indy Gay Market cultivates an arts community that is connected, empowered, and visible—where artists thrive, resources are accessible, and everyone belongs.
We are always looking for more! If your organization is interested in joining us at future events, please submit an application at the link here or email our amazing team of community partner coordinators at [email protected] to learn more about upcoming opportunities!
Want to turn your partnership into something bigger? Check out our Sponsorship Packages available to help support Indy Gay Market by sponsoring future events!
We are honored to work with and be supported by the Indy Arts Council and the city of Indianapolis.
I got my BA in Art History and BFA in Textiles from IU in 2017. I was a vendor at the first Big Gay Market in Indy in 2021 and it was one of the first places where I was able to be fully out as a bisexual queer person. I took over organizing it in 2022 because the market meant so much to me. I try my best to lead this glorious charge for regular queer focused events in Indianapolis. I love curating our amazing pool of artists and working with our team to make sure every market is filled with intention, opportunity, and love for this community.
I am a vendor and event coordinator who has been with IGM for over a year now working to create exciting and accessible events for the queer art community. I am also a frequent IGM vendor as the resident plushie dealer through my business Criminally Cute Crochet making and selling crochet plushies and home goods. My only goals in life are to live authentically, love often, be happy, and bring joy and acceptance to any space I am in!
I love being a part of the Indianapolis Queer Community and value all the friendships I have made along the way! I’m passionate about using the illustration and design skills Ive learned in school/practice to bring attention and excitement for events that aim to bring this community together! In my free time I also like riding my bike, spending time with my Kitty, working out, and going out to eat around Indy!
I started attending the Indy Gay Markets in 2024 as a customer, and it was one of the first markets I’ve been to where I felt I truly belonged. Growing up in a small town in Indiana, that was a rare occurrence for me. Indy Gay Markets provided me the opportunity to meet other artists in our community and a space I felt safe to truly be myself. I finally applied and got into a market in 2025 as a vendor! From there, I met a lot of other amazing vendors, formed friendships, and I decided that I wanted to be a part of this wonderful team! As the Community Partner Co-Coordinator, I collaborate with other organizations to provide helpful community resources and information to our queer community!