Campus Traditions and Signature Events

Unforgettable moments

The classroom experience of our students is obviously important, but so are the memories you make outside of the classroom. As a Jaguar at IU Indianapolis, you'll be joining a school with a lot of history and great events and traditions, but you'll also be part of a campus that is still young enough that you can leave your mark with your classmates by starting our new traditions. 

Check out some of the events below to see some of what you have to look forward to.

Traditions and signature events

Three students pose for a picture during the Annual Weeks of Welcome event on the IU Indianapolis Campus. The male on the left is wearing neon glow-in-the dark tubes in the shape of glasses, and the two female students are wearing glow-in-the-dark necklaces. All three are holding lit up rally sticks made of foam.

Weeks of Welcome

August & January

Weeks of Welcome, or WOW, happen during the first two weeks of classes of the fall semester and the first week during the spring semester and features events, games, as well as career and involvement fairs to help you make connections and start your semester off right. 

Get ready to be WOW'd
Students line up in a tent to add topics to their ice cream during the annual ice cream social. The student most prominent is wearing a yellow shirt and is adding sprinkles to his ice cream with whipped cream.

Annual Ice Cream Social

August

Each year during the Fall Weeks of Welcome, IU Indianapolis leadership, including our Chancellor, Deans, and many others become "distinguished dippers," and serve ice cream to the IU Indianapolis campus community in Taylor Courtyard. 

Check out photos from prior socials
Two female students bump into the walls of the canal in their canoe during the IU Indianapolis Regatta

Regatta

September

IU Indianapolis comes together on the banks of the downtown canal each September for Regatta, a competitive — but fun — canoe race, as well as other events for all Jaguars in the days leading up to the race.

You Gotta Regatta
A student sings "Lift Every Voice and Sign", also known as the Black National Anthem, during the Martin Luther King Junior Celebration Dinner at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Two student MCs are in the background behind a podium

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner

January

Since 1969, our students, faculty, and staff have celebrated and honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a formal dinner event hosted and sponsored by the Black Student Union. 

Learn more about the Celebration Dinner
A large crowd of students look at the Campus Center Atrium from both the ground floor and higher levels of the building during the IU Indianapolis annual international festival.

International Festival

February

Each year, the IU Indianapolis International Festival is a lively event for students, staff, faculty, and community members to celebrate the diversity of cultures at IU Indianapolis and connect to international opportunities and resources. 

Engage with our global community
A crowd of about 20 students, mostly female, look forward at the stage during Jagathon. They are holding up cell phones their flashlights pointed toward the stage.

Jagathon: IU Indianapolis' Dance Marathon

March

Jagathon: IU Indianapolis' Dance Marathon is a student-led organization that fundraises year-round for research at Riley Hospital for Children. In March, they hold a 16-hour  event celebrating all the miracles we have made happen.

See why they rally together
Two students look down as they are smiling during a carnival ride at IU Indianapolis' Jagapalooza Carnival

Jagapalooza

April

Each April, our Student Activities Programming Board, in partnership with the Division of Student Affairs brings carnival rides, games, food trucks, and more to campus to give their fellow Jaguars the chance to unwind a little before finals week. 

Celebrate the end of the school year
A crowd of female and male students participate in the undergraduate commencement ceremony at Carroll Stadium. One students is recording the event with her phone.

Commencement

May

It all comes down to this. Years of your hard work paying off. Commencement is a milestone day for you, your family, and your friends. It may be the end of your time here as a Jaguar at IU Indianapolis, but it’s the beginning of what’s next.

What to expect during commencement