Fishers Event Center Fall 2026: Hockey, Dining and What's Next

Where do you eat before a 7:15 p.m. puck drop at the Fishers Event Center this fall? The plan announced for 116th Street includes a fine-dining room from Cunningham Restaurant Group, a sushi bar, Thai food, a dessert shop, and a hotel you could walk to from your seat. As of late September 2026, none of those restaurants were open yet.

The arena is in its third winter and already draws big crowds. The district around it is a year or more behind. For the 2026–27 season, a night at the Fishers Event Center still works the way it did in 2024: you park, you eat at The Yard, and you walk over.

The arena is already full

The Fishers Event Center opened on Nov. 22, 2024. Its first-year report counted 141 events and 527,313 patrons. In the Indy Fuel's first season in Fishers, average attendance was 5,648 per game. That was 16.4% higher than the season before, and the team sold out 15 games. The final regular-season home game on April 11, 2025, drew 6,720.

The 2026–27 schedule makes the arena even more of a weekend habit. The Fuel play 72 games, 36 of them at home, and 63 of the 72 fall on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. That makes this the team's third season at the Fishers Event Center.

So the crowds are already here. What's still missing is everything those crowds would do before and after the game.

What's booked between now and Thanksgiving

The venue's fall lineup mixes hockey, concerts, and a college championship. Hockey nights are listed separately because most of them come with a promotion.

Fuel home dates worth circling

• Friday, Oct. 16, 7:15 p.m. Opening Night against the Wheeling Nailers, with a rally towel for every fan, a Fan Fest on the plaza, and postgame player autographs.
• Saturday, Oct. 17. Mossy Oak Camo Night, with the specialty jerseys auctioned after the game.
• Sunday, Oct. 25. ZOOperstars! Family Fun Day, with kids eating free and a postgame skate.
• Sunday, Nov. 1. Halloween Hangover, with trick-or-treating in costume and kids eating free.
• Sunday, Nov. 29. Teddy Bear Toss. The promotion announcement lists a 7 p.m. start, but the team's schedule release says Sunday home games start at 4 p.m., so check the game listing before you head out.

Everything else on the arena calendar

The volleyball tournament is the biggest date on that list for out-of-town crowds. It brings the conference's top 15 regular-season teams to Fishers over six days and ends with the championship match on Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. The City's September fall roundup put the Fuel opener and the tournament at the top of its list of things to do in Fishers this fall.

The Union's restaurant list is still mostly announcements

The Union at Fishers District is the Thompson Thrift project meant to surround the arena with places to eat. The developer broke ground in mid-2025. The plan includes restaurant and retail space, Class A offices, apartments, structured parking, and a 135-room AC Hotel by Marriott.

The announced tenant list is long:

• Cunningham Restaurant Group: a two-story building, with a 5,700-square-foot fine-dining restaurant upstairs and a 2,400-square-foot small-plates bar on the ground floor
• Flower Child: its second Indiana location, after the one in Nora Plaza
• The Oakmont: the restaurant and bar that already has a location near Mass Ave
• Dot Sugar: international desserts and drinks
• Piedra, Kitchen Social, Niku Sushi, Everbowl and Racha Thai

In January, the City said many of these tenants were expected to open in 2026. IndyStar's development roundup, updated Sept. 24, 2026, still listed the restaurants as planned and said openings were expected from the end of 2026 into 2027. As of that update, the Cunningham concept still had no public name. Jeni's Ice Cream showed up on the developer's site plan this summer, but the company hadn't confirmed the location when Current contacted it in July.

The hotel is on the same schedule. The AC Hotel at The Union reached full height on Sept. 17, and on Oct. 2 Current reported it was still on track to open in early 2027. So a hotel stay within walking distance of a Fuel game probably arrives after this season ends.

The Crossing is also still in the works

The Crossing is the other development next to the arena. Chicken N Pickle isn't coming. The City said the company missed its development deadlines, and that Fishers was buying the parcel for future redevelopment. The replacement proposal is a hotel with retail. Local reporting in March described it as a Hilton-branded Crossing Hotel with 125 rooms. An upscale steakhouse is also planned there. Current reported it won't open until 2027, while WTHR reported it was on track for near the end of 2026.

The DORA is approved but not in effect yet

On Aug. 17, the Fishers City Council approved two Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas, or DORAs. One covers the Nickel Plate District downtown. The other covers Fishers District, starting just south of 116th Street at The Yard and including The Crossing and the Fishers Event Center. Councilors cut back the original hours. The approved hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Both districts still need review by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission before they take effect. Fishers wasn't on the commission's list of active DORAs as of late September, and the City says the start date depends on that approval. For the Fuel opener, treat the walk from The Yard to the arena like any other walk. Finish your drink before you leave the restaurant.

For now, pregame means The Yard

The Yard at Fishers District already has a long list of places to eat and drink within walking distance of the arena. Its directory includes:

• Breweries and drinks: Sun King Fishers, Peace Water Winery, 1933 Lounge, Harmony Tea Shoppe
• Sit-down dinners: Sangiovese Ristorante, RIZE, The HC Tavern + Kitchen, 101 Craft Kitchen, Sangrita Grill+Cantina, JINYA Ramen Bar, Slapfish
• Quick bites: Shake Shack, BIBIBOP Asian Grill, Sweetgreen, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Chicken Salad Chick, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Rise & Roll Bakery
• Clutch Kitchen: the newest name on the list

Clutch Kitchen took over the former Fishers Test Kitchen space after that lease wasn't renewed in December 2025. It opened with a limited menu on Jan. 6, 2026. RIZE is a Cunningham Restaurant Group concept, so that group is already serving food in Fishers District while its new building at The Union is being finished.

Here's a simple way to plan a 7:15 game night this fall:

1. Buy parking ahead of time. The venue has more than 2,000 spaces and lets you prepay online or pay in the lot. A license-plate scan checks payment as you leave, so you don't need to show a ticket.
2. Eat at The Yard around 5:30. That's especially important on Opening Night, when the plaza Fan Fest gives you a reason to get to the arena early.
3. Plan for a slow exit. After the first season, fans and the Fuel's CEO both said they wanted parking and postgame exits to move faster. In December 2025, the City approved a traffic study of about $98,700 to look at current and future traffic at nearby intersections and recommend changes. USA Parkway is being widened to two lanes in each direction from 106th Street north to IKEA, with completion targeted for fall 2026. That could help a Sunday 4 p.m. crowd get out faster.

If you're looking for the rest of a Fishers evening outside arena season, we covered the Nickel Plate amphitheater, the trail plaza, and Geist beach nights in our earlier Fishers post. Our Fishers neighborhood page lists the parks and trails that stay busy through the colder months.

Owning a home within reach of the Fishers Event Center means the area around you will keep changing, from the hotels and restaurants to the DORA to the traffic patterns. We follow those changes closely at Fishburn Realty Group. If you'd like to know how The Union, the Crossing hotel, and the traffic study could affect your street over the next couple of seasons, reach out to our team and we'll go through it with you.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.