Pacers and Hartbeat Sell Indianapolis at WNBA All-Star Fever Fest

The comedy and concert event begins Kevin Hart’s production company’s tenure as ‘cultural curator’ as women’s sports draw more visitors to the city

At a major event like WNBA All-Star Weekend, a big concert or comedy show typically wraps up the night or the overall festivities.

When the Indiana Fever’s parent company, Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E), teamed with Kevin Hart’s entertainment company, Hartbeat, for All-Star Weekend’s Fever Fest on July 19, it was just the beginning of a far bigger plan.

PS&E and Hartbeat booked a Fever Fest lineup that has 803Fresh putting boots on the groundfor a line-dancing opener, before turning it over to comedy writer, stand-up, and Black-ish star Deon Cole and Fever player and Syd + TP Show costar Sydney Colson to host premier comedians, including Cedric the Entertainer, Leslie Jones, and Aida Rodriguez. Meanwhile, live performances are on deck from The Kid LAROI, G-Eazy, and Bia, while Boogie Down Productions and Club Quarantine DJ D-Nice finish the night by spinning for a WNBA All-Star Game watch party.

When Indianapolis hosted NBA All-Star week in 2024, PS&E and Hartbeat entered a five-year agreement for Hartbeat to become the company’s “cultural curator”—mixing basketball, music, and comedy for events at the Fever and NBA’s Indiana Pacers’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse and downtown Indianapolis throughout the year. Though that deal was struck with the potential for stand-up clubs downtown, music bookings, halftime shows, festivals, merchandising, and scripted digital and social media content, it’s tipping off by putting together an event specifically with Fever and WNBA fans in mind.