Indiana Farmers Coliseum

The only times I have been to the Coliseum have been for hockey games… so my perspective is all based on that.
The recent renovation seems nice enough… I know a ton of money was dropped to bring the level up. The building is old… but nice. There isn’t a bad seat in the arena for hockey except maybe at glass eye level and I prefer sitting higher up anyways.
The curtains in the 300 level are weird… it feels like they could have spent a bit more for walls or something (but maybe there is a reason). And the rows in the 300 level are a straight guessing game… a big letter «D» at the start of the row would help.
Parking is hit or miss depending on where you come in. Last visit was a nice crossing over the muddy horse track/infield…and muddy feet are always great.

I work at different shows. This weekend is the boat/​fishing/​hunting show and it’s great!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO COME PUT AND SEE IT YOURSELF!
Friday 12 – 8 opens Saturday and Sunday as well*call in for hours**
They have hundreds of gorgeous boats from your large boats to small boats. They also have duck calls, deer heads, hunting houses! And many more! I’ve never been hunting been just from working this show, makes me want to try it!

Fun during this Christmas Break session with the kids. It was crowded but everyone was all smiles and having fun. All age levels were present and skating from grandparents to wee little ones. The rink was a bit small but not enough to keep from coming back. Concession stand over priced but this is expected so I wasn’t shocked. Employees in the skate shop ranged from mute and indifferent to friendly. Overall had a great time. We’ll be back.

Prices on food are pretty high, even for an arena/​stadium (example: $ 6 for a large soda that doesn’t even come in a souvenir cup). The service can slow to a crawl when there’s a large crowd. The rest of the experience is great, the hockey is good and the few encounters I’ve had with the staff have been pretty friendly. I’ll be renewing as a season ticket holder next year, but I hope they can work something out with the concessions to speed them up and work on the prices. They would almost certainly sell more if the cost was lower.

We went to the Coliseum for a concert ⁹⁄₃₀. I had not attended a concert in this venue previously. The show was Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach and In This Moment. We had reserved seats on the side as the floor was GA Standing Room Only. The venue is a great mid-​size show option for performances that can’t fill Bankers Life or Klipsch. The sound inside for all sets was really good and reminded me a lot of Market Square Arena. It’s fairly easy to navigate inside the building. After the show it was very easy to get to the car and out of the fairgrounds. I would definitely attend another concert here.

Love to go to hockey games here, concerts, not so much.
Perfect venue for a hockey game. No matter where you sit, you’re going to have a great view, so you don’t have to shell out a ton of money to go to a Fuel game. I’ve been to a few and it’s never a dull moment.
The only time I was extremely irked (and yes, I’d had a little beer at this point) was when we snuck into some closer seats and this shrimpy security guard told us we had to leave. Problem was, there were several people doing the same thing. I won’t go into detail, but he looked pretty foolish by the end. Check my photos to see the little tattle tale :)

The renovated Indiana Farmers Coliseum is about as good as an ice arena as they come. Every single seat in the house is perfect, whether you want to take it all in on the 3^rd tier or see a check 5″ from your face against the boards. It’s all good. I love coming to catch a Fuel game there.
The concessions are nice and modern. The food is your standard fare and it’s about as expensive as you’d expect. The only downside is the $ 9 for Sunking, Ouch.

I’ve been coming to the Coliseum for years for different events… Hockey, concerts, expos, State Fair… you name it. I have to say, I’m *really* impressed with the renovations to the facility. As an Indy Fuel fan, it is 100% true when they say that there is «not a bad seat in the house.» The renovations really changed the sight-​lines for hockey, along with making the seats more comfortable.
For the rest of the review, I’m going to play a game of «Like/​Improve» in regards to the Coliseum.
Like: The ample parking options for the facility.
Improve: The $ 5 parking fee for *Every* event. This is especially annoying for regularly occurring sporting events at the facility. Can I just buy a year-​pass or something?
Like: The new 2^nd floor concourse level & the selection of vendors.
Improve: How constricted it gets during intermission. Traffic flow could be improved around the concession area.
Love: The renovated bathrooms over the sketchy old ones.
Improve: There are a dozen+ stalls, 4+ sinks, and ONE paper towel dispenser in the women’s bathrooms. Some space designer didn’t do their math. Add more paper towel dispensers, please!
Improve2: Add «In» & «Out» signs to the bathroom doors, it’s a CLUSTER during intermissions & at the end of the game, with lines forming at both ends.
Improve3: The housekeeping generally thinks the great time to clean/​sweep the women’s bathrooms is during Intermission. Seriously… that is the worst time to be closing down stalls. But it happens at Every. Game.
Love: «The Garage» Indy Fuel Fan Shop
Improve: Can it be made larger? It is so rough to navigate at games due to the restricted size.
Love: The friendliness of the Indy Fuel Staff.
Improve: The functioning of the security staff. Hockey fans sometimes get a little rowdy, but if they’re not actively hurting someone & if someone has not complained, let them be… it’s not a library or study hall. :-)
Overall, I would highly recommend the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum as a sport & event venue.

I have only been here once since the renovations, but I don’t know that I was all that impressed. My visit here was for an Indy Fuel hockey game, to which I would give 5 stars for that experience. The hockey was amazing to watch, and the crowd was awesome. I am a fan of the game of hockey, and these guys are the real deal if you want to see a skilled and competitive team play.
My rational for this ranking is because not long before my visit here, I made it down to Evansville to watch the Icemen play. They are in the same league and the two teams play each other numerous times. If I gave my Evansville experience 5 stars, I can’t justify giving this one any more than 3.
First of all, the renovations brought some upgrades, but in doing so they ended up making a place that feels like a very poorly put together new facility rather than a neat older one that had some upgrades made to it. I’m surprised that they spent that much money after seeing it in person. If I recall correctly they put almost $ 60 million to upgrade this. Knowing that Evansville built a brand new one from the ground up for $ 120 million that blows this out of the water in every category, it feels like we wasted a lot of money. It’s also outside of any of the major areas of Indy, so it’s not like people can go eat anywhere nearby before the event or even walk to anything here. It’s really not a good area to represent Indy. Parking is $ 5, and it is a mess. I bet I sat in a line of traffic for at least 20 minutes trying to just get out of here after the game on a Sunday afternoon. It was a horrible job by whoever is the person in charge of event planning in figuring out how to efficiently handle traffic flow out of here. Getting in wasn’t too bad, but they directed us to park very far away. Definitely not a walk I would want to make in poor weather.
The layout of this place isn’t great. Drink and food prices were stupidly high, even for a sporting event. They are at least on par with Pacers and Colts prices, if not higher, while they should be matching up with the Indians instead. Ticket prices also seem a little high. The cheapest ones are in the $ 15 — $ 20 range, which still give you a good view. I don’t think I would ever spend $ 50+ to come watch a minor league team play anything. I really think they need to rethink pricing, especially if they want families to be able to come here.
Overall, I am still pumped to have a great hockey team in this city and I am sure I will end up at more matches. It’s probably the only reason this is a 3 star rating and not lower. I am just disappointed that the Fuel decided to call the Farmers Coliseum their home.

The positive reviews of this place baffle me. Every comment I’ve heard is about how poor the layout and new design is. There are some pluses, the new lighting, the jumbotron, and cushioned seats.
The things that made the Pepsi Coliseum cool are gone now. No open concourse, no variety in food vendors, no option to exit out the door closest to where you are parked, etc. If there is ever a fire in this place, expect a few thousand dead bodies. Even if you could find an exit, the way they’ve changed the rows, concourse, and railings would keep you from ever getting to it. They only have Barto’s catering for food now, which is possibly the worst ‘food’ I’ve ever eaten. All of the prices have considerably increased, I suppose that happens when you have a monopoly. To enter/​exit, everyone is funneled into one of two stairwells which could probably accommodate 5 people shoulder to shoulder. Even trying to move a few hundred people up them is a slow process.
The State could have better spent the money by cleaning, doing needed repairs, and replacing the seating; leaving the rest of the place and the food vendors intact. Some great sports teams play there, so I’ll end up going back, but I won’t be purchasing anything there.

Came here to see an Indy Fuel game. Reasonable ticket prices for good seats. I heard it had been renovated (not sure how long ago) but it was a nice and clean arena for sure! There are some seats that are way up there but not Pacer or Colts way up there. Worth a trip back for sure,

Gotta come here for an Indy Fuel hockey game. Visited recently for an open house event, I can”t believe the transformation they did to the venerable Pepsi Coliseum (now Indiana Farmers Coliseum). I guess that’s what a $ 60 million-​plus renovation will get you. I remember coming to the Coliseum for «Fight Night», and sitting on dingy wooden seats in a dimly lit arena. Now, the arena has excellent lighting with great sightlines all the way around. And the concessions have improved quite a bit as well. There is a new bar area on the eastside of the arena featuring craft beers and mixed drinks, and some standing room for you to loiter while sipping on your beverage.
As of right now, there are hockey and basketball games hosted at the Coliseum, as well as various shows and concerts. There is potential to host other midsize events right in the heart of the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Had a great time at Indy Fuel game. This stadium is perfect for hockey. Not a bad seat.

After spending time at many minor league hockey rinks in the midwest, I’m not very impressed with the Pepsi Coliseum. Not sure exactly what it was, in all honesty, but the whole experience was just pretty boring. A lot of people say the renovations have made it such a good place to see a game, but if that’s the case, I would have absolutely hated to see it before.

Nice venue to see a sporting event — go Fuel! Easy to park, easy to get in and out of, decent seats anywhere in the house. Really high concession prices, but what else is new?

As a hockey venue the newly renovated Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairground is great. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, restrooms and concessions are top notch, and the bar overlooking the arena is a welcome touch. At first glance it can be a bit confusing how to get to certain sections of seating; if you pay attention to signage and ask the polite staff you’ll be on your way to enjoying an Indy Fuel game in no time.
Make sure you visit the bar if you’re looking for a craft brew. They have a small handful that are leagues above the canned varieties passed around by the guys yelling «beer man here!»

The renovations far exceeded my expectations! I’ve been to the Coliseum many times before, and within just minutes I forgot everything I remembered about the place and fell in love with the new Coliseum! So much more light, new seats, tons of bathrooms and that bar — a real-​deal bar in the second level concourse! Even though there’s less seating, I feel closer to the action. I got mid-​level tickets to the Fuel game and actually ducked when a slap-​shot smacked the glass because the action was that close. Go check out an event here, you’ll love it!

Hockey is back! I came here for the inaugural Fuel game welcoming pro hockey back after a 10 year absence in Indianapolis. This was also my first time back into the Pepsi Coliseum since its brand spankin’ new renovation. Our group had such a fantastic time! I am excited Hockey is here in Indy!
My thoughts and observations:
Atmosphere/​Coliseum/​Fuel Event:
The building has a whole new modern look, very clean, and streamlined. The netting around the entire rink adds a nice layer of puck hazard prevention. No one wants to loose a tooth for peats sake! Thankful for the safety first approach. In regards to seating there isn’t a bad seat in the whole arena however, if you want to experience the intro in its full historical, flaming, captivating glory, or if it is your first Fuel outing, try to get seats on the North or South wings. The special on-​ice intro is a must! The $ 4.00 overpriced hot dog can wait, watch and cheer on the Fuel!
Parking:
Once you have actually made it into the fairgrounds parking is $ 5.00 a carload. Realistically this isn’t a bad deal compared to what you would pay for other sporting events downtown or in other cities. Also, parking is placed within a short walking distance or a provided shuttle ride to the Coliseum. Easy breezy!
Concessions:
Meh…they have food. This is your basic standard event food with the event price tag — popcorn, nachos, hotdogs all $ 4.00, burgers and pulled pork sandwiches are $ 10.00. On the plus side Sun King beer is available $ 8.00.
Definitely a great event to check out. Good for families, groups, date night, newbies to the sport (like me), you name it.

Not bad for a sports venue, but I was expecting more activity. Granted that I was there during the Cheerleading finals, so there weren’t many shopping stations, but there weren’t many food vendors or concession stands either.
However, the venue was exceptionally clean for an arena, meaning there wasn’t much trash, debris or litter laying around. This is my biggest pet peeve, so I’m glad that it was tidy :)

The Pepsi Coliseum is an odd place with a weird vibe. This Arena was built in 1939, but it looks a lot older. I stopped in to check it out while attending the Indiana State Fair. The Hockey Banners on the wall and ceiling are pretty cool. After doing some research, I found out this Arena has a lot of history to it. Some good, most of it is not so good. Wayne Gretzky played his first season as a pro as a member of the Indianapolis Racers at this arena. The Beatles played a concert at the PC in the early 60’s and 74 people lost their lives when propane tank exploded during a Ice Show on Halloween Night, 1963. That’s a lot of history for a 73 year old building.
The place is laid out like the Old Chicago Stadium. Blacked out widows are featured on both ends of the arena behind where the net would be. The Building looks to be in need of a lot of maintenance. A strong wind would knock the place over. But still, the place has me intrigued. The place isn’t used much anymore. There is a Minor League Hockey team that plays here and they offer public skating on the weekends. It makes me wonder why the City of Indy doesn’t just Raze the place.
No bottom line on this one, just a short statement. The Pepsi Coliseum has seen it’s share of Triumph and Tragedy. I love old buildings, but I really wonder what the people of Indianapolis think of this place, if they think of it at all. It’s a relic from the past that I enjoyed visiting. If I get the chance, I would love to see a Hockey game at the PC if my schedule permits me. It would be an interesting experience.