Indiana Hamfests

A hamfest is a gathering of amateur radio operators — part swap meet, part convention. You'll typically find commercial vendors and a tailgate/flea market selling new and used gear, special-interest forums and presentations, door prizes, and on-site license exam (VE) sessions. They are a great place to find a bargain, meet local hams, and pick up your first radio.

Hamfests with a confirmed date

9 on the calendar, soonest first, each re-checked against the ARRL listing and the sponsoring club. Where the two disagree the club wins, which is why several of these link there instead. Dates and hours shift — and several records carry a date and nothing else — so confirm with the host before you make the drive. Events that have already happened drop off this list; if one you were looking for is missing, check the recurring list below for the month it usually lands in.

  1. Sat, Nov 21, 2026 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with two rooms of forums running all day

    Fort Wayne Hamfest & Computer Expo

    Fort Wayne — Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 4000 Parnell Avenue; Fort Wayne, IN 46805

    Admission
    $10; children under 12 free alongside an adult; $8 to park
    Tables
    Tables start at $25
    Vendor setup
    Drive Directly to Your Table for Setup
    VE testing
    9 a.m. to noon, $14; free for students 25 and under with a student ID
    Talk-in
    146.880 with a 141.3 Hz tone
    Contact
    ACARTS Inc., W9INX; 260-579-2196; fm@acarts.com
    Host
    Allen County ARTS

    Traditionally a Saturday-and-Sunday event, but the ACARTS hamfest page at acarts.com/hamfest/ now carries this year's details and describes a single Saturday. The address in the ARRL entry, fortwaynehamfest.com, is a frame around that same page.

  2. Sat, Nov 28, 2026 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

    WVARA TurkeyFest

    Brazil — Clay County 4-H Fairgrounds, 6550 North State Road 59, Brazil, IN 47834

    Admission
    $10; children under 12 free
    Tables
    Free on a first-come basis, or $5 to reserve one in advance (non-refundable)
    Talk-in
    The K9IKQ repeater on 146.685 with a 151.4 Hz tone
    Contact
    Mitchell McCord, K9FDA; hamfest@w9uuu.org
    Host
    Wabash Valley ARA

    The Wabash Valley club runs two hamfests a year at this same fairgrounds — TurkeyFest in November and a spring edition in March — and posts firm dates for both well ahead of time.

  3. Sat, Feb 13, 2027 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

    Hendricks County Hamfest

    ARRL Indiana Section Convention

    Danville — Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds & Conference Center, 1900 E. Main St.

    Admission
    $7; kids under 10 free
    Tables
    Vendor space through hamfest@n9hc.org
    VE testing
    VE testing
    Talk-in
    The N9HC repeater on 147.015 MHz, +600 with an 88.5 Hz tone
    Host
    Hendricks County ARS

    The date took settling. The ARRL record and the Hendricks County ARES calendar both still show the February 7, 2026 running, and the club's own page carried a 2026 year against a February 13 date that only works as a Saturday in 2027. Secretary Tom Hansen, WA9YI, sent us the current flyer on September 7, 2026 with the 2027 date on it and said the club site would be corrected shortly. The club told us directly, so that is what this listing follows.

  4. Sat, Mar 27, 2027 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

    WVARA Spring Hamfest

    Brazil — Clay County 4-H Fairgrounds, 6550 N. SR 59

    Admission
    $10; children under 12 free
    Tables
    Free on a first-come basis, or $5 to reserve one in advance (non-refundable)
    Talk-in
    The K9IKQ repeater on 146.685 with a 151.4 Hz tone
    Host
    Wabash Valley ARA

  5. Sat, Apr 3, 2027 8 a.m. – noon

    Columbus Indiana Hamfest

    Columbus — Columbus North High School cafeteria, 1400 25th St.

    Admission
    Not announced yet
    Tables
    Not announced yet
    VE testing
    Doors at 8 a.m., exams start at 9
    Talk-in
    146.790 with a 103.5 Hz tone
    Host
    Columbus ARC

  6. Sat, Jul 17, 2027

    Auburn Hamfest

    Auburn — Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, 1600 S. Wayne St.

    Talk-in
    147.015 with a 141.3 Hz tone
    Contact
    John Maag, KD9QDL; 260-438-6588; jdmaag6101@gmail.com
    Host
    Northeastern Indiana ARA

    Listed from the ARRL record, which is where the date was posted — the club's own Hamfest Schedule page at w9ou.org does not have it yet. Public contact is John Maag, KD9QDL.

  7. Sat, Oct 9, 2027

    Hoosier Hills Hamfest

    Mitchell — 11265 US Highway 50 West, Mitchell, IN 47446

    Tables
    indoor and outdoor vendor/flea market spaces
    VE testing
    license testing
    Contact
    hamfest@w9qyq.org
    Host
    The Hoosier Hills Ham Club

  8. Sat, Nov 27, 2027

    WVARA TurkeyFest

    Brazil — Clay County 4-H Fairgrounds, 6550 N. SR 59

    Talk-in
    The K9IKQ repeater on 146.685 with a 151.4 Hz tone
    Host
    Wabash Valley ARA

    Posted by the club more than a year ahead. Hours, admission and table fees are not published for this running yet; they have not varied much from one year to the next.

  9. Sat, Mar 25, 2028

    WVARA Spring Hamfest

    Brazil — Clay County 4-H Fairgrounds, 6550 N. SR 59

    Talk-in
    The K9IKQ repeater on 146.685 with a 151.4 Hz tone
    Host
    Wabash Valley ARA

    Posted by the club more than a year ahead. Hours, admission and table fees are not published for this running yet; they have not varied much from one year to the next.

Well-known recurring Indiana hamfests

These come back every year but have not posted a next date, so the month shown is the one each has traditionally used — a planning hint, not a date. Anything that picks up a firm date moves up into the list above. Several of them are in this list for the same reason: a club's own site has gone quiet, been parked, or lost its security certificate, and the ARRL record is the better anchor until that is sorted out.

  • Early October last held Sat, Oct 3, 2026

    Shelbyville Tailgate

    Shelbyville — Shelby County Fairgrounds, 500 Frank St, Shelbyville, IN 46176

    Tables
    No fee for vendor space, indoors or out
    Talk-in
    The club's W9NTP repeater on 145.48 with an 88.5 Hz tone
    Host
    Blue River Valley Amateur Radio Society

    The club has not posted a 2027 date.

  • Late February last held Sat, Feb 28, 2026

    Cabin Fever Hamfest

    LaPorte — LaPorte County Fairgrounds, 2581 SR 2

    Tables
    $15 a table, plus $5 for limited electric
    Host
    LaPorte County ARC

    The club is advertising a “Tailgate Hamfest 2026” with no date attached, and the only page still under the Cabin Fever name is its table-reservation form, which names neither a date nor the venue. The ARRL record is the better anchor for the month, and it has the last running at the county fairgrounds on SR 2.

  • Late April last held Sat, Apr 26, 2025

    North Central Indiana Hamfest

    Peru — Miami County 4-H Fairgrounds, 1029 W. 200 North

    Host
    Grant / Miami / Cass / Kokomo clubs

    The dedicated site, ncihamfest.com, now resolves to a parked domain rather than the club's own content, and the Grant County page linked here still points at it while handing out a 2025 flyer. Recent runnings have landed in the second half of April at the Peru fairgrounds.

  • Last Saturday in July last held Sat, Jul 25, 2026

    East Central Indiana Hamfest

    Portland — Jay County Fairgrounds, 806 E. Votaw St.

    Talk-in
    443.475+ with a 100.0 Hz tone; 145.210- with a 97.4 Hz tone
    Host
    Jay County & Whitewater Valley ARCs

    The organizers say they are working out a venue for 2027.

  • Early August last held Sat, Aug 8, 2026

    Hendricks County Tailgate Fest

    Avon — Avon United Methodist Church; 6850 East Hwy US 36

    Talk-in
    The W9HCA repeater on 145.130 with an 88.5 Hz tone
    Host
    Ham Emergency Radio Operations (HERO)

  • Early August last held Sat, Aug 1, 2026

    Burning Ham!

    Sellersburg — American Legion, 412 N. New Albany St.

    Host
    Clark County ARC

    The club's page still carries the last running rather than a next one.

  • Early August last held Sat, Aug 1, 2026

    Elkhart East Hamfest

    Elkhart — Northern Indiana Event Center, 21565 Executive Pkwy

    Talk-in
    147.33 with a 131.8 Hz tone
    Host
    Northern Indiana K9DEW Repeater Network

    In the same position as Hamtober Fest: the certificate on elkharteasthamfest.com has expired, so this links the ARRL record instead. That record still shows the last running, but it does give the venue address, the talk-in, and a contact to ask about next summer.

  • Mid-August last held Sat, Aug 23, 2025

    ARANCI Hamfest

    Winfield — Christ Presbyterian Church, 7416 E. 109th Ave.

    Talk-in
    145.33 and 444.250 with a 131.8 Hz tone
    Host
    Amateur Radio Association of Newton County Indiana

    ARANCI's own site is promoting a 2026 running but does not post a firm date; the ARRL record is the better anchor and still shows the last confirmed running.

  • September last held Sat, Sep 12, 2026

    MARC Tailgate Hamfest

    Edinburgh — Atterbury FWA DNR Office parking lot, 7970 South Rowe St.

    Tables
    No charge for MARC members; a $5 donation is asked of non-members to set up a display
    Talk-in
    146.520 simplex
    Host
    Mid-State Amateur Radio Club

    An outdoor tailgate at the DNR office parking lot across from Atterbury FWA headquarters; sellers set up from a vehicle or bring their own table.

This list isn't exhaustive — smaller club hamfests and tailgate events come and go, and not every one of them gets announced far enough ahead to reach us. For the complete schedule, open the live ARRL Hamfests & Conventions Calendar and filter by State: Indiana (or ARRL Central Division / Indiana Section).

Related pages

Most hamfests are run by local radio clubs — browse the clubs directory to find one near you. License testing is often held at hamfests, and the exam sessions page covers what to bring and how to prepare, plus every other session in the state. For what else is coming up in Indiana amateur radio, see events & calendar.