When is your favorite time of year? For many people, summer is the obvious answer, with plenty of swimming, hiking, biking, camping, and more to be done. But there’s a specific group of folks – folks like myself – who are hopelessly obsessed with autumn. After all, the weather is gorgeous, and it’s a blast! Did you know that the longest-running festival in Indiana – or one of them, at the very least – is a Halloween festival? Yep! Get your costume ready, head out to the town of Irvington, and check it out. It’s a spooky blast for all ages.

The population of Irvington, which is a gorgeous little suburb of Indianapolis, hovers right around 11,000 for most of the year.
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival/Facebook
Come fall, though, and the town comes alive with revelers from all over Indiana (and parts of the Midwest) celebrating spooky sweater season the right way. At this time of year, the town's population goes up.
...but it's not people driving the numbers up. It's witches and ghosts galore.
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival/Facebook
It's the annual Irvington Halloween Festival, and it's been going strong since 1947.
Each and every year, guys, gals and ghouls gather for a delightfully fun, totally spooky party during the week leading up to Halloween.
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival/Facebook
You did indeed read that correctly: festivities go on for a whole week! There's something going on every day from Saturday, October 21st until Saturday, October 28th.
On the 21st, there's a wondrous masquerade ball to attend.
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival/Facebook
On the 23rd, there's family movie night. On the 24th, take part in a spooky séance... if you dare.
All the fun all week long leads up to the Saturday before Halloween, which is the day of the awesomely creepy street fair.
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival/Facebook
Fun fact: this isn't just one of the longest-running festivals in Indiana. It's also the 2nd largest (and oldest) Halloween festival in the United States. How lucky are we?
Costume up and grab the kiddies - this one's a must do if you're anywhere near town.
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival/Facebook

If you’re planning to travel for this one (which everyone ought to do at least once in their lives!), you’ll need somewhere to stay. Our friends at Booking.com can definitely help with that. At the time of this writing, I am a Level 3 Genius on Booking and I can personally tell you that it’s absolutely worth it, particularly for frequent travelers.

For more information about the festival itself, including the most up-to-date calendar of events and all the info you’ll need to plan your week around it, be sure to check out the official Irvington Halloween Festival website. What are your favorite festivals in Indiana? Do you know of any that are older than this one? Let me know!

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Irvington, Indianapolis, IN 46219, USA