INDIANAPOLIS - A 66-foot replica of the global cultural icon of France, The Eiffel Tower, will be installed at Georgia Street and Capitol Avenue in June as a part of the USA Swimming LIVE Presented by Purdue University activation in downtown Indianapolis in conjunction with the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming, Indiana Sports Corp announced Tuesday alongside key partners.
The 19,000-pound replica tower presented by AES Indiana and the OneAmerica Financial Concert Series are the centerpieces of a ten-day family-friendly extravaganza called “USA Swimming LIVE Presented by Purdue University.” This activation will be themed around pools, swimming, and water, to celebrate the nine days of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming, June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The tower, which is being made of Indiana steel, is under construction by the Latinas Welding Guild and will be placed on June 10, ahead of the swimming trials.
The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis are expected to draw over 250,000 fans over nine days and will break the record for the largest swim meet ever. During the trials, more than 1,000 athletes will compete for 52 spots to represent Team USA. More than $100 million in economic impact is estimated from the nine-day event.
Welcoming fans free of charge, USA Swimming LIVE Presented by Purdue University will kick-off at 5 PM on June 14 with The Starting Block Party featuring the Bloomington-based high-energy funk band The Main Squeeze. They will perform on the OneAmerica Financial Stage on Georgia Street from 8-9:30 PM.
Following the block party, the OneAmerica Financial Stage will showcase musical performances and programming daily from 2-7 PM, June 15-23. The headlining acts, which will perform daily from 5:30-7 PM, are listed below. The concert lineup, which is also free and open to the public, was curated by Forty5 Presents.
June 15 – lovelytheband
June 16 – John Driskell Hopkins (Hop from Zac Brown Band)
June 17 – The Motet
June 18 – Saved By The 90s
June 19 – Brittney Spencer
June 20 – Taylor Swift Night: The Taylor Party
June 21 – Fastball
June 22 – To Be Announced
June 23 – Six Foot Blonde
In addition to the replica Eiffel Tower and OneAmerica Financial Concert Series, USA Swimming LIVE Presented by Purdue University will feature art, food and drink, and a variety of activities for all ages. And during the nine days of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, the swimming, water and Parisian themes will carry through all of downtown Indianapolis.
Additional highlights are listed below.
- A Swim Up Bar will be located in the center block of Georgia Street, but patrons won’t need a swimsuit to enjoy it. The bar will feature pool party and swim lane decor, and be a place to relax in between swimming trials sessions. Patrons can enjoy a cold beverage and local food. The local downtown business community is encouraged to take advantage of this spot to host meetings or connect with colleagues and friends.
- Five new works of art will be installed around the Georgia Street corridor. Through the All Lanes Lead to Indy Art Project, the Indy Arts Council selected five central Indiana artists from more than 70 applicants for the project, which highlights water, swimming, and Olympic themes.
- SPARK! on the Circle is returning for a second year on Monument Circle. When it opens in June, SPARK! on the Circle—the popular collaboration between Downtown Indy Inc. and Big Car Collaborative—will incorporate swimming, water and Parisian themes into its programming.
- Downtown Indy Inc. will also host Shining A Light, an audio, video, and graphic presentation each night to honor our Hoosier Veterans and showcase the red, white and blue.
Tickets to all nine days of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium—June 15-23— are available at usaswimming.org/trialstickets.
For more information about USA Swimming LIVE and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming, visit the digital media kit linked here and usaswimming.org/trials.
What They Are Saying
Jenny Boyts, Chief Executive Officer, Forty5 Presents: “At Forty5 Presents, we thrive on bringing people together through music. We do that at the Historic Vogue Theater in Broad Ripple and Rock the Ruins at Holliday Park, but this is the first time we’re booking bands to rock an U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. So we couldn’t be more delighted to fill the OneAmerica Financial Stage with a lot of high-energy, diverse music and bands from inside and outside of Indiana.”
Scott Davison, Chairman, President, and CEO, OneAmerica Financial: “Did you know that the last time Paris hosted the Olympics was a century ago, in 1924? The same year, Indianapolis hosted the Olympic swimming trials in Broad Ripple Park. So this year, we’re celebrating a century of innovation and change in Indianapolis and all things French by creating a replica of Paris’ most iconic and tallest structure: the Eiffel Tower! At 66-feet tall, the Indianapolis replica will be placed outside, on Georgia Street and Capitol Avenue In June. Day and night, our tower will symbolically connect Indianapolis and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials happening here to the Paris Olympics. And, thanks to the tower’s generous sponsor—AES Indiana—our replica will twinkle at night, just like the original one in Paris. And thanks to AES’ energy-efficiency programs, those twinkles will be energy efficient ones.”
Shana Ferguson, Chief Commercial Officer, USA Swimming: “At USA Swimming we are excited to bring the Olympic Trials to Indianapolis, which has committed tremendous creativity and innovation to host the world’s fastest swim meet in June. For the first time ever, a swim meet is being held on a football field, as 3 swimming pools take the stage in Lucas Oil Stadium! And Indianapolis is living up to its reputation as an incredible event city by creating USA Swimming LIVE Presented by Purdue University just outside on Georgia Street and the Toyota Aqua Zone inside the Indiana Convention Center.”
Consuelo Lockhart, Founder and Executive Director, Latinas Welding Guild: “At the Latinas Welding Guild, we are proud to build something that will create lifelong memories for the USA Swimming athletes and everyone who comes downtown to participate in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. I am also happy that this project will help highlight the mission of the Latinas Welding Guild: Our nonprofit exists to empower underserved communities with a spectrum of educational opportunities. When I founded the guild, we were focused on welding. We have since expanded to offer access not just to welding courses, but also diverse manufacturing classes.”
Andy Mallon, Executive Director, Capital Improvement Board: “Hosting world-class events in Indianapolis has incredible positive cultural and financial impacts. We’re talking today about the innovative arts and culture activations we will enjoy during the nine days of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. I’m excited to see our residents and visitors participate in all of it. I’m also excited that we’re estimating more than $100 million in financial impact, in addition to the media impact with nine nights on NBC that comes with hosting the trials here.”
Karin Sarratt, Executive Vice President, OneAmerica Financial: “The swimming and Parisian themes will also carry through on Georgia Street during the trials. There’ll be a swim up bar in the center block of Georgia Street, but you won’t need your swimsuit to enjoy it. Just come as you are with friends, family, or colleagues! Our swim up bar will feature pool party and swim lane decor, and be a place to get away in between swimming trials sessions to enjoy a cold beverage, local eats, and sunshine. We also encourage the downtown business community to take advantage of this spot to host your meetings or connect with colleagues and friends at the end of the workday. And while we’re changing the Indianapolis landscape to look a little more like Paris and celebrating French culture, what better way than commissioning some new works of art? Thanks to the Indy Arts Council, the All Lanes Lead to Indy Art Project is responsible for five new works that will be installed downtown.”
Patrick Talty, President, Indiana Sports Corp: “I am proud to stand here today and hear about all of the strategic creativity our community has dedicated to making the nine days of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials special. But I’m not surprised. Taking the world-class events to another level is what we do best in Indianapolis and these nine days will be something everyone will want to see and be part of.”
About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events, and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competitions including the Olympic Games and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org. Contact: Nikki Warner (719-291-6828 / nwarner@usaswimming.org)
About Indiana Sports Corp
Founded in 1979 as the nation’s first sports commission, Indiana Sports Corp is a not-for-profit organization focused on bringing premier sporting events to Indiana to drive economic vitality, facilitate a vibrant community with civic pride and garner positive media attention. Because of this, Indiana Sports Corp is able to provide positive, sports-related opportunities for youth in the community. For more information, please visit IndianaSportsCorp.org.