Boxcar Development and Opry Entertainment Group announce partnership to bring Blake Shelton’s Ole Red to downtown Indianapolis Fieldhouse District.
Country superstar and Grand Ole Opry member Blake Shelton joined local officials at Wednesday morning event to announce new entertainment offering.
INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Boxcar Development, an entity controlled by Herb Simon, and Opry Entertainment Group announce that Ole Red – the bar, restaurant and live music venue inspired by Opry member Blake Shelton – is coming to downtown Indianapolis. The new 37,000 square foot multi-level location is found in the heart of the Fieldhouse District at 231-235 S. Meridian Street. The venue, which is projected to open in late 2027, sits just blocks from the new Ritz-Carlton Indianapolis, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and other downtown entertainment amenities.
Shelton and Colin Reed, Executive Chairman of Opry Entertainment Group (OEG) parent company Ryman Hospitality Properties, joined the Simon family and local leaders Wednesday morning to announce the partnership between Boxcar Development, LLC, an entity controlled by Herb Simon, and OEG.
“Indianapolis is a market we have admired for some time, and we are thrilled to have a like-minded partner who shares our vision and is helping lead the continued evolution of the downtown entertainment district,” said Reed. “We look forward to expanding the Ole Red brand and creating a best-in-class entertainment and hospitality destination for the Indianapolis community.”
Inspired by Shelton’s 2001 hit by the same name, Ole Red combines a made-from-scratch, Shelton-inspired food and drink menu with a concert-quality live music experience. OEG has opened other Ole Red locations in Nashville, Las Vegas, Orlando, Gatlinburg, and in Shelton’s hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. The proposed Indianapolis site will include a main dining area, an indoor bar, and two performance stages, as well as a covered rooftop bar overlooking downtown.
Of the announcement, Blake Shelton shares, “Man, the energy in this place is just unreal. Every time I come through, I catch myself thinking up reasons to hang around a little longer. You put a city together that loves sports and country music this much, well, that’s about as good as it gets for me. Here we come Indy!”
Ole Red represents an important investment by a globally recognized brand in a downtown entertainment district anchored by Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Fieldhouse, which plays host to more than 2 million visitors and more than 500 events and meetings each year, is Indiana’s most popular live events venue, and the economic activity it continues to generate in the downtown has already helped make the Circle City one of the nation’s leading convention, sports tourism, and hospitality destinations.
Opry Entertainment Group will also join the Fieldhouse Media Network, announced last month, and become marketing partners of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever.
“Partnerships and investments around Gainbridge Fieldhouse, just like this one, are exciting steps as we create one of the most bold and ambitious sports-anchored entertainment districts in the country,” said Simon. “We are proud to partner with Opry Entertainment Group and Ryman Hospitality Properties to bring this world-class brand to downtown.”
Earlier this year, Boxcar Development announced plans for the Ritz-Carlton Indianapolis and Live Nation event venue at the corner of Pennsylvania and Georgia Streets, while other major projects, including the Indiana Fever Performance Center, the Signia Hotel by Hilton, and the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, are already underway. Other projects, like the Circle Centre Mall redevelopment into Traction Yards and downtown investments by Indiana University and Purdue University, are anticipated in the coming years, as well. Taken together, billions of dollars of new investment have been committed to create new retail, culinary, live entertainment, commercial, and hospitality offerings in the Fieldhouse District.
Construction on the Ole Red Indy venue through a sensitive restoration of the historic façade is set to begin later this year. Partners on the project include Woolpert Architects, Gilliatte General Contractors, T.M. Crowley & Associates, Lake City Bank, and the City of Indianapolis.
About Opry Entertainment Group:
Rooted in the unparalleled country music history of the Grand Ole Opry, Opry Entertainment Group (OEG), produces multi-platform entertainment experiences through its growing portfolio of owned and managed entertainment venues and live event businesses. This includes the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, the iconic Ryman Auditorium, WSM Radio, ACL Live at Moody Theater, the Blake Shelton-inspired Ole Red brand, the Luke Combs-inspired Category 10 brand, Ascend Federal Credit Union Amphitheater, CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park and Southern Entertainment, a premier festival production company. Through concerts, tours, music-inspired restaurants, retail, publishing, digital content and more, OEG connects millions of music fans to the artists they love through experiences they’ll never forget. OEG is a subsidiary of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RHP).
About Ole Red:
Ole Red is a lifestyle and entertainment brand inspired by Blake Shelton’s clever, irreverent third-chart hit, “Ol’ Red.” Its bar, restaurant and live music venues showcase hand-selected country music talent alongside concert-quality production and a Shelton-inspired menu for a unique experience that is “served all day and night.” You can find Ole Red entertainment venues and products in five cities in the United States: Nashville, Tennessee, home to the brand’s flagship multi-story bar and restaurant on the famed Lower Broadway and a location at Nashville International Airport; Tishomingo, Oklahoma, Blake’s hometown; Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains; Orlando, Florida located at Icon Park; and Las, Vegas Nevada in the center of the famed Las Vegas strip. A seventh location is scheduled to open in Indianapolis, Indiana, in late 2027. Ole Red is owned and operated by Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. as part of its Opry Entertainment division. For more information on Ole Red, please visit www.olered.com.
