Britney Spears, Green Day, Marvin Gaye and The B-52’s are headed for Fountain Square — kind of.
Tonic Ball, Indianapolis’ annual tribute concert event featuring local artists, returns Nov. 21 for its 24th year. Proceeds from the slate of more than 60 tribute performances will support Second Helpings, a nonprofit benefiting food banks and social service agencies in central Indiana. The event is presented by Eskenazi Health.
Tonic Ball performances will take place at Hi-Fi, Radio Radio, Square Cat Vinyl, White Rabbit Cabaret and Fountain Square Theater. General admission tickets are $75 and permit entry into every venue for every performance on the lineup.
Tonic Ball is one of Second Helpings’ largest fundraising initiatives and one of CEO Linda Broadfoot’s favorite nights of the year. The Friday before Thanksgiving event generates around $100,000 each year for the nonprofit, according to Tonic Ball’s website.
Broadfoot has helmed Second Helpings for four years, but she’s been a fan of Tonic Ball for much longer than that, she said.
“It’s raising money for Second Helpings, which is important,” Broadfoot said. “It also connects Second Helpings to an entire audience of people and aligns us with something that I think has become a real cultural touchstone in our community.”
Tonic Ball funds go toward Second Helpings’ three-pronged approach to addressing food insecurity in Indiana. The organization collects perishable food that would otherwise go to waste from retailers and restaurants and uses that food to create and distribute more than 5,000 meals each day to more than 100 service agencies. Participants in Second Helpings’ Culinary Job Training program also use that food to prepare for jobs in the food service industry.
Aftershocks from the longest federal government shutdown in history, which ended Nov. 12, are still lingering for Indiana residents facing food insecurity. Around 570,000 Hoosiers who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have only just begun to see their benefits restored, and service agencies like Second Helpings prepared to go into overdrive to fill the gap those missing federal benefits experienced at the beginning of the month.
More: Indiana’s half million SNAP recipients might need to reapply for benefits. What’s involved?
Second Helpings, along with Gleaners and Midwest Food Bank, will receive funds from the United Way Central Indiana Food Relief Fund, a $1 million pot supporting food pantries. United Way announced the aid initiative just before the government was set to suspend SNAP funds at the end of October.
Broadfoot said support from community members, aid organizations and local artists interested in playing Tonic Ball has ramped up with the holiday season approaching and essential federal funding in limbo.
“We had more applicants (to play Tonic Ball) than ever,” Broadfoot said. “The good news is the community has really come out in force to support organizations like ours.”
Second Helpings always accepts donations and volunteers. Below are the full Tonic Ball lineup and set times:
Britney Spears Stage: White Rabbit Cabaret, 1116 Prospect Street
The Elm Sisters: 7:20 p.m.
Kristina Sharp: 7:40 p.m.
Mother the Band: 8:20 p.m.
Brother O Brother: 9 p.m.
Exlicit Timeless Culture: 11:20 p.m.
Green Day Stage: Hi-Fi, 1043 Virginia Ave.
Dysfunktion Brass Band: 8:40 p.m.
Lisa Frank and the Trapper Keepers: 10:20 p.m.
Marvin Gaye Stage: Square Cat Vinyl, 1054 Virginia Ave.
The JBJ Collective: 7:40 p.m.
Wampus Milk Daddies: 8:20 p.m.
The Brothers Footman: 9:40 p.m.
Beatty and the Bayonets: 10:20 p.m.
Now Age Emcee: 11:20 p.m.
The B-52’s Stage: Radio Radio, 1119 Prospect St.
Cara Jean Wahlers: 7 p.m.
Nancy and The Fancies: 7:20 p.m.
Craig Bell and Band: 8 p.m.
The Arc of Etheline: 8:40 p.m.
The Operators: 10:40 p.m.
Greatest Hits Stage: Fountain Square Theater, 1111 Prospect St.
Sponsors only until 8:30 p.m.
Foxxy (Green Day): 7 p.m.
Neena Foundry (The B-52’s): 7:30 p.m.
Maria Diebolt (Britney Spears): 8 p.m.
Ed Lanier (Marvin Gaye).: 8:30 p.m.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Elm Sisters (Britney Spears): 9 p.m.
Cara Jean Wahlers (The B-52’s): 9:30 p.m.
The JBJ Collective (Marvin Gaye): 10 p.m.
Boldylocks (Green Day): 10:30 p.m.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at [email protected]. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tonic Ball 2025: See tickets, lineup, set times
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