77th Christmas Gift and Hobby Show Supports Boys & Girls Club

77th Annual Indianapolis Christmas Gift and Hobby Show Partners With Boys & Girls Club on Charity Day

$3 from every box office ticket sold on Thursday, November 12 will go directly to local children’s programs, WISH reported, as the 77th annual Christmas Gift and Hobby Show weaves community support into one of Indianapolis’s longest-running holiday traditions.

The partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis marks this year’s Charity Day, a dedicated effort to raise funds for the youth organization while the show fills its halls with 300 exhibitors, family programming, and seasonal entertainment. The event has become a fixture of Indianapolis holiday life, drawing families across multiple generations who return year after year.

“We have generations of people that have come to the show,” said Tami Bailey, Christmas Gift and Hobby Show manager. “Their grandparents came, their parents came, and now they’re coming and bringing their kids.”

That generational pull is exactly what makes the charity partnership land, Bailey said. “We like to partner with community services, and I think that Christmas is a great time of year, and they do so much for children in the Indianapolis area, so it was a great partnership.”

77th Christmas Gift and Hobby Show Supports Boys & Girls Club

A Simple Ticket, a Direct Line to Kids

The mechanism is straightforward: on November 12, $3 from every box office ticket sold benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis. Attendees who want to support the organization simply purchase a box office ticket that day. There is no separate donation line or optional add-on — the support is built into the admission itself.

For Pam Lozano, director of resource development for the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis, that structure matters because it reinforces the organization’s commitment to accessibility. “It’s going to continue to open the door and make sure there are no financial barriers for any of the families we serve,” she said.

Lozano added that community support carries a message beyond the money. “The biggest thing we like to convey to our kids is that they are seen. They come and they are in a safe place, and they get to just be a kid.”

Shopping, Entertainment, and a Full Week of Programming

Beyond Charity Day, the show runs a full slate of themed programming across its run. Hero Day falls on Veterans Day, November 11, honoring service members. Teacher Day and Girls’ Night Out are also scheduled, with Girls’ Night Out landing on Friday.

Christmas charity volunteers gathering holiday donations to help needy people vector

Friday also brings a celebrity appearance: Hallmark Channel’s Robert Buckley, known for The Christmas House and One Tree Hill, will appear that day. Santa will be available for photos throughout the event, keeping with the show’s family-first format.

The 300 exhibitors remain the commercial backbone of the show, blending holiday shopping with entertainment in a single venue — the combination that has kept Indianapolis families returning for 77 years.

Why a Holiday Tradition Still Matters to the City

What separates this event from a routine trade show is the way it has rooted itself in local memory. The show’s longevity — now in its 77th year — means many attendees are not first-time visitors but the children and grandchildren of earlier visitors. That continuity gives the Boys & Girls Club partnership a natural home: a crowd already gathered for celebration is asked to redirect part of that spending toward kids who need a safe place.

Funds raised through Charity Day support local children’s programs, and Lozano’s framing ties the dollars to something harder to quantify: children feeling valued and secure. For Indianapolis families planning holiday outings, the November 12 date offers a single, practical way to combine a long-standing tradition with direct community impact.

The show’s schedule keeps the momentum going after Charity Day, with Hero Day on November 11 and Friday’s programming, including Buckley’s appearance, extending the event’s reach across the week. For attendees, the takeaway is simple: a box office ticket on November 12 does double duty, admitting a family to a 77-year tradition while sending $3 to the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis.

As the holiday season opens in Indianapolis, the Christmas Gift and Hobby Show is bringing the city’s shopping traditions and its charitable impulses to the same floor.