If you’re like me and October is your favorite month, you’re in for a treat the next 31 days. In Indy, you’ll find tributes to owls and zombies, a new international food festival, a shoe exhibit and lots of other ways to celebrate (or avoid) spooky season. Here are some ideas:
- Kick off “Sober October” with a Moscow Fool at Parlor Public House downtown.
- Check out 60 shoe designs (including some made from mushroom leather and reclaimed ocean plastics) at the new “Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks” exhibit at Newfields. Free admission Oct. 3.
- Watch Iibada Dance Co. groove its way through great movie classics during Motion Pictures Oct. 4-5 at Pike Performing Arts Center. $20.
- Feel a little love and pain at “Amor y Dolor,” Indy Latina Artist’s visual art show Oct. 4-5 at Lost Dog Gallery. Free.
- Try out Moroccan desserts or an Austrian strudel at Epicurean Indy, an international food festival at the Stutz featuring local chefs Oct. 4. Free entry. Food prices vary.
- Catch an Oct. 5 screening of the silent 1920 horror flick “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” with music by Indy rock band Wife Patrol and Juju Starchaser at Kan-Kan Cinema and Restaurant. $15.
- See Kwazar Martin’s new mural of James “Dancing Man” Snow at 38th Street and College Avenue. Snow, who died in 2020, entertained passersby at the intersection for 45 years.
- Take a writing workshop and hear local authors read their works at Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest Oct. 5. Free.
- Join a drumming circle during Pagan Pride Day Oct. 5 at Garfield Park. Free.
- Hear Kinzie Silkz, Milly Milton and Jeff Janiszweski perform at the Plaza in Fountain Square Oct. 10. Free.
- Black professionals who work in the digital space: Network at AfroConnect Oct. 10 at Cummins Global Distribution Headquarters. It’s part of the AfroFest events. Free.
- See “Major Taylor: Champion of the Race,” a documentary about the Indianapolis native and world-class cyclist, Oct. 12 at Heartland Film Festival, which runs Oct. 10-20. $12-$15.
- Grab a copy of the first “People We Meet on the Bus” zine and catch an open mic about the power of connection Oct. 11 at 10 East Arts Hub. Free – and co-hosted by Mirror Indy!
- See the hit musical “Fiddler on the Roof” at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Oct. 10-Nov. 24. Ticket prices vary.
- Listen to a mashup of rock and Motown when Pigeons of Market Street perform Oct. 12 at the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. Free.
- Try out weaving and see Native American art Oct. 14 at the Eiteljorg Museum’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day Community Celebration. Free.
- Create your own cozy, take-home tea blend during Fall Tea Blending Fun at Tea’s Me Community Cafe, 3967 N. Illinois St. $25.
- Cheer on Center Grove and Warren Central high schools as they compete in the Bands of America prelim Oct. 18-19 at Lucas Oil Stadium. $30.
- Grab a leg and a lager (plus tacos and funnel cakes) at the Chicken & Beer Fest Oct. 19 at University Park. $25.
- Hear true crime stories and local lore during Indiana Landmarks’ tour of the Old Northside Historic District Oct. 19. $20.
- Show off your pet — or adopt a new furry friend – at Metazoa Brewing’s Indy Pet Parade Oct. 19. $25.
- Buy artwork from over 50 artists and paint a pumpkin at Locally Made: Indy’s Fall Fest Oct. 19 at the Indy Arts Center. Free.
- Get all of the treats and none of the tricks with “lights on” trick-or-treating at the Historic Hannah House Oct. 19 $5.
- Walk through art exhibits, dance during a music festival and find community resources on financial health, crime prevention and reentry at Art in the Park Oct. 19 at the Riverside Taggart Amphitheater. Free tickets available until Oct. 4.
- What’s Halloween without a little organ music? Head over to Our Lady of Lourdes near Irvington for a free organ performance Oct. 20.
- Jam out to Mina & The Wondrous Flying Machine’s new album, “Quiet Little Wreckonings” during a release party Oct. 25 at Square Cat Vinyl. $15.
- Get up close and personal with an owl at the Owl Festival at Eagle Creek Park’s Ornithology Center Oct. 26-27. Free with park admission.
- Stay in shape with the Zombie Bike Ride Oct. 25 and a Vampire Run Oct. 26 in Irvington, as part of the Irvington Halloween Fest. Bike ride is free; the run costs $29.
- Listen to a talk by Rabbi Sandra Lawson, one of the first Black, queer, female rabbis, Oct. 30 at the Jewish Community Center. It’s part of the Ann Katz Festival of Books and Art, Oct. 21-Nov. 12.
- Take the kids for some free trunk or treating at Indy’s Global Village Welcome Center Oct. 30.
- Donate leftover flowers from fall weddings or events to Random Acts of Flowers, which turns them into bouquets to deliver to people at healthcare centers.
- Wrap up spooky season with Louisville-based darkwave band Broken Nails Oct. 31 at the Melody Inn. $8.
– Jennifer Delgadillo and Amanda Kingsbury contributed to this story.
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