Duke’s Indy Announces Closure of Beloved Honky Tonk
It’s a tough time for independent music venues. Despite years of fighting for financial support through grants and advocacy, many spaces are still facing significant challenges. This week, Duke’s Indy, a beloved honky tonk and country music venue, announced that it will close its doors on November 22, 2025.
From @dukes_indy Instagram:
“It is with a heavy heart that we let y’all in on the difficult choice we’ve had to make. For reasons both personal, financial and logistic we’ve had to come to terms with the limitations of the space we occupy. More competitors with much deeper pockets in the market, a building in desperate need of retrofitting in order to continue and elevate use in the ways we need and the tightening pressures of a challenging economy… it’s better to end things on our terms than to tread water until we drown. Duke’s Honky Tonk will be closing its doors effective November 22nd, 2025. As a community we’ve mourned far too many sudden losses and we want to honor this magical space by giving y’all as much time as possible to say good-bye.
It has been a tremendous honor and truly the joy of our lives to serve Indianapolis, bringing independent country and western music artists to eager audiences, serving the best damn fried chicken and carrying the torch D lit. We’re proud of all the ways we’ve brought about glory days and thankful for the bands, agents, regulars, incredible staff and fans who have turned this old building into a honky tonk home making lasting memories along the way. This is not the outcome any of us had hoped for but we are honored to have carved out a special place celebrating the traditions of country, western and Americana roots music in Indianapolis. Thank you for everything, and come see us soon as we welcome some absolute bangers to the stage to say good-bye. ❤️🤠”
Duke’s has been a staple for country, western and Americana roots music in Indianapolis. It has been a place where national artists found eager audiences, where staff and regulars became family, and where fried chicken was as much a draw as the music.
We share in the sadness of this loss, and we also share gratitude for everything Duke’s brought to our city. During the pandemic, the Indiana Independent Venue Alliance was proud to provide Duke’s with direct grant support as part of our effort to keep local venues alive through one of the hardest periods our industry has ever faced. Read more about our pandemic-era grant awards here.
Venues like Duke’s remind us why the work of protecting and sustaining independent spaces matters so much. Show your support for this great venue while you can and check out a show or two before November. They have a stacked schedule of shows including Sunny Sweeney, Nicholas Jamerson, Jeremy Pinell, Hannah Dasher, Big Sandy and many more. Grab a ticket and check out the full show calendar before you head out.