Monument Circle was shut down to traffic for the day so kids and their families could enjoy some time together in celebration of the 500 Festival.  It was overcast and cool but that didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the children and families that I saw. I am pleased to say that everything at the Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day really was free (except for food and drinks).

There were several Bounce Houses to choose from.

There was even a special Bounce House for young ones.

To encourage good health and physical activity Chase sponsored a Rookie Run. The kids looked like they had as much fun waiting on the starting line and dancing to the music, with the 500 Festival Princesses, as they did running the race.

The Ferris Wheel was free, just like everything else, and I’m sure that the view would have been fantastic from the top but the line was so long I decided to pass it up.

There were several booths with crafts and activities. There was a 500 Festival Princess Craft Zone as well as a 500 Festival Racer’s Craft Zone.

K-LOVE, which is my favorite Christian radio station, was doing face painting…

….and the Indianapolis Zoo had a giant game of Conservation Zynga going on.

One of the activities I enjoyed watching was the kids’ race track. If you were big enough to pedal, then there was a vehicle for you. Everyone got a prize when they finished.

The other activity I enjoyed watching was the rock wall climbing. It was an activity that both boys and girls were having a great time doing.

As I said before, you did have to pay for food and drinks. I love festival corn dogs but I never found the booth that was selling them. I also love shaved-ice, sno-cone type treats and saw several of them but this was my favorite for two reasons; one reason was that it was a cute kid-themed stand and the other was because you got to put your own flavorings on the ice.

Several performances were happening on the steps of the monument but I didn’t get any pictures. I was too short to get a good shot. I enjoyed watching the dancers and there was a funny magician too. The big performance of the day was the Kidz Bop group but I missed them.

Although I didn’t have a child with me so I didn’t get to experience the day through them, from what I observed, everyone was having a great time. There were plenty of activities for all ages and it really was free. I would definitely recommend that you not miss this event next year.

As I was leaving the festival, I turned to get one more shot of the Monument since the sun had finally come out. Just as I got ready to take the shot a red balloon, that someone lost, floated past the Monument. It was my favorite picture of the day and a fitting way to say farewell.

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