I’ve always found October birthdays to be chic. Some of the coolest people are in that club, including a couple of my friends and family, Frank Ocean and Tracee Ellis Ross.
October — home to the Libras and Scorpios — brings us tricks and treats as we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, Halloween, early Día de Muertos celebrations, National Book Month and part two of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Food lovers: Stuff yourself during Indy Taco Week and take the kiddos in their costumes. If you like to get crafty around the holidays, make a spooky necklace or bracelet at Trinket Club and From Her Corner’s Halloween-inspired craft night.
Cinephiles can watch their soon-to-be favorite at Heartland Film Festival and an Alfred Hitchcock architectural cult classic at Indiana Landmarks, plus gain skills in writing and filmmaking at the new Indy Africa Book & Film Festival at Central Library.
Don’t miss the Cottage Home Block Party and Historic Irvington Halloween Festival.
Use this list to stay busy all month long.
October 1-10 🔝
Memory Workshop
🗓️ 2-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1
📍 West Indianapolis library branch, 1216 Kappes St.
🎟️ Free, but must register
When it’s time to preserve the stories of your life for your family, where do you turn? Barbara Shoup, the author of the memoir, “About Grace,” can help. Through writing exercises, she will guide you to identify moments worth telling and find your voice on the page.
Testify! Live
🗓️ 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2
📍 Eastern Star Church, 5805 Cooper Road
🎟️ Free
Award-winning gospel artist Lamar Campbell is joining six Indianapolis artists, including Januarie York and Wildstyle Paschall, to explore a tradition rooted in the Black church — testimony. Christian Theological Seminary is launching Testify! Live, bringing together music, poetry, dance and photography.
Indianapolis is the launch point for a five-year initiative that will work with 250 Black churches across 31 states.
First Friday: Factory Arts District
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2
📍 Factory Arts District, 1125 E. Brookside Ave.
🎟️ Free
It can be overwhelming to choose where to go on First Friday. A stop at the Factory Arts District means you can see works from artists at more than 20 studios and galleries.
In the Schwitzer Gallery, Matt Hurdle will show paintings of atmospheric landscapes. His exhibit “In Another World,” features misty and blurry clouds and bird’s-eye views of prairies.
You can also check out Bruce Hurley‘s digital drawings of women with stiff, bright-colored locks and their funny dogs in the “Recent Works” exhibit in the Marmon Gallery.
First Friday: Harrison Center
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2
📍 Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
🎟️ Free
Walk around the Harrison Gallery to view oil paintings by artist Jay Parnell in his exhibit, “Dust.” Parnell’s art challenges the perception of dust as something to be cleared.
Head to the Speck Gallery to see “LAHI: Weaving Filipino American Stories in Indiana.”
The exhibition, curated by Jingo M. de la Rosa and April Knauber, brings together artists from across Indiana in celebration of Filipino American History Month. Their art explores identity, ancestry, immigration, community and cultural preservation.
Lastly, in the Gallery Annex, take a peek at “Inner Peace on a Budget” by Yasha Persson. Pearson uses antique illustrations, forgotten typography and weathered scraps of history that make up two-dimensional collages.
Related
10 art exhibits to see in Indianapolis this fall
Beyond the Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz exhibit at Newfields, check out these other very good local shows.
Irvington Ghost Tour
🗓️ 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2
📍 Irving Theater, 5505 E. Washington St.
🎟️$20 (cash only)
Join a spirited walking tour through the historic eastside neighborhood and hear ghostly stories and tales. All tours begin on Johnson Avenue (near Ritter Avenue and East Washington Street) along the east side of the Irving Theater.
Grapevine Season Finale
🗓️ 6-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2
📍 Cleo’s Bodega, 2432 Dr. MLK. Jr. St.
🎟️ Free, but must RSVP; 18+
This will be your last time to experience Naptown’s kickback that comes with food, drinks and art and for the season. Hosted by DJ Grapevine.
Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest
🗓️ Oct. 2-3
📍 Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St. and other locations
🎟️ Free, but must register
Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest is back for its third year. The festival will feature a book fair, local and regional author readings, publishers and literary magazines and writer’s workshops. There will be bookish activities for all ages, along with food trucks, music, games and prizes.
North Massive 5
🗓️ 8 a.m.-11:59 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
📍 North Mass Boulder, 1411 Roosevelt Ave.
🎟️ $55 for competitor passes; $14 fun passes
The Midwest’s indoor bouldering and climbing competition returns for its fifth year. First, second and third place winners in five categories will compete for $14,000 in prizes.
All climbers compete as individuals and are scored on attempts and finishes. There will be mini games, DJ-ing, drag queen bingo, flash tattoos and a performance by local rock band Milligan. You can walk through Vendor Alley and shop from 20 local artists and small businesses.
ArcFest
🗓️ 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
📍 Hine Hall at Indiana University Indianapolis, 875 W. North St.
🎟️ Free and open to all ages
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” The words, inspired by a sermon from abolitionist and freedom fighter Theodore Parker, remind us that there is a future worth fighting for.
ArcFest, a live journalism and storytelling event, will bring together historians, artists, journalists, improv comedians, political candidates and community members to explore what it means to help shape the next chapter of the American story as our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary. There will be music and poetry performances on the Play List stage.
ArcFest is hosted by Free Press Indiana, the support organization for Mirror Indy and FPI News.
Indy Africa Book & Film Festival
🗓️ 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free
Gain skills in writing and filmmaking at this inaugural event designed to encourage cultural exchange, with a special focus on creators within the African diaspora.
The all-day event will include networking opportunities for creatives, a filmmaker discussion, a filmmaking workshop and Young Griot’s children’s writing workshop. Keynote speakers include local filmmakers Deonna Weatherly and Al Smith, and Nigerian author Abubakar Adam Ibrahim.
Totally Rad Vintage Fest
🗓️ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
📍 Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center, 1202 E. 38th St.
🎟️ $8-$25
Indy has been a regular stop for the Totally Rad Vintage Fest. Shop from local and national vendors selling clothes from the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. Don’t forget to tour the Rad Rewind Museum to view some “ancient” tech relics.
And if you hate waiting in line, grab an early bird ticket to shop first while others sleep.
A Vision of Peace
🗓️ 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
📍 Unity of Indianapolis, 907 N. Delaware St.
🎟️ Free
In January, Larry M. Fitzgerald, a beloved member of Unity of Indianapolis Church, died at age 81. Many years before his death, he designed a peace garden for the church.
Fitzgerald’s vision has been brought to life. The downtown church will host a dedication featuring performances by Cathy Morris, Brenda Williams, Greg Ziesmer and Thomas Puckett.
Stay Strange
🗓️ 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
📍 Black Circle Music Bar, 2201 E. 46th St.
🎟️ $10
Raise money for the Stay Strange Scholarship for Girls Rock Indy! with comedy, music and all things Halloween. Wear your spookiest costume.
Chi-Chi’s
🗓️ 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
📍 Sinners & Saints, 2849 Shelby St.
🎟️ $5
It’s an underground dance party centering Black queer women and allies. Make sure your clubbing outfit is on theme — animal print or pink.
Senegalese Day
🗓️ Oct. 3-4
📍 Garnet Waterfront Banquet & Events Center, 2930 Waterfront Parkway W Drive.
🎟️ Free
Discover Senegalese history and culture. There will be a fashion show and dinner, a vendor market, traditional African dance performances, a Sargal ceremony and family games.
Boo Blitz
🗓️ 10 a.m.-noon Sunday, Oct. 4
📍 Flanner House, 2424 Dr. MLK Jr. St.
🎟️ Free
Nature enthusiasts can photograph and identify plants, animals and fungi on the farm, in the pond and surrounding areas throughout the Flanner House campus. Bring your cellphone to track your findings through the iNaturalist app.
Early Autumn Wine Tasting
🗓️5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4
📍Golden Hour Books, 5208 N. College Ave.
🎟️ $32
Discover wines with UVA Tastings, mingle with friends and add books to your fall TBR list.
The Beatles Trivia
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7
📍 Square Cat Vinyl, 1054 Virginia Ave.
🎟️ Free
Think you know all there is to know about one of the most famous and celebrated boy bands in history? Show off your knowledge of the fab four: Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison at this trivia night.
Also, did you hear a Beatles biopic is set to release in 2028?
Visiting Writers Series: Arthur Sze
🗓️ 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7
📍 Schrott Center for the Arts, 610 W. 46th St.
🎟️ Free
Arthur Sze is a poet, translator and editor. In 2025, he was named the 25th poet laureate of the United States. His poetry has been translated into 15 languages, including Chinese, Dutch, German, Portuguese and Spanish.
Sze has published 12 books of poetry, including “Into the Hush,” “The White Orchard: Selected Interviews, Essays, and Poems” and “The Glass Constellation: New and Collected Poems.” At the event, he will read from some of his work.
Creativas Convo
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8
📍 1656 Club, 1656 English Ave.
🎟️ $10
Hear from Latina creatives who are shaping the city’s cultural and creative scene over matcha and coffee. Your ticket includes any drink on the 1656 Club menu, so choose wisely.
‘CATS’
🗓️ Oct. 8-Nov. 22
📍 Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, 9301 Michigan Road
🎟️ $59.50-$87.50
It’s a purr-fect show to wrap up Beef & Boards 2026 mainstage season. Dive into choreography, spectacular costumes and unforgettable music in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical. The buffet opens two hours prior to the show.
Related
Your 2026 Indianapolis fall theater preview
“Memphis,” “The Lion King” and “Fun Home” are just some of the big shows happening this season.
‘Wet Wet Mud’ Picnic
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 (opening night); noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10
📍 Garfield Park Arts Center, 2432 Conservatory Drive
🎟️ Free
The annual art show features print, textile, sculpture, paintings, video and collage artwork created by 20 female and nonbinary artists. This year’s theme is “Parks,” with an emphasis on trees.
On Oct. 10, bring a blanket, snacks and a book to a community picnic to celebrate the “Wet Wet Mud” right outside the center.
“North by Northwest”
🗓️6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9
📍Indiana Landmarks, 1201 N. Central Ave.
🎟️ Free for members; $11.75 for nonmembers
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic, “North by Northwest,” features the Vandamm House, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Fallingwater home in Pennsylvania. It is one of the first films to portray modernist architecture.
Ladies Night
🗓️ 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9
📍 Love Indy Bar and Grill, 4623 E. 10th St.
🎟️ $10
Heavy Step Entertainment and Shondonified host this showcase. The all-woman lineup features local singers and rappers — Ayara Senoj, GIIGINBLACK, Kyndl and FVRRAD.
Heartland Film Festival
🗓️ Oct. 8-18
📍 Various locations
🎟️ $13 and up
The 11-day festival’s theme is “Connect to What Matters.” Dial into 100+ independent films at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Indy Art Center, Kan-Kan Cinema, Living Room Theaters, Newfields and Scottish Rite Cathedral. You can also watch films online.
Tip off the 35th annual festival with the world premiere of “First Five,” a documentary about Coach Bob Knight’s first recruiting class at Indiana University.
Celebrate 13 years of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, where filmmakers — both with and without disabilities — collaborate in a five-day filmmaking contest to tell stories that embrace diverse forms of disability.
Risky Business
🗓️ 5-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10
📍 Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis, or CAMi, 1125 Cruft St.
🎟️ Free, but must register
See an experimental showcase of art projects from nine artists that blend music, dance, literary and visual arts.
Big Gay Halloween
🗓️ 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11
📍 The Amp at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd.
🎟️ Free admission
Get two nights of spooky queer magic. Shop from over 100 vendors and participate in an over-the-top costume contest.
October 11-17 🔝
Drop Dead Gorgeous
🗓️ 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11
📍 Lapis Lily Market, 1020 N. Capitol Ave.
🎟️ $25
Bedazzle your own mini-Halloween pail and one-of-a-kind spooky earrings, brooch and a necklace with Trinket Club and From Her Corner.
The RESET: An Art & Soul artist showcase
🗓️ 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11
📍 Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave.
🎟️ $12.51; buy one, get one free
Curated and hosted by the Madam Walker Legacy Center, the showcase will feature original music, poetry, storytelling and theatrical performances by the Art & Soul 2026 featured artists: singer D’yshe Mansfield, poet Auboni Essence, musician Kenn.wav and playwright and actor Austin Dean Ashford.
Indigenous People’s Day
🗓️ Monday, Oct. 12
📍 Eiteljorg Museum, 500 W. Washington St.
🎟️ Free admission
Celebrate the day with a full schedule of Great Lakes tribal histories, arts and cultures with live performances and make-and-take art activities.
Listen to artists talk about how their cultures and traditions inform their artwork. Take a tour of the galleries, led by curators Dorene Red Cloud and Monica Raphael, to learn more about the Native art in the museum’s collection.
Indy Taco Week
🗓️ Oct. 12-18
📍 Various locations
🎟️ Price varies
Grab $2.50 tacos from the most popular taco spots in Indianapolis. Use the Indy Taco Week app to map out your week, find participating restaurants and challenge your taste buds.
Black Health Fair
🗓️ 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free
The second annual Black Health Fair at the Center for Black Literature and Culture will have free screenings, wellness resources and over 30 vendors.
Books, Brews & Boos: a Midwest Horror & Gothic Lit Fest
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13
📍 Guggman Haus Brewing Co., 1701 Gent Ave.
🎟️ $30
Get an evening of chilling stories, fall-themed brews and all things spine-tingling. Guests will hear from Midwest horror and gothic literature authors, followed by an audience Q&A and chances to purchase books. Ticket price includes one book from a visiting author.
‘Prada You’ Album Release Party
🗓️ 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16
📍 Indy CD & Vinyl, 806 Broad Ripple Ave.
🎟️ Free admission
“Prada You” is the second album from local rapper Norrie the Goat. The album is about being able to look back at everything — the wins, losses, mistakes, sacrifices, pain and progress — and recognize how far you’ve come.
‘Swan Lake: A Symphony of Lights’
🗓️ 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16
📍 Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave.
🎟️ $45.75-$109.95
Discover Swan Lake in a whole new light. Immerse yourself into a story of love and magic, told through light, movement and music. Each act unfolds Tchaikovsky’s iconic score into living art.
‘The Rocky Horror Show’
🗓️ Oct. 16-31
📍 Basile Theatre at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St.
🎟️ Prices vary
This isn’t “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” but the live stage musical that inspired the movie. If you’ve never seen it, don’t worry. You don’t need to know anything about the show or the movie to have a great time.
Audience members will be guided to participate in call-outs via a screen on stage. If you’re a veteran Rocky viewer, please stick to the “script” for the night. No explicit sex or nudity will happen during the show, but you’ll be seeing some skin and implied sex.
Downtown Fall Fest
🗓️ 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17
📍 Lugar Plaza, 200 E. Washington St.
🎟️ Free
Enjoy fall activities including yard games, flower and pumpkin fields, fall-themed photos, a vendor market, pumpkin carving and bouquet making. There will also be a kids corner with face painting, pumpkin decorating and balloon art.
Locally Made: Indy’s Fall Fest
🗓️ Noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17
📍 Indy Art Center, 820 E. 67th St.
🎟️ Free
Families can enjoy art activities and food. The Locally Made arts market features artwork, wares and artisanal goods from 50+ local and regional artists. The event will also serve as the official grand opening of ARTSPARK, which was delayed due to damage caused by historic flooding to the Broad Ripple area in August.
Talleres de Arte
🗓️ 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17
📍 The Amp at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd
🎟️ Free
Shop from Latino vendors and make arts and crafts with the Hispanic Cultural Hub.
Indy Folk Series
🗓️ 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17
📍 Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis, 615 W. 43rd St.
🎟️ $25
This month’s show features Jon Shain, whose love for American roots music and songwriting came to him while growing up in the 1970s in Massachusetts. He’s drawn to writing and singing about regular people and social justice.
October 18-24 🔝
‘Hocus Pocus’
🗓️ 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20
📍 Schrott Center for the Arts, 610 W. 46th St.
🎟️ Free
Getting into the Halloween season requires at least one watch of this classic 1993 film. Families can sport their costumes and watch Max and his little sister move to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.
There will be trick-or-treating, glitter tattoos and balloon twisting in the lobby.
MORE’s ‘Tailored’ Issue
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22
📍 Old National Bank Corporate Office, 900 E. 96th St.
🎟️ $20-$35
MORE Magazine is an Indianapolis magazine built around “making opportunities reachable for everyone.” This pre-launch happy hour will celebrate its 13th issue, “Tailored,” which asks who fashion was cut for and who gets the credit. Stories are told by everyday Hoosiers, using what they wear to say who they are.
The event will feature a fashion show, performances by local artists and a vendor market.
Irvington Halloween Festival
🗓️ Oct. 24-31
📍 Irvington neighborhood
🎟️ Various prices
Each year, the historic eastside neighborhood welcomes over 80,000 guests to a legendary street party and parade.
For the festival’s 80th anniversary, get ready for a full week of Halloween excitement, including a wellness fair, Halloween ball, a spooky organ concert, a blood drive, a horror movie night and a zombie bike ride.
Dia de los Muertos Community Celebration
🗓️ 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24
📍 Eiteljorg Museum, 500 W. Washington St.
🎟️ Free
Día de Muertos is a Mexican holiday that celebrates and remembers friends and relatives who have died. Enjoy performances, meet artists and create your own art inspired by the traditions and stories behind this cultural celebration.
October 25-31 🔝
Día de los Muertos Vintage Market
🗓️ Noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25
📍 Crown Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery, 700 W. 38th St.
🎟️ Free
Enjoy mariachi music performances, traditional Mexican dancing, DJ-ing, and trunk-or-treat and Día de los Muertos activities.
3D printing workshop
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free
Adults ages 18 and up can learn the basics of 3D printing using Tinkercad and S5 Ultimaker. And maybe this workshop will prepare you to make this masterpiece.
‘Young Frankenstein’
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free
What’s more camp and dramatic than the 1970s? Audiences can chuckle and get scared during a screening of the 1974 film, “Young Frankenstein,” featuring Gene Wilder.
Visiting Writers Series: Patricia Lockwood
🗓️ 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28
📍 Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St.
🎟️ Free
Patricia Lockwood is a novelist, essayist and poet. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native is author of “No One is Talking About This;” her memoir, “Priestdaddy;” and the viral prose-poem “Rape Joke.” She’ll read and discuss some of her writing.
Women in Horror
🗓️ 6:30-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29
📍 Indiana Landmarks, 1201 Central Ave.
🎟️ $17.91-$34.76
You’re in for a horror-filled literary evening. This Tomorrow Bookstore-hosted event will feature a spooky book fair, plus a Q&A with national best-selling authors Kylie Lee Baker, Rachel Harrison and Nadia Davids, moderated by Indiana horror author Haley Newlin. Food will be available to purchase from Smoking Goose.
Teen Murder Mystery Night
🗓️ 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30
📍 Glendale library branch, 3660 E. 62nd St.
🎟️ Free
A teen librarian is found dead during a comic festival. Could she be the victim of a terrible accident at KomixFest? But what about the bite marks on her neck?
Teens ages 13 to 18 are called to act as detectives to solve a murder committed by one of the characters, portrayed by a library staff member. Snacks will be included. Costumes welcome but not required.
A correction was made on Sept. 24, 2026: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the dates for the 35th Heartland Film Festival.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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