Almost four years after the first Lari Pati event drew 95 people to a music and dance party in Fountain Square, founder Steven Russell is ready to take his show on the road.
Lari Pati will take its Crossroads of Culture tour to cities including Detroit, New York City and Los Angeles this summer. The goal at each stop, Russell said, is to bring a part of Indianapolis culture to other cities and create opportunities for more collaboration in the future.
Each city will have its own set of DJs, along with DJs from Indianapolis. Russell said it’s about “pushing the boundaries of what you can do” beyond Indianapolis.
Lari Pati — a Haitian Creole phrase that translates to “street party” — has grown over the years from a dance party to something that can help propel Indianapolis music and carve out its own place in the city’s lifestyle and culture. At the core of every event is a simple goal.
“We want to bring back what it means to dance again, to have a good time,” Russell said.
Russell got the idea for Lari Pati when he and his roommate would go to the city’s various cultural districts, including downtown, Broad Ripple and Fountain Square. But depending on where they were, they might have enjoyed the environment but not the music — or the other way around. So they decided to host a party of their own.
It took eight months to find a venue for the first party, which happened in June 2018, and Russell thought it would be good if 50 people showed up. Almost double that amount came, and the parties have grown since then.
There were 515 people at a party 10 months later, and they were at The Vogue Theatre twice in 2021.
“I had it in my mind thinking, ‘You know what? I think we have a good structure here. Let’s see what we can do on the road,’” Russell said.
The tour will make six stops:
• May 21 — Chicago
• May 28 — Detroit
• June 24 — Atlanta
• July 15 — Washington, D.C.
• July 23 — New York City
• July 30 — Los Angeles
Before going on the road, Lari Pati will host a party — Beep Me 143 — at 9 p.m. April 26 at The Patron Saint, 250 S. Meridian St. Tickets are $10 at eventbrite.com.
Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853 or email at tylerf@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
