Halloween may only come once a year, but thankfully, you do not have to wait until Oct. 31 to celebrate. In this special edition of This Weekend in the Arts, the Indianapolis Recorder has you covered with all kinds of fall-related and Halloween-esque events to check out. We have put together an extensive list of some of the haunts going on in and around Indianapolis this weekend in the arts.
As excited as we are about providing this list, we know we could not get everything. If there is something going on that other Hoosiers and we should know about, feel free to let us know so we can include it next week!
Friday, Oct. 20
Locally Made: Indy’s Fall Fest
Indianapolis Art Center ARTSPARK, 820 E. 67th St.
Noon to 5 p.m.
Admission is free; $15 for activity wristband
Featuring a variety of art, ceramics, candles and jewelry from more than 50 local artist and artisan booths, this family-friendly festival is taking a creative approach to Halloween. Costumes are encouraged, all children will get a free pumpkin to paint and with the purchase of a $15 wristband, they will have access to a variety of hands-on art activities
Twilight Tales: Strange Encounters
Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St.
7-8 p.m.
Tickets are $20
Take a haunting nighttime stroll to visit some of the creepiest exhibits the Indiana State Museum has to offer on a flashlight-guided tour. Staff will tell tales of supernatural rumors and Indiana folklore associated with the artifacts as guests search for strange objects hidden in the darkness.
Whodunit?
Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St.
7-9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members
Hoosiers will have an opportunity to solve a real historic murder with the Indiana Historical Society, with prizes for the winning team and costumes. The event is complete with the opportunity to question witnesses, law enforcement and suspects in addition to reviewing evidence from a 1900s cold case.
READ MORE: Newfields reopens Harvest Nights, brings back Art or Treat and ‘Rocky Horror’
Saturday, Oct. 21
Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics
The Cyrus Place, 237 N. East St.
6:30-9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $35-$55
Complete with Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” and the theme from “Ghostbusters,” this candlelight concert will feature a range of spooky music in a multisensory experience to get you in the mood for Halloween.
Friendly Feast with the Witches
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St.
9-11 a.m.
Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members
Join the friendliest witches in Indy for a breakfast “Boo-fet,” where kids can engage in Halloween-themed games, crafts, activities and leave with a goody bag. Families can also tour “Game Night Fright” during AES Indiana’s “Lights-on Hours.”
Meet an Author, Be an Author
Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Free
Open to all ages, library patrons and aspiring authors are welcome to meet and chat with more than 40 of Indianapolis’ own published authors, IndyPL Book Selectors, the Indiana Writers Center and Speed City Sisters in Crime. A variety of workshops will also be available in addition to a Reading Room where authors will give readings of their published works.
Sunday, Oct. 22
76th Historic Irvington Halloween Festival Spooky Organ Concert
Our Lady of Lourdes, 5333 E. Washington St.
6-8 p.m.
Free; canned goods donation encouraged
Featuring Broadway classics and rock and piano masterpieces, the Spooky Organ Concert will include a repertoire of “Songs and Dances of Death.” Baritone Daniel Narducci returns alongside Dominic Duray, Erik Scull, OLL father-and-son duo Tad and Heath Nelson, and the OLL choir to close out the concert.
Harvest Nights
Newfields, 4000 N. Michigan Road
7:30-10:30 p.m. (Ongoing through Oct. 31)
Tickets are $15-$34
Newfields’ heavily anticipated fall event returns with the spooky, not scary Harvest Nights! Join Newfields for its after-dark, family-friendly event to wander through foggy and pumpkin-filled forests while sipping on hot cocoa or enjoying caramel corn and cinnamon Bavarian crème churros.
Pumpkin Smash for STEAM Cash
Half Liter BBQ & Beer Hall, 5301 Winthrop Ave., Suite B
2-6 p.m.
Admission is free
The third annual Pumpkin Smash for STEAM Cash is back with all kinds of fun from pumpkin painting and destruction, food and drinks, a kid’s crafting room, costume parade and live music. Proceeds go toward funding STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, art and math, projects at Midtown Indianapolis Public Schools.
Please note: Admission and ticket prices listed are general and before taxes/fees.
Contact staff writer Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848 or chloegm@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @chloe_mcgowanxx.
