IndieCraft festival returns to Springfield on May 16 and 17, uniting live music fans with craft beer. The event includes a full lineup of live music at two venues, craft brews, and local distilled spirits.
IndieCraft is all about “keeping it real, keeping it local, and keeping the music alive,” offering eclectic experiences at indoor and outdoor venues, including
Mother Stewart’s Brewery and the
State Theater.
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IndieCraft at Mother Stewart’s BreweryKristina Jarrell is the downtown events programmer for the
Greater Springfield Partnership and is responsible for bringing fun, exciting events to the area. While Jarrell has only been in her role for a little over a year, the event has a longer history.
“This will be the sixth year for IndieCraft,” she says. “It kind of started out as this opportunity in Springfield to bring a different kind of music, and to open up people’s horizons to different types of bands out there.”
Over time, there have been different iterations and formats of the event, including indoor locations and outdoor stages.
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IndieCraft 2025“This year, we decided to bring it back to its roots a little bit, keep things super intimate and curated,” Jarrell says. “Mother Stewart’s is always a great location because they have such an ample outdoor patio and the outdoor stage. The building in and of itself is a really cool space. It’s a really cool old building with open, exposed beams, so the vibes inside are really nice.”
On Saturday, the event starts at 4 p.m. at Mother Stewart’s, kicking off with a
beerfest featuring different local beers until 8 p.m. The bands will take the stage throughout Beerfest. Stay Outside performs at 5 p.m., followed by Snarls at 6:30 p.m.
Then, at the historic downtown State Theater, Aaron Lee Tasjan takes the stage at 8 p.m., followed by Wild Pink at 9:30 p.m. A craft whiskey and bourbon tasting takes place from 7 to 10 p.m.
“The inside of the theater is also really cool, you have all the really big, high old ceilings, a wonderful, beautiful stage, and a really cool bar. That’s going to be our nighttime venue, and we also have a whiskey tasting this year. You can get your daytime summer vibes at Mother’s and then transition over into the State, for a little bit more laidback, intimate atmosphere.”
Jarrell says the live music lineup is typically the main draw, providing local Springfield residents as well as nearby travelers a unique chance to see many indie bands before they hit it big.
Ohio-based musicians, Indianapolis groups, and New York outfits provide dream pop, indie rock, and indie folk grit sounds.
“My boss,
Chris Schutte, is the mastermind behind IndieCraft,” Jarrell says. “All of the stories he’s told me always start with his love of music. He’s the one that is really out there listening to the independent radio stations, doing the research, finding the bands, pulling them in, and curating that experience.”
Prior to IndieCraft on Saturday, there’s also a pre-festival kickoff on Friday with a free performance by Leggy at 8 p.m. at Mother Stewart’s Brewing, followed by a ticketed show by Salvadore Ross, Visitor & Wahfu at the State Theater.
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IndieCraft brings indie bands to Springfield.Festival attendees can enjoy regional Ohio beers from The Hairless Hare Brewery in Vandalia, Alematic Artisan Ales in Huber Heights, Grove City Brewing, Warped Wing Brewing and Little Fish Brewing Co., Branch & Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, Fat Head’s Brewery in Middleburg Heights, Devil Wind Brewing in Xenia, and Crooked Handle Brewing in Piqua.
Since the live music portion of the event is free, there are many sponsors behind the scenes, and a team of loyal volunteers making it happen.
“We have really great partners in the State Theater and Mother Stewart’s, and our big sponsors Benjamin Steel and Link-Hellmuth,” Jarrell says.
Last year, the all-ages event drew around 3,000 people. Feedback from last year’s attendees shaped this year’s festival footprint, which is dialed back a bit from three stages and locations to two.
“We got feedback from everybody that they had a hard time choosing where to go,” Jarrell says. If the point is for you to be exposed to as many bands as possible, it stinks that they had to choose one place and couldn’t make it to the other one. This year, we just have a daytime location and a nighttime location, so you are guaranteed to get to see all four bands. You don’t have to flip-flop or choose who you want to see, or miss out on something.”
She adds that these hand-picked bands are not something you want to miss.
“A lot of festivalgoers always say it’s really cool for them to see the bands when they’re playing in a much more relaxed atmosphere before they get huge,” Jarrell says. “We always end up having bands come here, and then in one or two years, they’re a much larger band. People seem to really enjoy being able to say, ‘Oh, I got to see them before.’”
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IndieCraft at Mother Stewart’s Brewery
It’s not common for bands of this caliber to always stop in towns like Springfield, instead of playing gigs in Dayton or Columbus. Jarrell says she enjoys bringing these talented groups to the revitalized Downtown Springfield, bringing life and visitors back to the area.
“If you want to come down for the day and leave, you always can, but there are always plenty of things to do where you could stay the weekend and go around doing other things while you’re here, too,” she says. “We have some really high-quality restaurants in our downtown, the newest one that opened is
High Hat Social, with plates that are not typical or common. We also got a new modern upscale Mexican restaurant, called
Casa Centro. They’re adding a ton to the fabric of downtown.”
The festival is always innovating to include unique new experiences, while also listening to attendees' feedback to make sure it’s something residents and visitors alike can fully enjoy. Jarrell says the organizers are looking into adding a visual art portion in future years.
For more information on IndieCraft,
visit their website.