Events

2022 Indianapolis Trick-or-Treat Hours

The City of Indianapolis announced trick-or-treat hours for Halloween and offered up tips to help trick-or-treaters stay safe.

Trick-or-treat hours in Indianapolis will be from 6 – 8 p.m. on Monday, October 31. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) will have extra patrols and enforcement in neighborhoods during these times to protect the safety of residents during Halloween festivities.

If you are joining in this year’s trick-or-treating fun, please consider the following safety tips:

Wear light-colored clothing short enough to prevent tripping and add reflective tape
Wear fire-resistant costumes
Make sure children can see well through face masks
Don’t wear masks or disguises to businesses
Adults should accompany young children and children with special needs
Go out in daylight hours if possible or carry a flashlight if you’ll be out after dark
Motorists are reminded to slow down and be aware of their surroundings
Only give and accept wrapped or packaged treats
Examine all treats before allowing children to eat them. If you find a suspicious item, contact police as soon as possible at 327-3811; if an injury is involved, dial 911
Avoid props such as toy guns, which can look real
Consider block parties instead of trick-or-treating
Don’t fire guns – not only is this illegal but what goes up, must come down
Check the weather and have appropriate dress under costumes in the event of cold temperatures

SOURCE: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department

Broad Ripple Kiwanis Club Pumpkin Smash October 23rd

Grab a mallet and start pounding. By smashing pumpkins, you’ll help students in the Broad Ripple area get the tools and extracurricular programs they need — like the robotics club, Lego club, science camps, and arts programming.

The Pumpkin Smash is just part of the family-friendly fall festival hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Broad Ripple from 2 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 23 at Half Liter Beer & BBQ Hall. Free activities for kids include painting pumpkins and fun games. Everyone should dress in their most creative outfit for the costume parade!

Half Liter Beer & BBQ Hall is donating a portion of sales from food to the Kiwanis Club of Broad Ripple. The club supports science, technology, engineering, arts, and math projects at IPS 43, 48, 55, 59, 91, Shortridge, and Purdue Polytechnic.

“We try to do projects that will influence the biggest number of kids,” said Suzannah Hobley, Pumpkin Smash chair. “There’s no money in the school budget for field trips so we provide funding for transportation. Think about when you were a kid going to school, field trips were pretty influential. Imagine never going on a field trip. It blows my mind.”

An online auction of premium items and experiences will raise additional funds so the club can expand the service it provides to the Broad Ripple community. Bidding opens on October 16 on the club’s website, brkc.org. Bids are accepted until 11:59 p.m. on October 23.

“Come out and smash a pumpkin,” said Hobley. “You can even get on a lift, go 20 feet into the sky, toss a pumpkin over and watch it go splat. You’ll be helping students in the Broad Ripple area succeed in school.”

2nd Annual Pumpkin Smash

Sunday, October 23
2-6 p.m.

Half Liter Beer & BBQ Hall
5301 Winthrop Ave Suite B
Indianapolis, IN 46220

Indiana State Fairgrounds 26th Annual Safe Night Halloween

For the 26th year, the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center, along with dozens of community partners, are coming together to host Safe Night Halloween!

On October 31, 2022, from 5-7 PM, the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center will be offering kids and parents a free, safe place to spend Halloween.

Safe Night Halloween is open to all children ages 12 and under who are accompanied by an adult.

Parking and admission are free to all!

2022 Indianapolis ZooBoo Runs October 5th-31st

Is regular October too humdrum, but haunted houses too creepy-crawly? Come to the Zoo for Halloween activities, amazing animals, and pumpkins galore!

ZooBoo is a fun family experience for itty-bitty ghouls and goblins as well as the bigger kids.

October weather means active animals, colorful foliage, and a new season to explore.

Combine that with engaging, hands-free activities, spooktacular costumes, and trick-or-treating, and you’ve got an unforgettable family tradition. Woo-hoo!

Best of all, ZooBoo is free for Zoo members and included with regular admission.

2022 Indianapolis ZooBoo Hours

2 – 7 PM
Activities run Wednesday-Sunday.
Open until 9 PM Friday-Saturday.

Pumpkin Town

The Bicentennial Pavilion is home to a whimsical village where the ghoulish DJ keeps guests on their toes with thriller dance parties! Jack’s Barn houses cats and Agape therapeutic miniature horses for a not-so-scary interaction. The Mirror Maze makes a haunting return with thrills and smiles hidden behind every corner.

More ZooBoo Fun

Meet the Leeward Sisters – Terra, Wisp, and Bubbles conjure up some Halloween magic in their cauldron
Scarecrow Photo Safari – Bring your cameras for a spooky guided adventure through the Forests
Trick-or-Treat Trail presented by Atterbury & IndyPendence Job Corps— including 7 treat stations in a NEW larger location in the Plains
Adult Trick-or-Treat Trail presented by Zink Distributing — Friday and Saturday from 5-8pm (while supplies last)
Roller Ghoster — Indianapolis’ only roller coaster with a fun, Halloween twist!
Round-Go-Merry — the carousel that moves in reverse. Open until 7pm
Spooktacular Train Ride — Enjoy a ride for a special view of the Zoo behind the scenes. Open until 7pm
Gator Pirate Bayou – Arrr! The shipwrecked Boney Scute Pirate crew is looking for new recruits. Try your luck in their pirate-themed games to test your skills as a pirate. Will you join the crew or walk the plank?
Aunty Guzzle’s Potions – Help Aunty Guzzle create tasty and bizarre Halloween concoctions with potions, witchcraft, and “magical ingredients.” Located at Cafe on the Commons

Indianapolis Zoo

1200 West Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46222

317-630-2001

2022 Children’s Museum Guild’s Haunted House Runs Oct 12-30

Gather your games (or break out your boards) and deal out the deck because you’re invited to The Children’s Museum Guild’s 58th Annual Haunted House−Game Night Fright! A wacky and twisted world of games awaits—this may be the one time you WANT to be the first player out!

If you dare to enter the Witch’s Creepy House of Games you’ll quickly find that NOTHING is as it seems! Make your way through ginormous game pieces blocking your route, and navigate through the Delusional Dominoes just to battle the Wretched Rooks! If after all of that you start to feel a little hungry, perhaps you’ll enjoy a visit through Corrupt Confections. Beware of every bite—who knows what creatures are also snacking there! The next challenge that awaits is the Twisted Turnaround, and make sure you don’t veer off the path in the Clueless Corridor or it’s sure to be GAME OVER for you!

The Haunted House offers Lights-on Hours (for those who scare easily) and Frightening Hours (lights off—for those who dare to be scared).

Lights-on Hours ($9)

Hours:

Tuesday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Wednesdays: 10 a.m.–3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
Sundays: Noon–5 p.m.

Includes:

Fun, upbeat music with all lights turned up.
The same scary objects are in the house so can still be frightening for some children.
Friendly-faced greeters without Halloween masks are in each room of the house passing out treats to visitors similar to trick-or-treating.
Children can play seek-and-find with pictures of the annual Haunted House mascot as they move through the rooms of the house to help play up the fun of each room.
Each room also features a Halloween-related fun fact to ask your child such as “how many bones are in the human body?” (Answer: 206!)

Frightening Hours ($9)

Hours:

Thursday–Saturday: 4–9 p.m.

Includes:

Eerie music and minimal lighting.
Haunters hide throughout the house to jump out and scare unsuspecting visitors.
Although visual effects are used to maximize the scare experience, the frightening factor of the Haunted House focuses more on the “startle” rather than gore.
Many visitors will scream with surprise or fear as they move throughout the house.

3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA 46208-4716 | phone 317-334-4000

Conner Prairie’s Headless Horseman Festival Runs October 6-30, 2022

There’s something for everyone at the Headless Horseman Festival:

Take the iconic haunted hayride through Conner Prairie’s grounds and see if you encounter the horseman himself!
Barrel train ride for little ones
Dive into the legend of Amsel Farm, and explore the cursed ground of the Haunted Maze
Spooky shows and storytelling (The Headless Horseman Marionette Show, a Live One Man storytelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and an all NEW Magic show: Eerie-llusions with Rusty Ammerman!)
A spinning apples carnival ride and festive games including Cauldron Toss, Zombie Soccer, and Monster Mini-Golf
‘Mis’-Fortune telling with Carl Voyant
Live DJ and delicious food
Stage of screams – One-man Magic
Monster Museum

Festival Dates:

Thursdays – Sundays, October 6 – 30, 2022

Festival-only tickets:

Members: free
Nonmembers: $20

Hayride tickets:

$5 reservations for members and nonmembers

Hours:

6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Festival tickets will also be available to participants enrolled in the Access Pass program.

2022 Halloween Trick-or-Treat Hours for Carmel, Indiana

CARMEL, IN – The City of Carmel has announced that the official hours of trick or treating in the City will be Monday, October 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. Homes welcoming trick-or-treaters should turn on their porch lights. If you do not wish to receive trick-or-treaters or have run out of candy, please turn off your porch lights. While there are many neighborhoods and other organizations that hold their own Halloween events and celebrations, we encourage those who want to trick or treat door-to-door to use the City’s official hours to do so.

The City would also like to remind its citizens of a few guidelines and proper safety procedures to follow for a safer celebration. While preparing for Halloween festivities, there are several important safety tips to keep in mind.

Motorists should drive with extra caution and keep an eye out for “little goblins” roaming the neighborhood.
Adults should always accompany their children and use a flashlight at night, staying within their own neighborhood and known homes. The use of glow sticks or reflective tape on costumes can also help with visibility.
Watch for traffic before crossing any street.
Avoid costumes that are long, which could cause tripping or costumes that have hard plastic or wood props like swords that could be a hazard.
Face paint is often a safer alternative to masks that may obstruct vision.
It is also important to inspect candy before allowing children to have it; dispose of any candy that is unwrapped.

SOURCE: City of Carmel, Indiana